^38 
THE TROPICAL AGEICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 1903. 
IB generally taken by the parchaser as a basis for 
his calculations bat this is sabject to great variations 
and often a great loss of vegetable liquid takes place 
in an incredibly short time, when the atmosphere 
is dry. Then the stems have more or less leaves 
and are more or less compact, according to the season 
which causes the weight to vary. In fact, some 
stems grown in the summer have been found of in- 
ferior weight to those grown in the spring, though 
of the same dimensions. In a carefully cultivated 
hectare (2J acres) we find from thirty to forty stems 
per sqiiare yard, about 64 inches high, which means 
400,000 stems per hectare each crop. The average 
weight of free fibres is about 3 to 3J grammes per 
stem, or 1,200 kilos (one kilo — 2^ lb.) for 400,000 
stems, and for four crops per annum 4,800 kilos of 
" filasee " (fibres not quite completely degnmmed). 
Supposing, in round numbers, a yield of 4,000 
kilos of degnmmed ^hte per hectare, the sum 
realised at the present price of 850 fr. per ton would 
be 3,400 fr. (£13.5, or 45 per acre). It is impossible 
to estimate the exact profit to the grower on account 
of the varying conditions of productions m different 
localities, but an average minimum of £10 per acre 
may be counted on, and though the first cost of 
planting is considerable, the maintentenance of the 
plantation is very simple and inexpensive. To esti- 
mate the value of the crop by the gross weight of 
the stems often leads to serious discrepancies. 
Though 400,000 green stems weigh as a rule, 18 
to 22 tonp, they lose rapidly iin weight by eva- 
poration and falling of leaves, and sometimes the 
same number of stems only weigh 15 to 18 tons, 
though containing no less weight of fibre than the 
heavier ones. This depends on the season, the 
quantity of moisture they hold, and the number of 
leaves. — Agricultural Gazette. 
FOBMALIN IN TREATING EUBBER FLUIDS. 
The well known preservative properties of 
Formalin led us to expect that this chemical — as 
Dr. Weber says — would act as a preservative; Latex 
from trees of mature age was treated with Formalin 
in varying quantity, but our results did not confirm 
those reported by Dr. Weber, in so far as the period 
required for the formation of the cake of rubber on the 
surface ; on the contrary, it was found that the time 
required was four times that mentioned by him. Even- 
tually, however, the creamy portion did coalesce and 
form a cake of spongy rubber which parted with the 
liquid it contained readily on pressure. The quality of 
the rubber obtained was excellent, but was not observed 
to be much superior, if any, to that obtained by 
the ordinary creaming without Formalin. 'Jhere is 
however, every reason to believe that it may ieep 
better than rubber so prepared on account of the 
in-timate mixture of the rubber globules with the 
chemical preservative, and specimens will be kept 
for the purpose of observing its effect, CaUilloa 
latex treated to the creamy process will readily cake 
together and harden on the surface without the ap- 
plication of Formalin, if left for a sufficient length 
of time, and if left in the mother liquor without 
creaming or washing, the albuminoids will decompose 
and the rubber globules will form a cake of rubber 
on the surface, of good qualitv, though somewhat 
darkened by oxidization. Casttlloa latex can be coagu- 
lated or agglutinized also by the sand filter, or when 
placed in a vessel having a fine copper wire gauze 
at its base. The watery fluids drip readily through 
this without allowing the rubber globules to pass, 
and when all are removed the rubber in paste can 
be turned upon a porous substance to dry. With 
the sand bath, the sand should be fine, clean and 
well wetted, The latex can then be poured upon 
it after placing wire gauze on the surface. These 
processes, however, do not compare in cleanliness nor 
can so good rubber be made by them, as when the 
readily decomposing albnmiaoids are washed away 
by the creaming process. The rubber produced is 
also inferior in quality. There is every reason' to 
believe therefore that treatment of CastiUoa latex 
with Formalin is likely to become a highly successful 
method to adopt in the preparation of crude rubber. 
— Trinidad Bulletin. 
* 
RUBBER AMONGST TEA. 
Sir,— The planting; of rubber in fine tea is con- 
sidered, and rightly so, by a correspondent; in 
your paper, as a grave mistake, but, whilst up- 
holding his contention, I would do so for an 
entirely different reason to that given by him, viz., 
that the question must be faced as to which pro- 
duct is to be retained and which sacrificed. I 
would suggest that there is very considerable 
doubt whether the para (I am assuming this 
species of the rubber tree has been planted in 
the land referred to) will, if allowed to remain in 
land which is capable of producing fine tea, ever 
be grown as a commercial success. In support 
of this doubt expressed I have the authority of 
a member of a firm in London interviewed by 
me yesterday in connection with rubber matters 
generally. That gentleman informed me that 
his firm are proprietors of over 300,000 
"eastilloa" trees in Mexico, some of them 25 years 
of age, besides holding considerable interests in 
para cultivation. He has in his firm's interests 
visited the great rubber-producing countries, and 
there can be no question of his right to speak 
with very considerable authority. He contends 
that, while para rubber will grow well in other 
than swampy land, it will never be found to yield 
a paying amount of latex, and that two suc- 
cessive dry seasons, which may allow of the 
"tap" root becoming dry, will kill or seriously 
injure the tree. Now it will be allowed that fine 
tea will not grow under the conditions required 
for para as mentioned above, and that, therefore, 
where such tea has been interplanted with rubber, 
the wisest thing to be done is to cut out the 
rubber at once. Not only fine tea, but poor tea on 
hill sides has been planted with rubber in many 
parts of Ceylon, on the principle that the tea will 
not pay but the rubber will grow. I have con- 
fidence in my authority and believe that when the 
trees c"me to what should be a "tapping" age, 
there will be much disappointment. A,gain, 
greater experience than is possessed by any Ceylon 
planter of rubber has proved the "para" rubber 
tree to be very delicate and liable, unless grown 
under conditions approximating to its natural 
habitat, i.e., in swampy low-lying ground, to 
diseases of many kinds. The " eastilloa " on the 
other hand is a much more robust tree, which 
will grow well and yield well even where subject 
to continued draughts. In short, I would advise 
planters of rubber to stick to "para " where the 
conditions are quite suitable, for it is when grown 
thus a most valuable product, and proprietors 
are to be envied, but to plant " eastilloa elastica" 
in every place where it^ea? conditions for '"para" 
are not to be found. It may be of interest to 
mention that my informant does not consider 
there is the least chance of the manufacture of 
artificial rubber being made a success, and also 
that, looking to the planting going on in all parts 
of the world of which he has the best information, 
he gives a period of 15-18 years before' production 
will catch up present consumption and bring in 
cheapened rubber which should, however, still 
pay well. 
I am told that a few seeds of the"kickzia" 
variety of rubber have gone to Ceylon. This tree 
is highly spoken of, but the seed is very hard to 
get, and all that is available is snapped up by 
the Germans.— Yours, &c., W. E. G. 
Euston Hotel, Londoni— ''Times of Ceylon.' 
