S32 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 1903. 
far too large pieces. It is by no means nec'essary to 
cut the rubber into pieces individually small, or of little 
weight, but it is very essential that in one direction 
these pieces should be of very slight thickness only. 
This is achieved by cutting the rubber, as already 
suggested above, into shives or slices of moderate uni- 
form thickness. The treatment of rubber in hot or 
boiling water, as at present practised, is absolutely 
fatal to the efficiency of the washing process. Most 
of the india-rubber resins form at a temperature of 65 
deg. C. very sticky masses, and many are actually 
liquid at this temperature, and therefore act as a most 
effective cement between the rubber and its mechanical 
impurities. Very little consideration will show that 
once, and as far as, this cementation has taken place, 
the purifying effect of the washing operation becomes 
correspondingly illusory, The mineral and vegetable 
particles cemented to the rubber are no longer remov- 
able, they are simply ground into a fine powder, 
which remains permanently in the rubber, much to its 
detriment and often causing apparently obscure 
manufacturing difficulties, — India-rubber Journal. 
-» 
KAPOK: A COMMERCIAL PRODUCT 
PROM THE COTTON TREE OP 
JAMAICA. 
I have translated and adapted from the French 
Journal d' Agriculture Tropicale an interesting account 
of a material which is abundant in Jamaica, namely 
the wool or silk-cotton of our widely-disseminated 
cotton-tree. This material, so entirely neglected by 
us, has already attained a considerable degree of 
commercial importance in the Dutch Island of Java 
and in two other adjacent insular possessions of 
Holland. The main source of information on this 
subject is a work recently published in Holland from 
the pen of Dr. Greshoff on the Useful Plants of the 
Dutch East Indian Islands. This gentleman is the 
Director of the Colonial Museum in Haarlem, and 
therefore he must be regarded aa an eminent and 
authentic authority on the subject. 
Our cotton-tree is known to botanists as the 
Eriodendron anfraetuosum of DeOandoUe. It has also 
other scientifio names, li; is the Bornbax pentandrum of 
Linnaeus, and the Ceiba pentandrum of Gaertner. 
Beaders of Charles Kingsley's interesting '' At Last " 
will be reminded that he designated the cotton-tree 
of Trinidad as the ceiba. There is some reason, 
however, to adhere to the terminology of DeCandolle, 
for the word Eriodendron signifies cotton-tree. In 
Java the Dutch call this tree Kapok or Randoe. In 
commerce the wool receives the name of Kipok. A 
microscopical examination serves at once to distinguish 
kapok from cotton. Its fine threads or fibres are of 
a clear yellow colour, three-fourths to four-fifths of an 
inch in length, circular in section (not fiattendeJ or 
ribbon-like, as in cotton), and the fiL: js are often 
enrolled upon themselves but nev^r n n.^ji 
form of a corkscrew. This material ciin '.ipither be 
spun, nor woven like the cote . of textile manu- 
factures, its fibres being war:.:.og in strength and 
other qualities, nevertheless, it uas "been attempted 
to mix kapok with cotton. Owing to the lightness 
and elasticity of its fibres, iiu..pok is well adapted 
for the stuffing of pillows and mattresses, for use 
in upholstery, etc., and may fittingly replace feathers 
hair, and wadding. It is employed for the!?e purposes 
in various countries, and beds made up with it are 
described as very comfortable and pleasant, being cool 
and not liable to be infested with insects. The last- 
named quality should surely be a strong recommenda- 
tion for its local use, and what a boon it would be 
to Londoners could they by its adoption banish (he 
notorious " metropolitan." 
In Java for a long time the kapok was looked upon 
as a tree of very little utility, and it is only in 
recent yea rs that it has become an article of com- 
merce, wh ich, even when put upon the market in large 
quantity, is always readily sold. At the present time 
when it h as become absolutely necessary for tropical 
planters to find a cultivation other than that of coffee, 
sugarcane and indigo, kapok is attracting more and 
more attention. Of late years the journals and reviews 
of Java have on different occasions shown the profit 
which could be drawn from this tree. A very good 
article, written with this object, appeared in the 
" Indische ft'ercuur," in 1891 ; and this article has 
certainly not been without influence on the constantly 
increasing cultivation of kapok in Java. Hei-e are 
some extracts ; — " Even before the'fruits of the kapok 
have arrived at maturity, many Chinamen seek to 
get hold of them, if need be by buying them. The 
importation into China must be exceedingly large, 
judging by the demand which is made for it in that 
country. About ten cents is paid ffor 100 dried fruits, 
(A Dutch cent is the hundredth part of a florin, 
accordingly, the cent is worth one-half an American 
cent or about one farthing.) An adult cotton-tree, 
growing from a cutting, yields fully 50OO fruits. 
Trees grown from seedlings produce more. This tree 
grows rapidly, and begins to bear from the second 
year. It requires no attention, and grows even on 
very poor soils, and is not exacting as regards water." 
An energetic Chinaman in Solo (Java) said, "If I 
possessed a con cession, I would plant cotton-trees 
on it on a large scale, and it would be seen if I did 
not draw more profit therefrom than those who spend 
thousands of florins on the ordinary cultivations, 
the expenses of which consume all the profits. If 
cotton-trees were planted on the bare mountains of 
the South, I am certain that the operation would be 
advantageous." These words were brought to the 
attention of the planters. In 1888, 1889 and in 
1890, the importations into China must have been 
considerable, but the Chinese kept the matter secret 
for they fear the competition of European merchants. 
At the present time, there are in the central parts of 
Java some fifty plantations whereon the kapok ia 
harvested as an accessory product, on some even as 
the principal product, whilst ten years ago five only 
gave attention to it. According to of&cial figures, the 
exportation from Java rose from 1,888,639 kilos to 
2,777,467 kiloE in 1896. Of 38,586 bales which were 
exported in 1896, 25161 were sent to Holland, 
8,159 to Australia, 745 to China, and 216 to America. 
The yield of kapok per tree per annum, it is said, 
varies from 1 to 50 kilos. Dr, Greshoff has ascertained 
the average weight of the dry fruit to be 26 gran,mes and 
80 centigrammes, the fluff or kapok weighed 4 grammes, 
90 centigrammes , the seeds (to the number of 175) 
10 grammes, 20 centigrammes ; the pod weighed 10 
grammes, 30 centigrammes, and the stalk weighed 1 
gramme, 10 centigrammes. In the cleaning of kapok 
in Java, use is made at the present time of small 
iron mills, each giving two picul* of clean merchan- 
dise for a day's work. (Th? picul in Java weighs 61 
kilos, 220 grp.mr-.ea,) Each mil! employs about four 
women to receive the merchandise, to fill up the 
bags and carry thems into the ")»cdowns" or store- 
houses, where thpy are pressed in'o bales, (Generally, 
the bales weigh 37 kilos for the cleaned kapok and 
80 kilos for that which is not cleaned.) Improved 
machines for cleaning kapok are made by Thomas 
BarracloDgb, of 20, Bnoklersbury, London. It should 
be rememl3t.red fcliat for pxport it is not advisable 
to press the kapok excessively ; this would impaii: 
the elasticity of the fibres. In 1898 the quotations 
in Holland were: — Extra cleaned, 39| cents to 36 
cents the half-kilo (nominally, one pound.) Good 
cleaned, 31 to 33 cents. Cleaned, second quality, 
26 to 20 cents, f^ood uncleaned, 8| to 9J cents. 
Ordinary, uncleaned, 6 to 7 cents. In Java the cotton- 
tree furnishes an important by-product in the seeds, 
whioh are purchased by the Chinese with a view to 
extract the oil, which is naed ia the adalteration of 
