94 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Aug. 1, 1902. 
-planters do not* wish to associate our cultivated 
product with this variety. Although my own 
estate is not yet in the p oduciive stage, yet I can 
extract sntWeient latex to make small experiments, 
and I read with very great interest ycur reniarlcs 
on crude rubber. From these articles I learn that 
a great deal of waste occurs in the washino; process 
in consequence of adulterants. Well, Sir, I am 
only anxious to turn out as. pure a rubber as 
possible, and I am prepared to do anything in 
reason to accomplish this, but, being a planter, I 
know nothing about the manufacturing side. Since 
there is a process of cleaning rubber, would it not 
be possible to accomplish this on the estate, and so 
avoid paying freights on useless material, or, 
better siiil, so prepare the milk as to avoid this 
washing process 1 With scrap it is quite impossible 
•to collect the latex in a pure state ; an admixture 
of rubber bark and soil always results, 
If you would, through the medium of your 
valuable paper, advise the planter what to do, you 
would be conferring a great benefit upon the 
community. I know there is a great deal of 
diversity in the opinions as to the best means of 
coagulating the latex ; one is recommended alutn, 
spirits, centrifugalisation, smoke, and various 
other methods— one of which is to allow coagu- 
lation to take place naturally. I was privileged 
last December in the company with Mr. Fox, the 
assistant director, Singapore Botanical Gardens, to 
take part in an experimental tapping of some Ficua 
trees (5^ years old) belonging to Mr. Tan Chay 
Yan, of Malana, From 3^ imperial pints of latex 
were obtained 2 lb. lOoz, of dry rubber, which was 
coagulated by adding water while the latex wa,s 
still in the fluid state, and then boiling the mix- 
ture for about hours in an earthenware pot. 
This rubber has since been valued in Mincing 
Lane at 23 6d per lb., and described as "good, 
clean, fairly elastic, and dry." It is, of course, 
open to question whether the value would 
have been higher if some other means of coagula- 
tion had been adopted, but it would be interesting 
to know whether this sterilising of the latex is 
likely to deteriorate it in any way, as otherwise it 
seems to be an effective and handy method of 
coagulating. Some information on this point would 
be very useful. 
I trust I am not unduly intruding upon your 
valuable space in asking you to insert this letter, 
as I think a great deal of good could be accom- 
plished if the manufacturer and planter had some 
means of communicating with each other to dis- 
cuss this important subject.— I remain, Dear Sir, 
yours faithfully, Francis Peaes. 
CACAO PLANTING IN SAMOA. 
(From a Planter.) 
Apia, Samoa, May 18.— It may interest you to 
hear that Cacao planting is being undertaken on a 
large scale hero. The prospects are very promising, 
and this year's crop will probably fully justify past 
experiences and the predictions contained in re- 
ports already sent to you. particularly Mr. Moor's 
letter to yoii about a year ago. Our Cacao is a 
hybrid of'CrioUo and Forastero, the former largely 
predominating, and fetches a good price, 853 to 95s 
so far. I have seen many trees under .3^ years old 
full of young pod«, and the older trees bear fre- 
quently 200 300 in a year. I shall have 500 acres 
planted by this time next year (170 so far) and 
there are numerous othcv smaller plantatioas being 
laid out. 
CINNAMON IN LOxVDON. 
The information to hand by the last mail 
helps to explain the priv;Ue commercial 
telegram which we prililished three weeks 
ago, that at the quarterly sale.s of cinnamon 
held in London last month, prices had 
advanced as much as 2d. to 3tl. per lb. Just 
as the fall at the February anciioiis was caused 
by an over supply, last j'ear s exports of the 
quilled spice having exceeded 2| million lbs. 
— the higiiest quantity ever exported from the 
island — so the recovery of prices (and more !) 
was due to exceptionally small offerings. 
The May auctions are generally not very 
heavy — the drought of the first quarter 
of the year, and the festivities of the 
Sinhalese New Year early in April, com- 
bining to keep down the out-turn ; but 433 
bales represent about the smallest quantity 
offered, we suppose for the last 25 years. 
At the corresponding sale last year, 1,088 
bales, or considerably more than double the 
offerings of this year, were brought to the 
hanmier. And of this small quantity, 
only 156 bales were "worked"; but it was 
not these alone which shared in the gain 
of 2d. to 3d. per lb. While worked Firsts 
ran up as high .as Is. 9d., a figure we do 
notremember to have heard of since the 
early seventies. "unworked," which iia 
a comparatively recent innovation, born 
of resistance to an exorbitant charge 
for undoing, examining and re-doing 
each bale, at about four times what 
the whole operation of sorting and baling 
costs here, also shared in the advance. 
During the ten years or so that cinnamon 
has been offered in the London markets as 
"unworked" spice— in the face of threats 
of boycott !— prices for Firsts have always 
been short of a shilling. But then it must 
be remembered, that the marks which dared 
the London monopolists were not the better 
marks, but those which studied quantity 
rather than quality. We do not think these 
have suffered by offering their wares with- 
out the hall-mark "worked"; but Is. 3d. 
per lb. for their cinnamon is an unprecedented 
figure, and must rejoice the heart of 
shippers. Still, it would be unsafe to calculate 
on such prices again. They are not likely 
to be repeated except under very exceptional 
circumstances ; and our counsel against over- 
production remains. The market for spice, 
which is a luxury, is necessarily a limited 
one ; and though the statistical position 
was good last month, the Cinnamon that 
is now being hurried into the market will 
turn the scales. 
The following is the Report on the last 
Sales of the leading Firm whose views we 
regularly quote : — 
King William Street, London, May 27. 
Cinnamon.— At the quarterly sales held yesterday 
the exceptionally small supply of 433 bales Oejloa 
qaiU was brought forward compared with 1,311 bales 
in February and 1,088 bales at this period in 1901. 
Considering the small quantity offered, oonipetitiou 
was not brisk, except for a tevt small lots of 
" Firsts," which brought 2d to 3i per lb. advance 
for " worked " and " unworked." 
Only 166 bales " worked " spice were offered and 
all sold at firm prices, to occssionally dearer, especi- 
ally 8 bales Firsts A.S.Q.P. which broBght 3d tO 3<i 
per lb. adTance, 
