io 6 
allowed under any circumstances. Green soiling should be done only 
with herbaceous plants, and these should be merely cut and thrown 
on the ground not dug in. The manuring experiments made in the 
Botanic Gardens of Singapore some years ago are not even 
alluded to. 
Draining.— The importance of this is well described. It is worth 
noting however, that trees should not be planted too near the 
drains especially if not very deep, it has been observed in the 
Singapore Botanic Gardens that in wet stormy weather big trees 
too close to the drains are very apt to fall, owing to their roots 
being too short on the drain-side and not getting a sufficient hold. 
Tapping Instruments. — There is a fairly complete account of 
the various tapping instruments suggested or used; and figures of 
a number of them being published. Every one has his own fancy 
as to what tools to use, but we venture to predict that specimens 
of most of these will only be visible in museums in a few years. 
After trying a large series in the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, we 
have come back to the old chisel and mallet originally used as the 
best and simplest . 
The spiral system is at present under experiment and we shall 
h)pe to have so mething to say about it later. 
Methods of preparation, coagulation and machinery for such 
purposes are described; the main objects b ring to eradicate the 
proteids and sugar, which otherwise rots the rubber. In this 
connection it may be interesting to note that there are samples 
of Para rubber taken from the Botanic Gardens trees in the Gar- 
dens Museum which were taken about ten years ago, simply 
allowed to coagulate in the tins and put to dry, without any 
attempt to clean them or get rid of the proteids except by their 
own decomposition. The rubber is black like that of Forest Para, 
but is sound and strong, fully tensile and very elastic to the pre- 
sent day. 
The chapter on diseases of the plant is short and might have 
been much enlarged with advantage. 
The most important of all pests Fomes semistostus is barely 
alluded to though a good deal has been published about it. 
The whitewash fungus Corticium calceum , another important dis- 
ease is not alluded to. This fungus was described some time back 
in the Bulletin though not identified till after the book was 
written. 
The work ends with a chapter on what to do with the seeds, with 
methods of transport of them, in which the expensive and as we have 
found, unsatisfactory method of shipping in Wardian cases is recom- 
mended for long distances. The method adopted in Singapore 
of packing in slightly damped charcoal has given far the best 
results up to date. Coconut dust and saw dust as recommended 
by Mr. Macmillan I would unhesitatingly condemn. 
