454 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Jan. i, 1898. 
“ The next question is as regards the yield of Gutta- 
percha from the leaves and twigs. The following 
table is extracted from the valuable work on “ Caout- 
chouc and Gutta-percha," by Seeligmann, Lamy, 
Torrilhon, and Falconnet, published by Britach, of 
Paris, 1896 : — 
‘‘ Old dry wood 
‘ Dry twigs 
‘Dry leaves.. 
,, imperfectly dried 
,, imported in water 
10 
9T5 
10-20 
10-50 
1002 
9-06 
1005 
9-00 
per cent 
‘‘ I have myself extracted Gutta from the leaves 
of the tree, by the process of Serullas, some six or 
seven times. Even on a small scale, where the diffi- 
culties of extraction, filtration, &c., are much more 
considerable than on a larger, I have obtained a 
theoretical yield. The following is a typical analysis 
of a sample of leaves, chosen at random from among 
many ; — ” 
Water in the naturally dried leaves 19'92 per cent. 
Extractive matter removed by caustic 
soda 55'00 „ 
Gutta, reckoned on the thoroughly dried 
leaves 9'61 ,, 
“ The statements made by M. Serullas are there- 
fore thoroughly borne out.” 
The following letter from the Director, Gardens 
and Forest Department, Straits Settlement, to the 
Director, Royal Gardens, Kew, which is printed in 
the Kew Bulletin for May and June 1897, gives a 
somewhat different account of the process. “ I have 
just been to inspect the little factory where Mr. Arnaud 
makes his gutta-percha. Serullas has gone back to 
Paris with endless patents of different kinds, and 
Mr. Arnaud alone keeps up the business. The leaves 
are imported in sacks dry, from Borneo and Johore. 
Most of the trees are overcut in Singapore, and 
there are no more leaves left, I hear. The leaves 
and twigs cost four dollars and half a picul (133 lb). 
They are then put, damped with hot water, into a 
rolling machine, two rollers working ‘ against each 
other, which grind them to powder. The powder is 
thrown into tanks of water and shaken about. The 
gutta floats in the form of a green mealy-looking 
stuff, is lifted out by fine copper gauze nets, put in 
warm water and pressed into moulds. I have sam- 
ples of the gutta as it comes from the leaves, and 
the pressed out finished article. It is really a very 
curious little manufactory. I do not know how long 
it will last, on account of the difficulty of procuring 
leaves, which must, I think, sooner or latter stop 
the trade — The Indian Forester. 
PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE IN 
LEGUMINOUS MANURING, 
Dear Sir,— In P.O. of 15th August you published 
some experiments of mine in Jjeguminous manuring ; 
and as “Wynaad Bean” in P.O., 9th January, 
asks that those who have tried the ” Legume cult” 
should publish their experiences, I give you a few 
notes of what mine have been since August. 
In my former letter I made mention of a 12-acre 
field manured in August and September 1895. The 
crop was small and I now consider the manuring 
was done too late, but at present time the tress 
are looking well and with a good spike. In June — 
July last year I applied ‘‘E. Lithosperma" cuttings 
to some other portions, and in three months the 
efiect of the manuring was most marked, the trees 
having made a fine growth. They are continuing 
to look well and have an abundance of healthy spike. 
In October I manured another portion and the trees 
now show the e*^ect of the manure by a nice growth 
of wood and leaves. The wood will of course not 
ripen to bear crop, and my experiments show the 
beat time for applying Leguminous manures is not 
later than July. Their action is so quick that by 
applying them you get a wood for next year and 
help your tree through leaf disease. 
I last year also manured with both Fish and Cattle 
manure, and before comparing results I might men- 
tion the cost to me of each manure. To cut and 
apply a good armful of ‘‘E. Lithosperma” cost 2 
pies per tree. Fish applied at about 1 ton per acre 
cost 6 pies per tree. Cattle manure two baskets to 
a tree cost 1 anna per tree. Perhaps I did not manu- 
facture my cattle manure as cheaply as it should 
have been done, and in calculating the cost I have 
taken cattle-keeper’s pay and cost of applying. The 
fish was applied in May and the result is much the 
same as the ‘‘ E. Lithosperma” manuring. The 
cattle manure was applied in June and so far the 
trees show very little appearance of having been 
manured and the benefit will come next year. The 
great point in ‘‘E. Lithosperma” manuring is its 
quick effect which proves that all the plant food 
constituents are in a soluble form and can imme- 
diately be taken hold of by the coffee. Those|who 
don’t know ‘‘ E. Lithosperma” would be astonished 
at its quick growth, and when once established the 
amount of cutting it will stand, Albizzias are not 
in it with “E. Lithospera ” for growth. The wood 
is extremely soft, almost pithy, and if instead of the 
loppings being buried they are left on the g ound, 
they decay and are eaten up by whiteants in a few 
months, thus improving the soil and feeding the 
whitesnts. While on this point, I believe a remedy 
for whiteants in tea would be to place a quick-growing 
Leguminous tree, keep it lopped so that its shade 
should not interfere with the tea flushing. The 
loppings would feed the whiteants and they would 
not then trouble about the tea and the nodules on 
the Legumnious tree would be supplying nitrogen 
to the tea. Whiteants don’t attack tea in a new 
clearing, at least this is my experience, but only 
in clearings which have been opened some years and 
where the tree roots and trunks have all disappeared. 
The whiteants having nothing to eat, they attack 
the growing tea. 
If confirmation is wanted that planters are on 
the right attack in using Leguminous manures, I 
think what native cultivators do is a proof in that 
direction. In the paddy districts below these hills the 
price for a bandy load of such Leguminous plants as 
‘‘ Tephrosea purpurea” (Cassia Auriculata) is Rs. 2 and 
they are carted miles. For cattle dung the price is 4 
annas, but this is never carted except from the house 
to the field. The native has also found out that 
Leguminous manures are quick acting and prefers 
to apply them to this three months’ paddy crop rather 
thas to the six months’ one. 
— Planting Opinion. Legume. 
THE COCOA EPIDEMIC. 
I’ve read it in the pipers, 
I’ve met it in the street. 
It’s all abaht the bloomin’ ’bus 
From wheel ter gawding-seat ; 
The sa» mple tin comes rattlin’ in 
Your letter-box all dye. 
Free— or they’ll pye yer fur it, if 
Yet’ll tike a tin awye. 
Pickshur ? Chap drinkin’ cocoa. 
Reading ? It’s always there — 
It’s cocoa this an’ cocoa that 
An’ cocoa ev’rywhere ; 
It spiles the show where’er yer go, 
It’s ’ummin’ in her ’ead, 
Yer ’ole life smells of chorklit, and 
Yer wishes yer was dead. 
It’s ’ighly chawged with phosphits— 
I do not sye it’s not ; 
It’s grite on tonic properties. 
An’ touches of the spot. 
It is (whichever mike it is) 
The purest and the best. 
But cawnt yer sell us sumfink else 
And give that stuff a rest ? 
—Daily Chronicle, Dec, 4. 
