Jan. 2, 1899.] 
Supptenteni to the " Tropical AgricuUurist.'" 
515 
cue worth bearing in mind by those who have 
ogportunities of studying, botli practically and 
analytically, the composition of soils. That too 
little attention has been paid to it has been sug- 
gested, as the result of his examination of certain 
Essex soils, by my friend Mr. T. S, Dymoud. 
Since writing a note on Einderpest Inoculation 
in India we have read of the success of Mr. G. W. 
Sturgess, Colonial Veterinary Surgeon, in the same 
direction. We have not been favoured with a copy 
of this report, but we heartily congratulate Mr. 
Sturgess on his good work. 
EUBBEK. 
In H.E. the Governor's address at the opening 
of Council ou November 7th, occurred the follow- 
ing reference to this subject, taken from a report 
by the Director of the Peradeniya Gardens :— " The 
\vhole question of rubber cultivation has however 
assumed a new aspect in consequence of the 
discoveries of Mr. Bitten of Cambridge. By the 
aid of a machine on the principle of the cream 
separator he can in a few minutes obtain the pure 
caoutchouc from the milk of any species of rubber 
tree, and the product thus obtained is practically 
identical whether got from the Para, Ceara, or 
other species. The best results are perhaps ob- 
tained from the milk of C'astilloa Blast ica, and it 
thus becomes a question whether the planting of 
this species should not be taken up in Ceylon in 
the dry parts of the hills where Para rubber will 
not grow." 
The following description will give some idea of 
the method adopted by Mr. BifEen, who is the 
Demonstrator in Botany at the University of 
Cambridge: As the rubber exists in particles in 
the late.x, it seemed possible that the centrifugal 
method of separation might be adopted in examin- 
ing the phenomena of coagulation. A modified 
form of the ordinary ceutrifulgal milk-tester was, 
therefore designed capable of being rotated some 
6,000 times per minute. 
The latex was taken directly from the tree, 
strained through wire gauze to remove any pieces 
of bark, and then, if very thick, diluted to about 
the consistency of thin cream. The first experi- 
ments were made with the latex of C'astilloa 
elastica. After centrifugalizing for from three to 
four minutes, the rubber particles completely 
separted as a thick, creamy, white layer from the 
deep brown solution containing tannic acid in 
whicl^they had been suspended. This layer wns 
aken off, shaken with an excess of water to 
thoroughly wash it, and again separated. The 
teparaied particles were then shaken with water, 
so as to form an emulsion, and alkalies were 
added. No coagulation now occurred, even 
though the mixture was allowed to stand for 
several days. The particles could, however, be 
brought into a solid mass by pressure, by gently 
healing, or by drying off the water with a porous tile. 
So prepared, the rubber formed a pure white 
mass, without any trace of its usually charac- 
tertistic smell.. On exposure to the air for several 
days, ilie surface became brown, probably owing 
to oxidation. 
The percentage of rubber iu the latex was esti- 
mated at the same time by separating oO c.c' 
The weight of the dry substance was 12-5 
grammes, which, as the specifie gravity of Castilloa 
elastica latex is practically I'O, gives a yield of 
2-5 per cent. 
On treating the latex of Ilevea bmsilicnsis in 
the same way for a slightly longer time, a similar 
separation occurred. The same purely physical 
means as those employed in the case of the 
separated C'astilloa rubber-particles caused them 
to coalesce to form a solid mass, while the addition 
of acetic acid and the action of the smoke of 
burning urucuri nuts had no effect. 
The yield of rubber estimated as before, was 
from 28 to .30 per cent. The latex ofi Manihot 
f/laziovii also separated readily and gave resultvS 
completely parallel with those mentioned above. 
The latex is interesting, as it is readily clotted by 
churning. A soft spongy clot is formed in a few 
minutes containing in its meshes the greater part 
of die solution in which the rubber-particles were 
suspended. If this clot is cut into slices while 
still soft and pressed between sugar-cane crushers, 
or in a heavy press, the bulk of the solution is 
extracted and a fairly pure rubber is found. Oa 
drying it does not give off the putrid smell 
characteristic of the ordinary Ceara " scrap," 
PLANTAIN FLOUE. 
This is th^ subject of a second report by the 
Superintendent of the School of Agriculture who 
furnishes some fresh information gathered from 
the West Indies. It would appear, however, from 
the report, that the outlook for a trade in the 
article referred to is not a hopeful one, and it has 
been pointed out in the Ceylon Observer that if the 
flour was in demand, the West Indies would, with 
greater facilities for marketing, be more likely to 
benefit by the trade than we in Ceylon who are at 
some disadvantage from not being in sucii close 
proximity to American and English markets. Bnt 
there are other facilities from an agricultural point 
of view which Ceylon has over the West Indies and 
India for the cultivation and production of plan- 
tain flour, but it is not our intention to point to 
these at present. Our object in writing is to state 
that since the publication of the report referred to 
above, encouragement has been given to thosa 
interested in the developement of a trade iu tha 
article, On being referred to in this connec- 
tion we put the likely parties in commu- 
nication with each other with a view to 
facilitate business. What we should like to make 
clear is that a very business-like enquiry has coma 
from a desirable quarter with reference to tha 
samples of Ceylon-made plantain flour we have 
been forwarding, and that the prospect of opening 
up a trade is decidedly hopeful, though it will be two 
or three months before it can be known whether 
the trade details at present being worked out will 
suit producers and buyers. In a short time 
the (juestion of a trade in plantain flour will 
be finally settled, and if the decision be favourable 
the demand for the stuff will bo practically un- 
limited. It, therefore, behoves all those who 
think they can benefit themselves by this pros- 
pective iiuw opeuiuy to make tiicir i)rdiniiuai'y 
