July i, 1889.] 
rnr TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
17 
2 I regret to notice that this substance is not of 
a character likely to be use in commerce, and the 
results of the experiments are such as preclude any 
hope of solving the question of coagulating the milk 
in a satisfactory manner on this side. 
3. If we had specimens of the leaves, flowers, and 
fruit of the tree from which the milk was obtained, 
we might then be in a position to suggest a treat- 
ment that would afford satisfactory results. At present 
we huve no data upon which to work, and the matter 
cannot be carried any further. 
4. We would suggest that steps be taken to pro- 
cure specimens of leaves, flowers, and fruit of all 
rubber plants in the district in which you are in- 
terested and we enclose instructions for collecting and 
preparing such specimens, so that they might arrive 
in this country in a suitable state for examination. 
I am, &c. 
(Signed) D. Mokeis. 
J. Oockburn, Esq. 
(TUncloswt). 
Repobt of the India Rubber, Gdtta Percha, and 
Telegraph Works Company, on Specimen of India- 
Rubber Mick from West Coast of Africa. 
Silvertown, October 26, 1888. 
The contents nf the tin were strongly acid ; on 
pouring out the same it was found that the tin 
contained a large quantity of already coagulated gum, 
which could only be removed by cutting off the lid. 
The part coagulated was treated by itself. The 
portion still liquid was emptied into open dishes, 
so as to cause a further separation of coagulum by 
evaporation. The portion which separated in this 
case was treated by itself. Both products were very 
sticky, and became more so as the washing process 
was continued ; they ultimately became quite un- 
manageable for the subsequent stages of drying, &c. ; 
the substance is quite unsuited for any ordinary 
india-rubber manufacture. 
By destructive distillation it does not yield caoutchou- 
cene, which is the principal characteristic of 
caoutchouc or india-rubber. The distillate more closely 
resembles in smell that of some principles, balsams, 
&c. which yield cinnamic acid. This is highly character- 
istic and of value in determining the suitability of 
a lactescent juice as a mercantile source of caoutchouc. 
The most suitable way of obtaining the coagulum 
from this juice is by leaving the same exposed in 
open vessels, and collecting what forms on the surface 
from time to time so as to increase the chance of 
further evaporation, fee. If it be intended to send 
these natural juices for examination it will be best 
to add ammonia freely, so as to neturalise any acid 
which may be generated whilst in transit. 
The Recident Mauager adds : " We do not see our 
way to make use of this material. We quite agree 
with your remarks to Mr. Morris as to the chemical 
change in these juices that takes place before they 
can arrive in this country." 
— #- 
Meeting of the Linnean Society. — At the last 
meeting of the Linnean Society, Mr. Morris, the 
sub-director of the Government Gardens at Kew, 
exhibited an interesting collection of wood, showing 
an unequal distribution of silicate in certain parts 
of the tree, especially in teak. His view was that 
the deposit consisted of phosphate of lime. The 
formation of gums, resins, <fec, and the properties 
taken up by the trees for their nourishment is 
not yet understood, much less the cause and reason 
for deposit of mineral matter in certain parts of 
the tree. Mr. Morris also exhibited from the rich 
museum at Kew another specimen, showing the 
singular solid mineral properties of a pearl from 
the interior of a coconui. These are always looked 
for by the natives. The mitt ar« broken after 
being placed in heaps until the eye shows signs 
nf growing, for at this stage the milk or liquid 
has become absorbed, and it is thought the yield 
of oil is larger than if the nut is treated directly it 
comes from the tree.— British and Colonial Druggist. 
WINDMILLS AS MOTORS IN CEYLON : 
HOW PLANTERS MAY YET BE BENEFITED BY WINDMILLS. 
A recent referenoe in these columns to past 
attempts made to utilize the force of the wind 
for obtaining power in Ceylon has suggested some 
remarks on the subject from a gentleman of practical 
experience. He appears to doubt if the local condi- 
tion can be favourable to the employment of wind- 
mills, though at first sight it would seem as if 
the steadiness with which our monsoons blow 
either from the south-west or north-east must 
render them specially applicable to our local de- 
mands for power. But that consideration — although 
doubtless possessed of some degree of force— must 
be much discounted by the fact of the long period 
of lull that is experienced between these two 
monsoons. Now to be effective, to be economically 
useful, it is a first condition that all souroes of 
power employed should be permanent and in a 
certain degree unvarying. It is this prime ne- 
cessity that has caused us to see disappear from 
our own mother-country the numerous windmills 
which, until the introduction of steam power on 
a popular scale, used to perform all, or nearly 
all, the operations requiring power. The steam 
engine can always be relied upon at any crisis 
to meet an immediate, perhaps, an unforeseen, 
demand, while in such crises it might well be 
that a perfectly still day would render a wind 
motor completely useless. 
Such a disability must be of marked effect in 
the lowcountry of this island, but it has been 
urged that among our higher levels there is scarcely 
a day throughout the year during which there is 
not movement in the air by which a oertain 
amount of motive force might be created. Again, 
however, anyone who has had experience knows 
how variable is the direction aod force of the wind 
among our mountains, due to their oomformation 
and other circumstances. Power is required for 
estates in immediate proximity to their stores 
or curing-houses, and the sites for these are 
generally selected in as sheltered spots as can 
be found. Consequently, no reliance can be placed 
on obtaining anything like a constant motive force 
such as would be a necessity for estate opera- 
tions. These in the main, are the prinoipal argu- 
ments that suggest themselves as adverse to the 
proposition that we in O-ylon are neglectful of 
one of the greatest sources of power in nature ; and, 
did they remain wholly unbalanced by other con- 
siderations, clue to the advance of modern 
science, they might be considered to be unanswer- 
able and as furnishing conclusive reasons why we 
might leave unreoognized the advantages to be 
derived from a parfectly costless agency of force. 
But the modern science we have mentioned has of 
late years advanced with such rapid strides, and 
is promising at the present time an even more 
developed advance, that such arguments as are 
used above, may soon come to be of non-effeot. 
Of course, it cannot be forgotten, when disous- 
sing this topic, how important is the bearing 
of the apprehension so widely felt, that each 
year will greatly inorease the difficulties 
already experienced in obtaining a cheap and adequate 
supply of fuel for engine power on estates. The 
solution of the difficulty will probably some day 
be found in the almost magic words " storage of 
power." To very many these words may be 
enigmatical, and yet we have simply to cite the 
ordinary daily operation of winding a watch to 
illustrate how commonly suoh storage enters into 
our every-day life. It is from the extension of this 
