81 
curing our product. I believe the person should have some 
authority to purchase, for he might find just the knife we re- 
quire to overcome our difificulties or he might find just the 
pricker we need, and if so, should be able to purchase in such 
quantities as to enable us to use them at once. This would 
also enable us to get the best possible equipment for our fac- 
tories. Were he to wait until his return home and make his 
report for directors to act upon before orders could be given 
that must be filled in England, delay of months would ensue, 
while, should he order on the ground, the goods might arrive 
nearly as soon as he did. Purchases have got to be made any- 
way, and why not go shopping to the one place where all 
there is to choose from can be seen at one time. He will be 
able to compare prices. 
"The members of the Association have spent in the neigh- 
borhood of $300,000 to bring the industry to its present state, 
wdiere the trees are ready to give their product ; $1000 more, 
or whatever it might cost to insure the making of this product 
as valuable as possible, would be well spent. The factory 
now under way, and all that may hereafter be built, should 
have a suitable apparatus, whatever it may prove to be, or 
at least the most suitable yet discovered or invented for prop- 
erly smoking its rubber, if by so doing it can obtain ten cents 
per pound more for that rubber, or even three cents per 
pound more. 
"Reports are just now coming to hand of the invention of 
a successful machine for doing chemically what the smoking 
process used in fine hard Para does. The late Mr. W. W. 
Hall had this in mind when he suggested to me several years 
ago the use of proligneous acid for the purpose. If this ma- 
chine is all that it is hoped it will be, we should have it, if it 
is adaptable to our product. The only way to learn whether 
it is, is to see it work. 
DEYING APPAEATUS. 
''We have found that we shall need some sort of artificial 
drying apparatus. If the rubber is kept for any length of 
time exposed to the air, a mold forms on it and it takes any- 
way three or four weeks to dry the rubber out there, and for 
that reason the rubber company has come to the conclusion 
that it is wise for us to invest a little money in a vacuum 
dryer for the reason that we are not ready at this time to 
spend money on expensive machinery. 
YIELD PEE TEEE. 
''Our trees yield about a pound of rubber from one hundred 
trees at a tapping, or at one hundred tappings from the same 
