September i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
271 
although not far off a patch has been well worked. 
The fossil resin, now found underground usually in 
red sandy soil, is undoubtedly the produce of the 
same species of tree as still exists in these jungles, 
and which now yields an inferior sort of resin. The 
difference between the two products seems to arise 
from chemical or molecular change effected by time. 
The copal tree grows throughout the Uzimaro country, 
and is by no means conliuod to the sea, coast, but 
is even more abundant inland beyond the first coast - 
lid.'.e. It is not seen, however, where the old lime- 
stone formation of the interior makes its appearance. 
Ckian Mastic. — The mastic country of Chios is 
usually flat and stony, with little hills intervening, 
and with rare streams. Rain is destructive of the 
harvest ; frost is rare, but much to be feared. The resin 
is a product of Pistachio, lentiscus. The principal 
villages engaged in the industry are Calimassia, Saint 
Georges (south of Anabato), Nenila, Mesta, and Kala- 
inoti, besides which there are about a dozen of minor 
importance. The mastic occurs in white grains, vary- 
ing in size from a pin's head to a pea. The shrubs 
yielding it are about the height of a man. It occurs 
also in Africa and Arabia, but always of inferior 
quality, though no satisfactory reason has yet been 
adduced for the f>ict. In July-August, a great num- 
ber of incisions are made in ihe stems of the shrubs, 
and renewed three or four times. Repeated visits are 
then made to collect the resin which exudes. A 
shower of rain during this period produces disastrous 
results, by washing away tho resin. There are four 
qualities of mastic: — (1.) Cake mastic is composed of 
large pieces, and is considered the best by connoiss- 
eurs; it is sold chiefly for use in the seraglios, all 
Turkish women chewing mastic; its price is 120 to 
' 130 piastres, and even more, per oke of 1,300 grm. 
(2.) Mastic in large tears is worth 90 to 100 piastres 
ordinarily. (3.) Mastic iu small tears or pearls is 
worth 70 to S.3 piastres, and is used industrially. (4.) 
th 
Cliian Tu pentine. — Afforded by Pistachia terehinthus. 
That which exudes from tho shrub is very white and 
aromatic, but tho quantity i3 very limited. 
India-rubber (from Ficus ela8lica).-?he collection 
of the rubber in Assam is conducted under rigid re- 
strictions in the case of all trees growing in the timber 
reserves, but cannot be enforced on scattered trees. 
The Chardwar rubber plantation has an area of 80 
square miles. The e: ports from Lakhimpur in 1S71 
were 2G0j} tons, value £8,340. Immense foresti of 
these trees existed on both banks of the Subansiri 
river, and on other streams, but the reckless treat- 
ment they received from native lessees of the forests 
caused their ruin. Iu 1870, tho leasing of these 
forests ceased, but there is now little or no rubber 
left in tho plains of tho Lakhimpur district. The tree 
grows to heights of 15 to 35 feet, audits girth, when 
fit to he tapped, is IS inch 's to fi .feet. A high yield 
for th"- lir.it lapping of a trc is .'!."> to -10 lb. of rubber. 
It is then allowed to remain untouohed for throe or 
four years, when another collection is mado, but the 
yield is then much lcs. It is estimated that the 
forests of Cnobar could yield upwards df 2.001) cwt. 
of rubber annually. It is slated that the trees yield 
most during the rains. 
< >i [ndia-ruhber, 20,000. 00:» lb. are an nually exported 
from Para 'llra/.il), chiefly derived from Siphonia 
fltttiea, but a few other apeoica arc admitted. The 
Utmost yield from each tree is one gill. Iu tho wot 
eeasou, from February to July, th ■ gum is weak. 
and the tapping is stopped. The trees will grow ou 
the terra Jirme when planted, but their seeds naturally 
lodge in lowlaud swamps. Trees properly planted and 
cared-for yield well in fifteen years. Brazil is being 
gradually cleared of its rubber ; gatherers now go to 
the Tocantins, Madeira, Purus, and Rio Negro, and 
will' soon clear there also. Straus's method of prepar- 
ing rubber, instead of smoking, is to drop the milk 
into alum solution ; it is stated to be superior, but is 
not adopted. 
India-rubber plants grow on the slopes of tho 
Cameroous mountains (West Africa), but the people 
do not yet know their value, india-rubber trees 
abound ou the River Djour, in the province of Bahr ol 
Ghazal. The natives of the Marutse-Mabunda empire, 
on the Upper Zambesi, trade in India-rubber with 
the tribes to the west. 
The Landolphia vine is known from Paugani inland 
all the way to Handei (iu Usambara, East Africa), 
and at Magila the rubber is made into balls for export. 
The giant creeper, Landolphia, grows chiefly on trees 
near rivers and streams in Angola and the Congo. 
Every part exudes a milky juice wheu cut or wounded, 
but this will not run into a vessel placed to catch 
it, as it dries so quickly as to form a ridge on the 
wound, which stops its further flow. The blacks 
collect it by making long cuts in the bark with a 
knife, and as the milky juice gushes out, it is wip^d 
off continually witb tbe lingers, and smeared on their 
arms, shoulders, and breast, till a thick covering ia 
formed. This is peeled off their bodies and cut into 
small squares, whicli arc then said to be boiled in 
water. From Ambriz t'ae tt-u.de in this rubber quickly 
spread south to the River Quauza, where considerable 
quantities are exported. 
Within 20 miles of the coast from Liawa and the 
Lindi estuary (Masasi and Rovuma, East Africa) the 
forest becomes almost entirely formed of India-rubber 
vines, affording an abundant supply of line India-rubber, 
at present gathered only in a very desultory manner by 
I the natives, who gash the plants, and collect the rubber 
as it issues in a liquid form, and dries hard after 
short exposure to the air. Rolled iuto orange-like balls, 
it is taken to Lindi, where what is worth 7 to 8 dol. 
fetches 2 dol. The width of the belt is 15 to 20 miles. 
On the Victoria Lake (Central Africa) are one or two 
kinds of tree which produce caoutchouc of good quality. 
Dr. Kirk has just determined, witb accuracy, the 
plant which yields the best East African India-rubber, 
and has obiained Sieds of the species for introduction 
into India. It occurs in great abundance along the 
uewlv-mado road from Dar-es-S.ilaam, in a west-south- 
westerly direction, for about 100 miles towards the 
interior of East Africa, through the YVazamaro country ; 
it is apparently but little affected, except in the immedi- 
mode of tapping employed. In many parts, a native 
can still collect 3 lb. of rubber daily. There are rivo 
species, but only one is considered worth tapping. 
Rubber* and GuUas of Borneo amlSulu.— The Kadyana 
and their Murut neighbours collected a quantity of gutta 
pcrcha and India-rubber in the surrounding forests. Tne 
and convoyed to Labium for salo. The gutta is obtained 
from four or five spocies of the gouus Isonandra, all 
large forest, trees. The trees arc felled and their bark 
is girdled or ringed at intervals of two feet, the milky 
juico or eap being caught in vessels formed of leaves 
or coconut, shells. The crude juico is hardened iuto 
slabs or bricks by boiling, and is generally adulterated 
with 20 por cent of scraped bark. Iudced, it is said 
that the Chinese traders, wh > buy up the gutta from 
the gatherers, would refuse tho pin e article in preference 
for that containing bark, to which tho rod colour ia 
mainly due. 
India-rubber iu the north-west diatriota of Borneo 
h tho produce of three species of climbers, known to 
