and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— July, 1911. 



7<9 



something however, an undiscoverable some- 

 thing, possessed by the vegetable product. The 

 result was that it was not fast. It came out in 

 the wash, it faded in the sun, and it shrank 

 from the sea. Also, it destroyed the cloth. It 

 was sold cheaply, however, and in a form that 

 pleased the dyers. The prodts were very small 

 though, and have of late almost vanished. 

 Synthetic Indigo is in turn threatened. It has 

 already begun to be displaced, largely by two 

 other blues, firstly by alizarin blue, and secondly 

 by a blue got from logwood. These cheap dyes 

 are, however, even more fugitive and destructive 

 than synthetic indigotine. Alizarin blue in the 

 best cloths fades to a dirty reddish brown if ex- 

 posed to light and air. It will do this in a 

 month. It also eats absolute holes in the 

 cloth. It begins to go off in a fortnight. 

 Alizarin is fast to sea water only to a 

 certain extent, but it cannot stand the sun. 

 Logwood dyes are even more fugitive, but 

 they do not destroy the fabric. True natural 

 indigo, the old dye, is fast in all conditions, and 

 does not eat the fabric. It is the only blue of 

 which this can be said. 



But the public knew nothing of this. They 

 have forgotten about natural indigo, and wait to 

 have the truth regarding other dyes impressed 

 upon them by proof and persuasion: There is 

 an Indigo Association now in existence, but it 

 does nt> good whatovor. It only wastes time and 

 money, and its "work" can only be expressed by. 

 the horribly slangy, but expressive, word 

 "footle." It only requires dissolving and rema- 

 king. What is wanted is the establishment in 

 London of an emporium and agency with an 

 energetic and able Managing Secretary, a ehemut 

 and dyer, one in thorough touch with the trade 

 atthe head. This emporium would have branches 

 in the great Northern manufacturing centres, and 

 also in Paris and Berlin. This being done and 

 things kept booming, the public would soon turn 

 from the blue devils of Alizarin and adhere to 

 true blue. It is a great opportunity for Ceylon to 

 do the missionary work, and take the reward. 



JAVA RUBBER INDUSTRY, 



Reporting on the trade of Java, Sumatra, &c, 

 for the year 1910, Mr OonsulJ W Stewart states 

 that the past twelve months were most interest- 

 ing for rubber in Java, as the oldest of the Hevea 

 plantations had reached the productive stage. 

 Little actual tapping has been done, but some 

 half dozen estates have made a commencement 

 with this work, and the small quantities of 

 'Java plantation ' which have reached the Lon- 

 don market have been conspicuous for the high 

 prices realised. Figures as to yields por tree 

 are not yet available, but results obtained 

 have been highly satisfactory, both as regards 

 yield of latex and percentage of dry rubber. 

 On many plantations trouble has been caused 

 by root disease ; but planters are taking ener- 

 getic measures to check it, and the Government 

 chemists are interesting themselves keenly in 

 the matter and rendering the readiest assistance. 



Of the capital sunk in rubber ventures during 

 1910, that of British investors easily takes the 

 first place, and from figures compiled by the 

 Netherlands Indian Agricultural Syndicate it 

 appears that in Java alone no less than 



£5,500,000 has already been paid up in respect 

 of 87 British companies with an authorised 

 capital of nearly £7,000,100. The figures are 

 admittedly incomplete, as the origin of all the 

 capital is difficult to trace, and it is probablo 

 that the actual British interest is even greater. 

 The agricultural syndicate mentioned above has 

 also endeavoured to collect statistics as to the 

 area planted with rubber in Java, and have ar- 

 rived at a total of 157 estates, with an area of 

 85,000 acres ef planted rubber, principally 

 Hevea Brasiliensis. These figures are, however, 

 recognised as incomplete, and owing to the 

 apparent reluctance of many planters to furnish 

 it will probably be some years before reliable 

 statistics can be obtained. 



An interesting feature in connection with the 

 rubber industry has been the establishment in 

 Java during 1910 of a British firm of rubber en- 

 gineers who are constructing large numbers of 

 temporary and permanent rubber factories. An in- 

 ferior variety of wild rubber, the export of which 

 has of late years attained considerable propor- 

 tions, is that known as jelutong. This product 

 is collected by natives in the forests of Sumatra 

 and Borneo and is obtained from trees belonging 

 to .the Dyera and Alstouia families. As the 

 method of collection employed by the natives is 

 extremely destructive to the trees the Govern- 

 ment of Netherlands India has found it neces- 

 sary, in order to prevent their extermination, to 

 impose restrictions on the collection of jelutong. 

 Concessions for the exclusive right of collection 

 have already been granted to two companies, 

 one American and the other German, and there 

 are still large stretches of territory available. 

 — H. & G, Mail, June 16. 



EUROPEAN SUPERVISION IN THE 

 MIDDLE EAST. 



This is a subject which is engaging the 

 thoughts of experienced Planters in this coun- 

 try. It has been asserted that there is already 

 too much recruiting of white men from Europe. 

 In the opinion of more than one leading Planter 

 whom wo have interviewed the opposite is really 

 the case. We want much more white supervi- 

 sion, said one Selangor Planter, and tho estate 

 which stints itself in respest of the same is 

 adopting a suicidal policy. Lack of European 

 supervision was bad enough in the earlier days. 

 With the prospects of a number of estates ap- 

 proaching the bearing state it is rendered a 

 much more serious matter, and there must be 

 no weakening but rather strengthening of the 

 European staffs on the different estates in this 

 country. Tho extra initial expense to an estate, 

 caused by the addition of one or two European 

 Assistants, will be more than compensated by 

 the rosults due to supervision. The question 

 of European supervision is one of the most im- 

 portant of the hour, and we hope that some of 

 our readers, who realize its importance, will 

 give their views for the benefit of their brother 

 planters. We hope as time goes on to interview 

 leading Planters on the subject, which, as we 

 have pointed out is one of deep concern to the 

 welfare of this country. Mr W 11 G Hickey, 

 manager of Sheltord estate, Klang, advocates 

 much closer supervision by Europeans than can 

 now be observed. (Grenier's.)— S. F. Press, 

 June 20. 



