258 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



colour, size, mode of flight, manners, postures and notes, migratory 

 habits, materials of nest, shape and size of nests, coloration of eggs, and 

 the number of eggs in a clutch. Thus fifty-two of the commonest birds 

 are described in the three parts, and for aid in recognition are divided 

 into various groups. 



"The Cultivation and Preparation of Para Eubber." By W. H. 

 Johnson, F.L.S. Second edition. Eewritten and greatly enlarged. 8vo., 

 178 pp. (Crosby Lockwood, London, 1909.) 7s. 6d. net. 



The number of books and periodicals published at the present time 

 which deal with rubber production are symptomatic of the interest taken 

 in this comparatively modern industry. The book under review brings 

 up to date the information bearing on the practical work of cultivating the 

 Para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) and preparing the raw rubber for 

 export. As the author states in his preface, new methods of collecting 

 and preparing rubber are frequently being evolved, and in view of the 

 industry's comparative infancy, there is every probability that what are 

 to-day recognized as' up-to-date or standard systems will in a few years 

 be considered quite obsolete. The book opens with a short chapter on the 

 history of Para rubber, its increase in value and the rapid extension of 

 the areas devoted to Para rubber cultivation, more especially in British 

 possessions in the East. The propagation and cultivation of the tree are 

 next fully dealt with, the soils and manures found most suitable to its 

 well-being discussed, and an account given of the pests (happily few) to 

 which it is liable, and the best methods of combating them. Different 

 planters have different methods of tapping the trees to procure the rubber- 

 yielding latex, and arguments for and against these methods are given by 

 the author. The treatment of the latex to procure the rubber and the 

 various processes to which the latter is subjected before being ready for 

 export are described in detail and fully illustrated. In this connection 

 several machines and labour-saving appliances are figured and described, 

 and suggested plans given for arranging a rubber factory. 



An interesting chapter is that devoted to the description of the cost of 

 establishing and maintaining a rubber plantation up to the seventh year 

 of its existence, when tapping operations commence. Figures for planta- 

 tions in Ceylon and the Malay Peninsula are given which serve as a guide, 

 but the author is careful to point out that expenses vary in different 

 countries according to the cost of labour, land, and transport. 



The seeds of the rubber tree yield a drying oil which it is suggested 

 will probably be heard more of in the future when the large number of 

 cultivated trees reach a seed-bearing age. 



The book is well printed and fully illustrated, and should prove of 

 value to those desirous of obtaining practical information regarding the 

 rubber planting industry. 



"Dent's Scientific Primers." Various authors. Sm. 8vo. (Dent, 



London, 1909.) Is. each net. 



This is a series of scientific primers with exceedingly clear illustra- 

 tions, particularly in the microscopical sections in the botany and 



