\)1 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



sweet clean article that needs practically no 

 dbauing lie will ?,bsuredly take it and even offor, 

 peiljaps, a better price lor it. As a well-known 

 rubber man told us one day " You wouldn't buy 

 kippered herrings if you could get fresh." And 

 thac more or less expresses the probable attitude 

 of manufacturers. 



Treating " Dirty Water." 

 There is another lesson to be learned inciden- 

 tally from this Kajang estate, and that is the 

 value of the fluid leit in the coagulator after the 

 sheet has been skimmed off. i'his fluid in the 

 past has been contemptuously regarded as noth- 

 ing better than " dirty water " and it is no ex- 

 aggeration to say that thousands of pounds have 

 been thrown in the drains of the F. M.. S. by re- 

 ason of that view. That " dirty water,'' in the 

 hands of a good chemist, is valuable. It stands 

 to reason that it must contain a certain amount 

 of latex that has not solidified, but although 

 that must have been patent to planters since 

 the beginning, it was never thought worth 

 while to spend money in redeeming the latex. 

 The Belgian company's work answers that. 1'hey 

 have sent out a hrst-class chemist who has taken 

 the subject well in hand. And at the moment, 

 we believe, the company is Deiug saved $200 a 

 day that would otherwise be thrown into the 

 river and lost. 



RUBBER AND GUTTA-PERCHA 

 IN BORNEO. 



A great awakening took place in 1910 in regard 

 to the value of native gums of North Borneo, of 

 which there are four — gutta-percha, gutta- 

 jelatong, gutta-jangkar, ana rubber. About the 

 Deginniug of 19o9 a British company obtained a 

 concession from the Baja to control the output 

 of the forests of oarawaK, and a large plant for 

 refining and preparing the gums was erected at 

 the mouth ol the Sarawak Biver, eighteen miles 

 from Kutching. it is estimated that no less 

 than 40,000 acres have been brought under rub- 

 ber cultivation in 1910 in British North Borneo. 

 This has greatly stimulated the demand for 

 coolie labour, which is brought from Java, Sin- 

 gapore, and Hongkong, through agencies at 

 those places. According to Government re- 

 ports, there are now employed on the various 

 rubber estates about 15,000 coolies. When the 

 trees now being planted become productive, it 

 is estimated that 50,000 coolies will be required. 

 As this estimate is based on real plantings, there 

 is a bright outlook for large expansion in the 

 general commercial condition of .North Borneo. 

 — ltoyal Sockly of Arts Journal, June 23. 



BRAZIL IN THE RUBBER MARKET. 



We understand from our own sources of in- 

 formation that the floating supply of rubber in 

 Brazil has been greatly reduced by private pur- 

 chases, and it is probable that the maximum 

 amount now awaiting delivery is 6,000 tons. 

 This is about half the figure estimated a couple 

 of months ago. If this process of absorption 

 can be continued for a little while longer, it is 

 evident that the general position of the rubber- 

 producing industry will be very much better 

 than at any time during the past twelve months. 

 —Stock Exchange Gazette, June 15. 



TO EXTERMINATE ANTS. 



Many and various remedies have been tried, 

 frequently in vain, to get rid of these trouble- 

 some pests. The following means are suggested 

 in a recent number of the "Bulletin" of the 

 Trinidad (W.I,) Botanical Department: — 



For the extirpation of ants the following 

 remedies are good. To be effective they require 

 attention and perseverance, it is well to find 

 their main burrow or nest, if possible. Arsenic 

 is sure destruction to them, but it is dangerous 

 to handle. 



Air-slaked lime, plentifully dusted in warm, 

 dry weather over and around the anthills or in 

 the house or other places infested will cause 

 the ants to vacate them in a short time. 



Snuff. — Dust a little snuff upon the floor of 

 the rooms of the pantry. 



Draw a thick chalk line round a smooth 

 tree or across an upright board or post, and 

 they will not pass over it. 



Camphor.— Put a piece of camphor, the size 

 of a filbert nut, into 2 quarts of cold water. 

 When cold, apply to pot and other plants, and 

 the insects will be driven off without injury to 

 the plants. 



Mix together 1 part of calomel and 10 parts 

 of finely powdered white sugar ; lay it in little 

 heaps about their nests and runs ; the ants will 

 eat it and die. 



Coal oil, mixed with six times its bulk of 

 water, sprinkled over the nests every few days, 

 will kill and drive them away. 



Pan or saucers nearly filled with honey or 

 sweet oil attracts ants, and they are drowned 

 in it. 



Flowers of sulpher, \ lb., potash 4 oz. Set 

 in an earthen vessel over the fire until dis- 

 solved and united. Afterwards heat to a powder. 

 Infuse a little of the powder in water, and 

 sprinkle in places infested with auts. 



To Destroy Black Ants.— A few leaves of 

 green wormwood scattered among the haunts 

 of black ants will drive them away. 



Bed Ams. — Powdered borax sprinkled 

 around will exterminate both red and black 

 ants. 



THE DISTILLATION OF ORANGE 

 FLOWERS AT GRASSE. 



The distillation of orange flowers on the French 

 Riviera, and particularly in the district sur- 

 rounding Grasse, is a very important industry. 

 Here 3,000 tons of these flowers are produced 

 annually, not including the leaves and even the 

 young fruit of the orange, which is also utilised 

 tor making the essential oil, so valuable in the 

 manufacture of perfumes. The best quality of 

 oil, called neroli, is obtained from the flowers of 

 the wild, or bitter orange tree, locally termed 

 bigaradier. The flowers of the sweet orange are 

 not so productive, and yield a quality known as 

 neroli doux, which is inferior to the other. A still 

 more inferior quality is obtained from the brouts 

 (the leaves and newly-formed fruit), this quality 

 is called petit grain. 



