290 
Mr. M. Kelway Bamber (Goverment Chemist, Ceylon), and 
Mr. G. H. M. Hyde (Machinery Expert), judged rubber machin- 
ery, tapping knives and other classes. I also attended the lectures 
and discussions and contributed a lecture on rubber in the Malay 
Peninsula. A full account of the proceedings have been publ ished 
in the official account of the exhibition entitled “ Rubber in the 
East,” it is therefore not necessary to describe fully the many 
points of interest which the show possessed. The more important 
lessons which the exhibition and conferences taught were : — That 
the quality of plantation rubber can be improved by making it in 
block form instead of crepe, sheet or biscuit. The block form is 
preferred by buyers on account of its being more like the 
Brazilian Para, which they consider the best rubber for manu- 
facturing purposes. It has in comparison to cr£pe, sheet or 
biscuit, hardly any surface for the attacks of moulds and bacteria 
and consequently travels better and with much less deterioration. 
It is less bulky for storing and shipping. Also that the rubber 
trees will grow vigorously and produce high quality rubber at 
considerable elevations above the sea. This was clearly shown 
by the fact that the prize of the show was carried off by rubber 
made from trees growing at 2,500 feet above sea-level. 
Preparation of 'Rubber for the Market. 
Our knowledge of the best methods of preparation of planta- 
tion rubber for the market is still in the plastic and changeable 
stage. Biscuits have had their day, and on all estates producing 
any quantity of rubber they have been abandoned as unpractic- 
able when large quantities of latex are to be treated. Sheet or 
cr£pe have both their advantages and the manufacturer has learnt 
to appreciate their fine qualities. But the goal to which the 
rubber planter is making in relation to the improvement of his 
product, is the preparation of a rubber which the buyer and manu- 
facturer will consider as good as or better than the finest 
Brazilian Para. 
The qualities of resilience, elasticity and durability which 
characterise the Brazilian rubber must be produced in plantation 
rubber, and the discovery of the means by which this end can be 
obtained has been the subject of much consideration, experiment 
and observation both here and in Ceylon. 
c ♦ 
Acetic acid and creosote, which in the case of the preparation 
of Brazilian rubber are added by submitting the latex to smoke 
containing these substances, have been introduced in the case of 
plantation rubber by mixing small quantities of these two 
substances in solution. 
The acetic acid produces quick coagulation, and the creosote 
is an efficient antiseptic and prevents the growth of bacteria 
which produce “tackiness” or other putrefaction of the dry 
rubber. 
