Jan. 1, 1904.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
EUBBEE UsB FIBRE PROM THE SAME PLANT. 
The Honorai-y Secretary of the Madras Agri- 
Uorticultural Society writes to us : — H iving had my 
attention called to the rubber-and-fibre- yieldiug 
properties of the plant kuown to botaciats as Crijptns- 
tegia qrandiilora, which grows wild ovei a coDsiiler- 
able area iti this Presidency, I sent in May last 
samples of both materials to the Director of the 
Imperial Institute in Loudon, with a request that they 
might, be valued oomraerciully after being chemically 
examined. As in both cases a favourable conclueion 
may be drawn from the results of the examination and 
valuation of these products, I am sending you a few 
details from the Reports in the hope that they may be 
of interest to some of your readers. 
The rubber was reported on by Professor Wyndham 
E Danalan the Director, who says :— " The rubber on 
arrival was soft bat not sticky, very elastic and pos- 
BCHsed fair tenacity. After keeping for some time, 
howfver, it hardened a little and then exhibited a 
tendency to tear when stretched." The chemical 
examinatioii- gave the following results : — 
Sample as Calculated for 
received. dry material. 
Moisture 24-7 ... — 
Caoutchouc .. 674 ... 895 
Resin .. 5*9 ... 7 9 
Dirt ... 2'0 ... 2-6 
A sample of the rubber together with a statement 
of the above lesults was submitted for commercial 
valuation to brokers, who reported that at the present 
time it would be worth 'is. 4d. per lb., and that, as 
medium qualities of rubber had been very scarce in 
the London market for some time, the pieseut would 
be a favourable time for forwarding a trial consign- 
ment. As to ttie methods of obtaining the rubber from 
the plant Professor Dunstan quotes the suggestion 
which Sir Daniel Morris Commissioner of the West 
Indian Imperial Agricultural Department, made in 
the course of a lecture before the Society of Arts on 
the sources of commercial India-rubber that " ic is 
quite possible that by coppicing the plant and taking 
yearly crops of shoots this plant; might yet be rendered 
of value.' This point, however.'tis well as the other 
suggested methods of collection could only be deter- 
mined by practical experiment. 
Regarding the fibre Professor Dunstan says that in 
general character and appearance it resembles that of 
Marsdenia tenacissima, on which a Report was recently 
supplied by the Imperial Institute to the Government 
of India, and the results of the chemical examination 
by the Scientific and Technical Department of the 
Imperial Institute show that these fibres are also very 
similar in their chemical properties and behaviour. 
The following figures which Professor Dunstan gives 
ghow howclose ig this resemblance .— 
Oryptostegia Marsdenia 
Percent, Percent, 
M^'istai'e f. 7-!) 7 7 
Ash 0>9ti 16 
. A Hydrolysigl/oaB ,, 8-'i 7'8 
B Hydrolyda do .. 0 8 B9 
Meroerljin;; do .« 43 4'9 
Acid Purilioatinn Loss .. 1*2 8'5 
NitrBtlongaia 49'0 589 
Cellulose .. 92'0 915 
Lengih of nlllmate fibre . . 10 60 mm. 10-30ram( 
With regard to these particulars about the two 
fibres. Professor Dunstan says , — The fibre contains 
little or no liguo coUnlose ; this is shewn especi- 
ally by the absence of colour in the nitration product, 
and by the fact that when the chlorinated 
product, obtained in the course of the estim.ition of 
cellulose, is treated with sodium sulphite, no red chlo- 
ration is p'-oduced. It is exceptionally resistant to the 
action of alkali, as is indicated by the comparatively 
small losses sustained on hydrolysis ond mercerising. 
The remarkable quality of]the fibre is shown also by the 
unusually high percentage of cellulose, and by the 
Urge increase of vo'ght on nitiatiou. lu all thes9 
g articiUars th« fibra gl Ci-i/jjtvstt'j'.a resembles that of 
liarsdenia." The leading fibre brokers to whom the 
sample was submitted for commercuil valuation con- 
sidered it likely to prove of considerable value, but 
BKid that its commercial postibilities could only be 
arrived at by submitting it to munufacturing tests, and 
for this purpose they asked to be supplied with two or 
three bales as tarly as possible. They report, however, 
that the fibre is of good quality and worth about £30 
per ton. From the tbuve it will be seen that the 
results of the examination and valuation of both these 
products of the " Oryptostcgia " may be considered 
vtry favourable, and it is indeed unusual for one and 
the same plant to yield good samples of two such 
valuable and important materials as rubber and fibre. 
If they can be produced of as good a quality as the 
samples sent on a large scale, and a regular supply 
depended upon, there seems little doubt that both 
would find a ready sale on the London market. It is 
still more matter of surprise that this useful indigenoos 
plant, which will grow pretty well anywhere in this 
Presidency, and may in many places be seen growing 
wild over considerable areas, has hitherto been quite 
neglected,- Indian Planting and Gar deainrj , Dec. 5- 
THE EDITOR OF THE ' INDIA RUBBER 
WORLD " IN CEYLOJV. 
MB. HENRY C. PEARSON, 
We recently had a visit fromMf. Henry C. 
Pearson, the well-known and able editor 
of the India Rubber Wo7^ld, who arrived 
in the s. s.' "Himalaya" on a twelve days' 
visit to Ceylon. Mr. Pearson is a Boston man, 
with considerable interest in rubber, as his 
profession alone would show, though his 
proprietary interests are not extensive and 
have not been added to since he assumed 
the Editorship of the famous rubber journal. 
His views of the future of the rubber in- 
dustry are of interest. Mr. Pearson thinks 
that the fear of rubber being over-produced 
is infinitesimal ; though there is little doubt 
that the high prices so long prevailing have 
done much to encourage planting extensions. 
Rubber is different, he argues, from such 
a product as tea — for the uses of rubber are 
extending year by year and a limit to them 
is far from being fixed. The demand, there- 
fore is likely to keep pace with the supply 
for some time to come. On the other hand 
rubber is bound to become cheaper as time 
goes on and rubber manufacturers are only 
waiting this time to be able to do more 
business in rubber than they can with the 
high prices still ruling , Mr. Pearson holds 
that the British planter is doing a great 
servhe to the Rubber Trade all over the 
woild by hia enterprise in rubber-planting, 
Ihis la Mr. Pearson's first visit to the liaet 
and while in Ceylon he is anxious to visit 
as many typical rubber estates as possible) 
both Upcountry and in Kalutara dietricti 
He is well acquainted with Mr. J, C. Willis, 
Director, Peratleniya Gardens» through 
correspondence, &c, 
Mr. Pearsoti goes from Colombo to Sin^ai 
pore, and will visit the Malay States and 
afterwards Manila, before making his waV 
to Yokohama and home via the Pacihc 
and the States. He has come out as much 
as anyLliing for a rest and change; but a 
man uf Mr. Peai son's energy is not given 
Lo resting much while ashore— especially 
when there is personal acquaintance with 
growing rubber to be made, Mr. Pearson 
was the only American onthe " Himalaya," 
and the voyage out was very pleasant. 
