Perhaps it was, but when they proceeded to say that all they 
need in order to beat the flax spinner in his own field is that I 
should produce them filasse at one third the price which the latter 
pays to the Irish farmer for the produce of his retting pit, I am 
constrained to think that my spinning friend hardly admires his 
piece of linen as much as he would have me do. 
We are told that with an increased supply will come an increased 
demand. At present the manufacture is in an experimental stage, 
so far as the United Kingdom is concerned, and China supplies a 
sufficiency of hand treated grass for experimental purposes. This 
being so it is passing strange that nearly every article written about 
ramie urges planters to cultivate it. What we require are a few 
practised spinners who are willing to buy it. 
CYRIL E. S. BAXENDALE. 
Jugra Estate , Selangor * 
RUBBER IN MADRAS. 
The following notes are taken from the Government Botanic 
Gardens Annual Administration report for the Nilgiris 1901-1902, 
of Para rubber planted November, 1898, the best tree measured on 
March 22, 1901, and again March 6, 1902, gave a height of 18 feet 
8, and 21 feet 9 inches, and girth at four feet from the ground on 
the second occasion inch. The tallest tree in the plantation 
of the same age was 29 feet, with a girth of 6f at four feet height. 
These trees gave a good quality of rubber though too young to be 
tapped profitably. 
Castilloa raised from seed collected in April, 1897, planted out 
September, 1898, flowered March, 1902. But they only * give at 
present a gummy substance destitute of the properties of true 
rubber. The best measured in March 22, 1901, gave a height of 
12 feet, and on March 6, 1902, 18 feet 10 with a girth of 1 foot 
51 inches at four feet from the ground. 
A Castilloa in Wynaad girthing 3 feet 3 inches at 2 \ feet from 
the ground yielded 14 ounces dry rubber at one tapping. 
A Mr. Parsons cf South Coorg writes to the Curator of the 
Gardens stating that he possesses a Ceara rubber tree 20 years 
old that gives 10 lbs. rubber a year, but he has no other trees 
which give nearly as much and some give next to no latex. 
BRAZILIAN RUBBER TRADE. 
The following is from the “Brazilian Review ” In his report 
of Junuary 13, the U. S. Consul at Para says, with regard to 
Rubber shipments from the Amazon valley for 1901 shows a 
steady increase over the business of 1900, the total gain 
being 3,255 tons, of which the increase to Europe was 500 tons 
and to the United States 2,755 tons. In other words Europe took 
