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paring it will be at least doubled, and that it may be doubted 
that the price of commercial rubber even of a better quality than 
has ever been turned out previously will rise in proportion. Un- 
doubtedly the manufacturer should try to produce the best pro- 
duct he can make subject to the exigencies of expense but it 
must be remembered that ever since it has been used rubber pre- 
pared in the ordinary method without machinery or chemical 
processes has been used for every conceivable purpose, and that 
there will always be a demand for a comparatively cheap service- 
able article, if the process as applied to Para rubber removed 
all the proteids from the latex it would easily be understood that 
it would make the rubber more durable but the authors expli- 
citly state that it does not do so, the proteid remaining to a large 
extent in the rubber. 
The proteid undoubted^ does putrefy and give off an evil 
odour during drying but this does not seem to affect the rubbers 
lasting qualities at all. Specimens have been kept here for years 
which although they originally had a foul smell and had even at 
times been mouldy on the surface, due to the wetness of our 
climate, yet at the end of the time are as good as the best home 
rubber in every way, that is to say as good as the manufacturer 
requires. - 
One suggestion to use creosote to prevent the growth of moulds 
in rubber, seems well worth trying. This would probably pre- 
vent the decay of the proteid, and any injury to the Caoutchouc 
which may be causd by this. 
I have criticised the suggestions in this paper not to recom- 
mend the planter to turn out any cheap rubbish, but rather to 
prevent his being deterred from planting Para rubber by the 
idea that expensive machinery or an elaborate chemical process 
is necessary to turn out a good commercial product. Rubber 
is now at its highest price, and its uses increase every day, enor- 
mous quantities being used for a very large number of purposes. 
All this rubber is prepared in the ordiary manner without ma- 
chinery or chemical process and is found quite suitable for these 
purposes. 
Undoubtedly these processes may be most valuable for bring- 
ing into market, other very liquid rubbers which at present are 
ulueless and it is certain that we shall be able to improve our 
Para rubber in many ways and turn out an article better than 
the rough jungle-gathered rubber which has been the chief ma- 
terial in the hand of the manufacturer, but the principle of pre- 
venting para rubber from setting naturally by adding ammonia 
and then resetting it by the addition of acetic acid does not seem 
to present any very clear advantages. 
The paper also includes figures of a tin vessel proposed for col- 
lecting the latex in. It is a semi-cylindrical tin flattened on the 
side next the bark, above it is luted to the bark by some sub- 
stance to prevent the latex escaping. There is no lid to prevent 
dirt or rain getting into the cap and the luting is inconvenient 
and clumsy. In fact the apparatus is by no means as good as the 
