April 1, 1901.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
677 
KUBBER COLLECTION AND 
CULTIVATION. 
The various reports coming from our consuls and 
agents in difierent parts of the world contain a large 
amount of very interesting matter respecting the col- 
lection and cultivation of rubber in the various parts 
of the world where this useful article can be obtained. 
Considerable attention has been paid to (he subject, 
with the result that the rubber has arrived on the 
market in a very much better condition and more 
suitable for manufacture than previously. Where the 
work has been left to natives, their only idea being to 
get as much as they can for their work on the spot, 
they have not troubled much about the future, the con- 
sequence of which was that they lop^ded the raw material 
with all kinds of sand, stones and rubbish, so as to 
make their parcels of rubber heavier and so obtain a 
larger remuneration. Rubber collected in this way has 
given a vast amount of trouble to india-rubber manu- 
facturers, who have been compelled to inspect every 
piece of ru'aber very carefully before putting; it into 
their machines, otherwise great damage might have 
been done to them. Another difficulty was with regard 
to the condition in which the rubber arrived upon this 
market ; being badly prepared, it had deteriorated very 
considersbly by the time it reached the rubber manu- 
facturer, and, consequently, the loss in washing and 
drying was very considerable, but now that the require- 
ments of the Trade have been more generally known, 
especially in the foreign countries and our own colonies, 
the result is that the rubber comes to the market in a 
much cleaner condition than it used to. Owing, how- 
ever, to the more speedy means of transit, the rubber, 
as it DOW arrives, contains more moisture than it 
originally did, when it took some months to get from 
the point of collection to the port of shipment, and 
some months to the English ports. Now, owing to our 
ocean greyhounds, the rubber can be brought from 
far up the country to the English manufacturer in the 
space of a very few weeks. Manufacturers must not, 
however, be led away by the clean appearance of the 
rubber and should allow for the additional moisture 
which it contains. It is all very well to take the 
average of past years as a basis, but we hear on all 
sides from manufacturers that the loss on washing and 
drying raw rubbers keeps on increasing every year, in 
spite of the improvements which have been made in the 
condition of the rubber. Experiments are being con- 
tinually made to find out theb=)st means of cueing, and 
we suppose that it will not be many years before some 
satisfactory method is adopted whereby rubber can be 
bought on theEnglish market, which is practically pure 
and ready for immediate working without the usual 
process of washing and drying. The past century has 
seen vast improvements in the Subber Trade, but we 
anticipate that in the early years of the present century 
much more will be known about this useful material, 
and considerable strides will be made in the collection 
of the raw material, especially in those districts where 
the cultivation has been carried on upon proper lines. 
There are various processes of coagnlation which have 
been tried, but none seems to have answered so well 
as the old-fashioned process of smoking carried on in 
Brazil ; but, still, time will pxo\e.—India-Bubber 
Journal, Jan. 21. 
RUBBER PLANTING IN BRAZIL. 
An interesting account of rubber planting 
reaches us from Brazil. The centre of the rubber 
plantations in the State of Minas is Bag.agem 
whereat least 150,000 shoots have been planted dur- 
ing the last two years. On one, plantation the trees 
had already reached the iieight of 5 metres (16 feet 
3 inches) some of them of little more than a year's 
growth. The trunks, however, have not developed 
in proportion and only measure, so far about 20 to 
30 centimetres (10 inches to 12 inches;. This plan- 
tation is situatsd on high gravelly soil and counts 
some 10,000 trees. The older trees planted two 
or tiiree years ago show .signs of abundant latex 
which e.xudea from the tender shoots and solid- 
ifies the stems. The growth ot the trees was 
greatly retarded in the winter months, from 
June to August, but afterwards the development 
was surpn.-ing, nearly 3ft in three months. The 
trees were raised from seeds planted three to- 
gether, the holes being at distances of 13 to 15 
hands from one another in regular lines. Only 
one weeding is necessary per annum. The climate 
of Minnas is cold, falling below freezing point in 
some localities during the winter, and as Manicoba 
appears to be peculiarly susceptible to cold, it is 
necessary to choose the ground carefully. Within 
a few years the Manicoba industry may 'be«xpeete(l 
to give important results.— /?i,rfta rubber Joimial 
February 4. ' 
TWO NEW PLANTING DISTRICTS. 
We have now decided to separate from 
the Kurunegala district, the following estates 
to be included in a 
Galagedara District, 
namely :— Aluta, Betworth (late Isabel) Dea 
Ella, Greenwood, Malgr6 Moi, Mc.uViva 
Morankande, Nella-Oola, Rockliill, Sunnvside 
all of which are served by the Post Office 
at Galagedara, to which will be added Bel 
godde (P.O. Rainbukkana) and Moorock Mut 
tettudeniya, Rookgolle and Woodslee (P Q 
Weuda); as well as Bollagalla Upper and 
Lower, with Kandy as post station. We 
may as well also transfer a number of 
places which have " Madawalatenne " as 
post station, though most of these are now 
"uncultivated ": - Ancumbura,, BattagoUa, 
Beragam.a (Peradeniya), Boccawella, Bon 
Accord, Dunira Pulton's, Tennekoon's and 
Wilson s Land, Galanne Goddehena, Hatbawa, 
Hingnlgalla, Iddegodde Kallugallatenne 
(Kandy), Kandewatte (Peradeniya) Maha 
tenne (Kandy), Palagalla (Peradeniya) Rich- 
grove (Kandy), Riverside, 8t. Julia Thorn 
hill and Wattagalla) (Kandy). Any proprietor 
or manager who objects to such transfer 
or any one wishing to include a further 
estate, will kindly communicate with this 
ofiice at once. 
Then we are urged to establish a 
South Matale District, 
iTt ^""^-^^^ North, West knd East • 
and Mr. H. btorey is good enough to sug-' 
gest the following e.states for this new dis- 
trict: --Ben veula, Ballacadua, Barton, Dun- 
crub, Goruluhela, Kaduwella, Kotuwa<^eder3 
Kuruwil e, Marakona, Malvern, Meegattenne*. 
Muwagala, Pansalatenne, Ratwatte Svston 
The Grove. Ukuwella, Vellana, Wa^rSjoHa; 
Warakamure, Wyamita-21 estates all de- 
scribed as ti-uly of " Matale South," takin;- 
the town of Matale as a centre. Here again 
we are in the hands of proprietors and 
manaprs. If any object to this proposal, or 
wish to modify it in any way, let them write 
at once. 
