506 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan. 1, 190L 
FROM A FRENCH HORTICULTURLST. 
To THE Editor of the "India Eubber World." 
I have read in your instructive journal several times 
references to the extraction of rubber by pressure 
from young Cilisaya elastica plants. I do not 
know what this means. I have twice sent one of my 
agents to America for the purpose of studying the 
extraction of rubber from the leaves of phxnts, but 
gained little information thereby. I believe that 
this is something to be developed in the remote 
future, if ever. 
But the extraction of rubber from the barks of 
trees I consider more practicable. I have been 
Buccessful, it is true, with one American spe- 
cies, Hancornia speciosa, or "Mangabeira" rub- 
ber, which is the easiest of all sorts to try by my 
process, Its bark is very friable, like sugar so that 
it la easily disintegrated. Ficus sorts from the 
Gutanas give rubber, but in small quantity. How 
many species there may be that I have overlooked 
I am unable to say. But, curious to say, I could 
do nothing with Hevea or Caatilloa, though these 
are precisely the species in which my agent was 
interested. 
Forsteronia gracilis, of British Guiana, is a member 
of the same family as Landolphia, Vahea, Urceola, 
etc., which proves its richness in rubber, and it 
should be susceptitble to treatment of the bark for 
rubber. What a beautiful climber, by the way, 
is this Forsteronia ! My agent brought home only 
stems without any roots, but after six weeks I had 
stems two and half yards high. 
Success ought to be attained in tropical America 
with the Landolphia Hendelotii, which thrives in a 
sandy soil as well as loam, and yields a good rubber. 
Landolphia Owariensis, L Klanei, and L. Kirkii, want 
more water and shade. These and various other cree- 
pers or climbers producing rubber ought to be grown 
in America with more profit than anj'where else, as ex- 
perience will prove. They are easily propagated by 
cattings and be utilised for rubber far earlier than any 
American species. 
Can you tell me what is the plant from southern 
Californi".., yielding a good rubber from stems which 
can be cut yearly like asparagus ? I have several 
stems, which look like Euphorbia, but I believe these 
are composite. 
A, GODEFROY-LEBEUP. 
Establissement d'Horticultare, Paris, Sept. 13, 1900. 
-* 
Lagerstroemia Indica. — Among' thejiiany tro- 
pical and. subtropical plants which are said to 
make a very fine display in their native places 
many prove disappointing when grown under 
glass in this country. Tliis, however, cannot be 
laid to the charge of the plant under notice, for 
it is said to flower qniie as well here as in India, 
where it is one of the most favoured garden 
shrubs. To grow it well it should be planted in 
an intermediate house in loam, given a sunny 
position, and dried off in winter. On the approach 
of spring all the previous year's wood should be 
shortened to get good strong young shoots. If 
a lot of growtlis are made, all tlie weak ones 
should be removed when a few inches long, by 
which means tlie inflorescences will be greatly 
improved. Flowering will commence about the 
end of July, every shoot being terminated with 
large panicles of pretty fiinged blossoms. I'he 
flowers of the typical plant are pink, but vari- 
ation may be had by growing the purple, deep 
red, and white varieties. It can he readily rooted 
from cuttings of half-ripe wood, and can be grown 
and floweied as a pot plant. If grown in the 
latter way it must be well fed and thinned to 
encourage strong shoots, — D, — Journal oj Horti- 
culture. 
SHARE LIST, 
(Not made up during Holidays.) 
THK LOCAL MARKET. 
(By Mr. James Gibson, Baillie St., 
Uolombo, J any, 8th, 
Coffee :— 
hidDato Parchment per bushel None 
Chetty do do 
Native Cotiee "( „ ,^ 
doF. O-B/P^"^ 
Liberian coffee: — per bushel 
do cleaned coffee: — per cwt 
Cocoa unpicked: — per owt 
ilo cleaned do 
Cardamoms .Malabar per lb 
do Mysore do 
Bice :— 
.Soolai per bag of 161 lb. 
1st quality:— per bushel 
Soolai 2 & 3rd. do 
Coast Calunda 
Coast Kara 
Kazala 
Muttusamba Ordinary 
Cinnamon per lb No 1 to 4 
do do 1 and : 
do Chips per candy 
Coconuts Ordinary per thousand KSj'UJ to 38 0 ' 
Nil. 
Ell-OO to 14-00 
R44-OU to 52-0) 
RL-2) to 1-30 
lU /O to 2 0J 
nett R!)-15 
B:j-5 ) 
K3-3S 
non. 
do 
to 9-27 
to 3"55 
to 3-48 
availab'e. 
R3 9j to iXO 
m-iO to 3-35 
RV75 to 1-0) 
('0-53 to 03 51 
oO-Gl to GO 62 
R9C 00 to 9i-50 
do 
per ton 
do 
do 
do Selected 
Coconut Oil per cwt 
do do F. O B 
POONAC:— 
Gingelly per ton 
Coconut Chekku 
do Mill (retail) 
Cotton Seed per ton 
Copra pec candy 
Kalpitiya do 
.Vlarawilla do (Boat) 
Cart Copra do 
SatinwooM per cubic feet. 
do Flowered do 
Halmilla do 
Palu do 
Ebony per ton 
Kitul fibre per cwt 
Palmyra do do 
Jaffna Black Cleaned per cwt 
do mixed do 
Indian do 
d? Cleaned do 
Sapanwood per ton 
Kerosene oil American per cases, R7 00 
do bulk RussLin, per tin 
do Russian per cases ^ 
Nux Vomica per cwt 
Croton Seed per cwt 
Kapok cleanpd fob per cwc 
do uncleaned do 
Plumbago i Large lumps 
per ton, (Ordinary size lumps 
according jChini 
tc grade J Dust 
Fort.) 
1901. 
R30-0) to 39-03 
RI4-12J to 14-50 
R282-5J to 290-03 
RlfOOO 
R90 00 
R85-0G 
RSO-00 
E15-50 to 4G7o 
R41 00 to 40-50 
R.36 U0 to 44-00 
R2 UO to 2 "25 
Ro-OO to 6-uO 
Rl-90 
Rl-OO to 1-12 
R75-0il to 175-00 
R30-00 to 32-0 I 
R6 00 to 14-00 
R13-C0 to 14-00 
Rll-00 to 2-00 
B6-00 to 12-00 
R8-00 to 12-00 
R45-03 to 47-50 
o 7-2.-, 
RS-12 to 315 
R'i-30 to 6-40 
B2-00 to 6-£0 
R20-0a to 22-00 
R24-00 
R5-5C 
RlOO-OOto O.iO-OO 
R-200-00 to 6 '0-00 
R12i-00to 4OIJ-00 
R75-00 to 225-00 
nominil. 
RAINFALL RETURN FOR COLOMBO, 
(Supplied by the Surveyor-General.) 
1896. 
1897. 
1898. 
1899. 
Av of 
SCyrs. 
190O 
Inch 
Inch 
Irch 
Inch. 
Inch. 
Inch. 
January . . 
2-92 
3-81 
2-3-2 
6-98 
3-22 
3-72 
February . . 
0-35 
1-68 
1-98 
2-78 
1-93 
0-63 
March 
5-64 
3-66 
4-21 
0-88 
4-78 
3-71 
April 
5-93 
10-97 
-22-81 
6-66 
11-31 
15-12 
-May 
9-31 
8-30 
5-80 
17-73 
12-09 
10 6i 
June 
8-37 
10-14 
10-94 
9-23 
8-37 
7-83 
July 
2-85 
5-24 
6-15 
1-11 
4-38 
6-77 
August 
September 
6-35 
9-09 
0-97 
0-62 
3-67 
7-35 
10-99 
4-58 
6-90 
1-4S 
5-01 
4-00 
October . . 
16-78 
4-71 
20-60 
12 99 
14-52 
9-47 
November.. 
19.81 
11-66 
17-38 
8-58 
12-66 
9-25 
December. . 
U-76 
8-89 
3-05 
4-44 
B-39 
5-20 
Total.. 
101-06 
82-73 
103-11 
73-48 
88-33 
83-68 
1931 
Inch. 
» Vrom 1st to 8th Jan. 4-42 inches, that is up to 9-30 a.ni. 
on the bth Jan.— Ed. CO.] 
