Troup : Cutch Trade in Burma. 
255 
due rather to the introduction of cheaper substitutes, and to the extensive 
adulteration which took place some years ago. Cutch is now used chiefly 
for curing or preserving fishing nets, and sails, the object of cutching 
nets being to prevent them from heating, and if they do heat, to prevent 
the heat from rotting the fabric. Dyers have almost entirely discarded 
cutch for aniline substitutes. 
(3) Substitutes for cutch. — The chief products which have severely 
competed with Burma cutch are mangrove cutch from Borneo and else- 
where, and aniline dyes. 
Mangrove cutch. — It is believed to be some 20 years since mangrove 
cutch was first introduced to the fishing industry in Great Britain, but 
it was not till 1898, as the result of very extensive advertising, that it 
was used to any great extent. It has also gained a footing in Holland 
during the past few yeai’s, but is not very largely used. Few fishermen 
use mangrove cutch alone ; some will not use it at all, while others use a 
proportion mixed with Burma cutch. Mangrove cutch is obtained at a 
considerably lower price than Burma cutch, and is less liable to fluctua- 
tions in price. Although as a preserving material for fishing nets it is 
inferior to Burma cutch, still it finds favour to some extent because it 
dissolves readily and gi*/es a red solution without any residue. As man- 
grove cutch does part of the work for which Burma cutch is used, it 
affects principally the cheaper qualities of the latter, and lessens the 
consumption of the cheaper grades of Burma cutch. For this reason it is 
most advisable to keep the standard of Burma cutch at the highest 
possible level. Mangrove cutch is manufactured from the bark of man- 
groves, the chief of which are Ceriops Candolleana and Rhizojphora spp. 
The trade in this cutch in the Straits is an extensive one, the amount 
passing through Singapore alone being over 20,000 cwt. annually. The 
imports into Singapore are from Borneo, Labuan, Sarawak and other 
localities, not from the Federated Malay States, whilst the imports into 
Penang are mostly from Sumatra. A large proportion of the mangrove 
cutch imported into Singapore is used locally and not exported. 
The Divisional Forest Officer, Rangoon Division, reports a local 
manufacture of mangrove extract which is not exported but is used locally 
for curing fishing nets and sails ; a similar extract is prepared in Arakan. 
Analysis of mangrove cutch. — A sample of mangrove cutch received 
from the Straits was subjected to analysis by Mr. Pm’an Singh, Acting 
