696 
Tim TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [April 1, 1902. 
CRUDE RUBBER. 
EXPLORATION, PLANTING AND CULTI- 
VATION NOTES. 
The Tropenpflanzer publishes in a prirate 
letter of the director of clie Botanic Garden in 
Victoria (Cainerootis) the interesting fact that trees 
of seeds of Kisia elastica planted there in Novem- 
ber, 1898, are now already three metres high 
and begin to bloom, and contrary to Hevea, give 
their milk very easily. The Heveas planted tliere 
have now already fruits ; the real Ftcua Vogelii 
supplies good caoutchouc in plenty. Also apium- 
utile exists in a few species in thp Giirdeu, Dr. 
Preuss reports from the Moliwe plantation that 
the Castiloas, which are there in great quanti- 
ties, flourish well, but not the Kixias. Meisc*,- 
renhasia elaatica and Tahernaemontana Don- 
nell Smithii, which might become a uitful gutta- 
percha plant, also grow well. There were only a few 
species of Pavena Deerii and a few Heve» trees. 
As the Castilloa grows well, according to the 
report of the late Mr Staniler, chief planter at 
Moliwe, the Plantation Company had ordered, 
at the suggestion of Professor Warburg and 
through the aid of M. Koschng 400,000 Castilloa 
seeds from Costa Rica in this year. The greatest 
part ot these seeds received in Ham' lurg perished 
in the long voyage, but it is hoped that after all 
it might still be possible to send 100, 1 00 Cas- 
tilloa trees this summer in a living state to the 
Camerooons. 
The caoutchouc export from Iquikous, in Peru, 
amounted in 1900 to 859,327 kilos, value 2,245,138 
sols. The chief qantity has been shi])ppd to Havre, 
•with 576,615 kilos, and the rest ot 28^,712 kilos 
to Liverpool. These lignres consist of the toll -wing 
rubber descriptions : — Jebe fino, witii 296 828 kilos, 
value 941,943 sols; Jebeentrelino, with 21, 9is8 kilos, 
value 64 498 sols ; Sernamby de Jebe, with 
142 992 kilos; value 352,714 sols; Cancho, 
vrith 81,950 kilos, value 134 959 sols ; Sernam- 
by de Caucho, with 315,500 kilos, value 
751,033 sols. The Rio Javary district ex- 
ported last year 528,313 kilos, value 1 538,047 
sols. Ot this 874,116 kilos, with a value of 
1.187,195 sols, were Jebe fino ; 9.325 kilos, value 
27,353 sols, Jebe enterfino ; 95,571 kilos, value 
235,742 sol?, Sernamby de Jebe; 40,.335 kilos, 
value 66,418 sols, Caacho ; 8 968 kilos, value 
21,339 sols, Sernamby de Caucho. The aver- 
age prices during the last two years were as 
follows : — 
VALUE IN B0L8. 
iBt half. 
ind half 
Kinds, 
1899. 
1900. 
1900. 
Jebe fino 
61 . 
62 
... 43 
Jebe entrefino 
48 
48 
... 37 
Sernamby de Jebe 
42 . 
.. 42 
... 30 
Cancho 
30 . 
,.. 30 
... 20 
Sernamby de Caucho 
43 . 
.. 42 
... 30 
The prices stand for one Portuguese arroba 
nf fifteen kilos, and one no\ may be counted as 
2f. The caoutchouc export from Iquitos and the 
Javary district taken toi^ether amounted in 1900 
to .3,785,185 sola against 2,889, 4(i2 sols in 
the preceding year. The caoutchouc harvest 
in Irjuitos was still worse in 1900 than in 1899. 
That in spite of this the export values of Iquitos 
were nearly the .same as in 1899, is due to the 
fact that last year more people were employed in 
getting fine rubber than in 1899. In the district of 
Jlio Javary, on the other h»nd more rubber was 
produced than in 1899. The weather was more 
favourable to the rubber gatherers in this district 
than in the Ucayali regions. From a report of 
the Imperial Vice Consul at Iquitos. 
Caoutchouc of Manihot gla'iovii from a plan- 
tation in ihj German East Africa, has been tested 
by the Colonial Economical Committee, and 
proved to be of a good quality of white colour, 
and good elasticity. The chemical test resulted 
in 89-5 per cent of first class caoutchouc and 17 per 
cent of second quality. 
Mr H. Lecomte has published in No. 4 of the 
" Bulletin du Museum de Paris " an interesting 
article on this question, — the coagulation of 
caoutchouc (latex) -which is the result of observa- 
tions made during his voyage to the Congo in 1893 
and 1894. He made a study of three different 
kinds : — 
Ninga — Landolphia owriensis Pal. Btauv. 
Malombe — Landolphia florida Benth. 
Zaon — Landolphia Klainii Pierre. 
The first one give a. good product, the second 
a useless product, and third a good caoutchouc. 
The results ot these processes by M Lecomte 
showed quite distinctly that the phenomenon of the 
coagulations is closely adapted to the .special nature 
of the latex, and it is therefore necessary to tinii 
out which medium is most suitable for each 
special latex. According to Mr Lecorate'a experi- 
ments the heat seems to be the best active coapula- 
tor for these two Landolphia. If the water 
well removed a caoutchouc of a white colour will 
be obtained, which remains without becoming 
odorous, and which is due to the absence of 
albuminous substances in the solution. 
For some time the sales of the rubber coming 
from French Guinea have been nurch smaller. 
This depression is due to several causes, to con- 
teiact which the "Permanenl Committee of Trade 
and Agriculture in French Guinea " have isfsmd 
the following re^julations : — 1. Adulterated caout- 
chouc is prohibited from being exported. 2. Adul- 
terations are taken to include moist sorts of rub- 
ber, caoutchouc mixed with roots, glutinous rubbers 
and those which contain other strange mate.ials 
than particles of the bark iucorporated during 
the process of obtaining the rubber, and of these 
not more than about one per cent, of the ti<>tal 
weight. 3. Neither the Custom House offices 
on the frontier, on the coast, nor in the country can 
in consequence allow any caoutchouc of the above 
description to pass for shipment to Europe. By 
these vigorous means the authorities hope to 
raise the reputation of the Conakry caoutchouc, 
which has much deteriorated in price in the 
European market, whereas iti neighbours enjoy 
a much better reputation. — India Rubber ana 
Gutta Percha Trades' Jorunal, Jan, 20, 
Culture in Peaty Soil.— A discovery of M 
Duniont which may be useful in Ireland and Scot- 
land, where peaty soils are common, is given in 
the Compt'js Rendue for December 23 ult. It is 
to add carbonate of potash, or matter able to form 
this by double decomposition, to the soil. The car- 
bonate renders the humus nitrifiable, and favours 
the action of ammoniacal ferments or manure, 
making the soil fertile, A paper by M M. De- 
herain and Demoussy in the same number show* 
that trufflas can be grown in peaty soil when lime 
and potash are added, and the toil is inoculAted 
with garden bacterid. 
