272 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[September i, 1881 
the natives as manoongan, manoongan putih,axi& manoon- 
gan manga. Their stems have a length of from 52 to 100 
feet, and a diameter rarely exceeding 6 in. ; the bark 
is corrugated, and coloured grey or reddish-brown. 
The leaves are oblong, greeu, aud glossy ; the flowers 
are borne in axillary clusters, and are succeeded . by 
yellow fruits, of the size of oranges, and containing 
seeds as large as beans, each enclosed in a section of 
apricot-coloured fruit. These fruits have a delicious 
flavour, and are much prized by the natives. The 
stems of the India-rubber creepers are also cut down 
to facilitate the collection of the creamy sap, which 
is afterwards coagulated into rough balls by the addition 
of nipa salt. 
The fallen gutta trees lie about in all directions in 
the forest, and the rubber-yielding Willughbeias are 
also gradually, but none the less surely, being ex- 
terminated by the collectors in Borneo, as throughout 
the other islands, and on the Peninsula, where they 
likewise abound. 
It was formerly thought that gutta-percha was the 
produce of only one species of tree (Isonandra Gutta), 
out that obtained from the Lawas district is formed 
of the mingled saps of at least five species, the juices 
of a Ficus, and of one or two species of Artocarpece, 
being not unfrequently added as adulterants. The 
Bornean gutta soosoo, or Tndia rubber, again, is the 
mixed saps of three species of Willughbtia, with the 
milks of two or three other plants surreptitiously 
introduced to increase the quantity. 
The gutta trees are slow to attain maturity, and 
are difficult to propagate,- except from seed. The 
Willughbeias, on the other hand, grow rapidly, and 
1 eadily lend themselves to both vegetative and seminal 
methods of propagation ; hence these are especially 
deserving of the attention of the Government of India, 
where they may reasonably be expected to thrive. 
There arc, doubtless, yet many thousaud tons of 
rubber and gutta in the Bornean woods, but as the 
trees are killed by the collectors without any thought 
of replacing them, the source o£ supply must recede 
const intly farther from the markets, aud prices will 
rise in consequence. The demand for India-rubber 
from Borneo is of quite recent growth, yet in many 
districts the supply is already practically exhausted. 
In Assam, Java, and Australia, rubber is afforded 
by Ficus elastica, which is cultivated for the purpose. 
There are many milk-yielding species of Ficus in the 
Bornean forests which, with careful experiment, may 
possibly be made to contribute remunerative quantities. 
The Malayan representatives of the bread-fruit family 
also deserve examination, as an excellent India-rubber 
is derived from Gastilloa elastica, a South American 
plant of this order. 
Lac — Secreted by an insect (Coccus lacca), on the 
brandies and twigs of certain jungle trees, principally 
khmtim, {Schleicliera trijw/a), plas [Butea frondosa), and 
bier (Zizyphm jujuba). The lac from the first is more 
esteemed than that from the c-shers. To some extent, 
the lac is found occurring, so to speak, spontaneously, 
and is collected by forest tribes, and brought by them 
to the fairs and bazaars for sale. Where, however, 
there is a regular trade in stick-lac, propagation of the 
insect is steadily carried on by those who wish for 
a certain and abundant crop. This propagation is 
effected by tying small twigs, on which are crowded 
the eggs or larvae of the insect, to the branches of 
the above-named species of trees. These larvaj are 
technically called seed. The larvse, shortly after 
sowing, spread themselves over the branches, and, taking 
up position, secrete around themselves a hard crust 
of lac, which gradually spreads till it nearly completes 
the circle round the twig. At the proper season, the 
twig arc broken off, and on arrival at the factory, 
are passed between rollers, which admit of any degree 
of approximation. The lac is thus crusl ed off, and 
is separated from the woody portion by screening. 
It is next placed in large tubs half full of water, and 
is washed by coolies, who, standing in the tub?, and 
holding on to a bar above by their hands, stamp and pivot 
about on the heels and toes, until, after a succession 
of changes, the resulting liquor comes off clear. The 
lae having been dried, is placed in long cylindrical 
bags of cotion cloth of medium texture, and about 
10 ft. long and 2 in. in diameter. These bags, when 
filled, are taken to an apartment where there are a 
number of open charcoal furnaces. An operator grasps 
one end of the bag in his left hand, and slowly re- 
volves it in front of the fire ; at the same time, an 
assistant, seated at the other end of the bag, twists 
it in the opposite direction. The roasting soon melts 
the lac in the bag, and the twisting causes it to 
exude, and drop into troughs placed below, which 
are often only the leaves of Agave americav.a. When 
a sufficient quantity in a molten condition is ready 
in the trough, the operator takes it up in a wooden 
spoon, and places it on a wooden cylinder, some 8 
t> 10 inches in diameter, the upper-half of which is 
covered with brass— in some places the freshly-cut, 
smooth, cylindrical stem of the plantain is used for 
this purpose. The stand which supports the cylinder 
gives it a sloping direction away from the operator. 
Another assistant, generally a woman, now steps for- 
ward with a strip of agave in her haDds, and with 
a rapid and dexterous draw of this, the lac is spread 
at once into a sheet of uniform thickness, which covers 
the upper portion of the cylinder. The operator now 
cuts off the upper edge with a pair of scissors, and 
the sheet is lifted up by the assistant, who waves it 
about for a moment or two in the air, till it becomes 
quite crisp. It is then held up to the light, and 
any impurities, technically "grit. - ' are simply punched 
out of the brittle sheet by the finger. The sheets 
are laid one upon another, and, at the end of the 
day, the tale is taken, and the chief operator is paid 
accordingly, the assistants receiving fixed wages. The 
sheets are placed in packing-cases, and when subjected 
to pressure, break into numerous fragments. In the 
fresh state, the tinest quality has a rich golden lustre. 
The dark-red liquor before referred to, as resulting 
from the washing, is strained, in order to remove all 
ponions of woody fibre aud other foreign materials. 
It, is then passed into large vats, where it is allowed to 
settle; the sediment is subjected to various washings, 
and at last allowed to settle finally, the supernatant 
liquor being drawn off. The sediment, when of the 
proper consistency, is placed in presses, from which it 
is taken out in the form of hard, dark-purple cakes, 
with the manufacturer's trade-mark impressed upon 
them. This constitutes what is known as lac-dye. 
The dye which is thus separated from the lac by washing 
is said to be the body of the insect — not a ssparate 
secretion. 
It might appear that some mechanical arrangement 
would ba more efficacious and economical for washing 
and separating the lac from the dye, but human labour 
is so cheap, that this is not the case. The daily pay of 
the women is Id. to l|d, ; of the men, jjd to 2d. No 
evil effect on the feet of the stampers is to be observed. 
The great and sudden oscillations of price in the London 
market render this' trade very risky, and the auiline 
dyes have well-nigh rung the knell of lac-dye in 
European industry. 
In Assam, a small quantity is produced in the district 
of Darning. In some districts, the insect is artificially 
reared on the jhwi tree (Ficvs cordif>ha). 
Indian White Wax. —This is produced by the female 
of the Ceroplastes ceriferus, an insect allied to the Pda 
of the Chinese, whose product is so largely used for 
making candles for the Buddhist temples. The Indian 
insect deposits its wax in small masses upon the twigs 
and branches of several trees, but more particularly 
on the arjun (Terminaiia Arjuna) ; it does no appear 
to have ever been propagated, nor has the wild product 
