494 
At a recent meeting of the United Planters’ Association of South 
India, Mr. R. D. Anstead mentioned that a large number of Para 
rubber trees planted in that country are already beginning to bear 
seed, and each year more will do so. It has been estimated that trees 
after the fifth year will yield 500 seeds each, and the product of 400 
trees will weigh a ton. It is stated that the seeds contain about 20 per 
cent of an oil which has been valued at $100 (gold) per ton. Mr. 
Anstead was of opinion that thr planters should gather the seed, 
crush it for the oil, and use the residue for fertilizing the rubber 
plantations: — (The India Rubber World, Vol. XLIII., p. 16). 
“The comparisons of rubber seed with linseed and cotton-seed have 
led to inquiries as to the possible commercial utilisation of rubber- 
seeds in the future. At present there is such a demand for seeds for 
planting that ther^ is no surplus supply. The Botanic Gardens at 
Singapore — which is really the birth-place of the Malay rubber-indus- 
try have already furnished great quantities of seed for the plantations, 
but the authorities now refuse to undertake any more orders for seed 
before next spring owing to the engagements already booked. But 
the time will not be long in arriving when there will be a large surplus 
of seeds from the ninety millions of trees already planted. Scientific 
investigation of the rubber-seeds has proved that they yield a fine 
clear oil of good drying quality. It has recently been suggested that, 
having in view the future commercial value of the seeds, it would be 
wise in erecting new machinery on plantations to make provision for 
power and space for seed-crushing machines. By doing so the residue 
from the crushers, which is valuable both as cattle-food and for 
fertilising, would be left on the estates.” 
(The Chemist and Druggist Vol. LXXVII p. 63). 
We understand that there is just now rising a strong demand 
for oil of Para rubber seed in the United States of America. The 
failure of the linseed crops, and the substitution of the cultivation 
of the soy bean for the linseed by many planters has left the con- 
sumer of this oil short, and this is probably the cause of the interest 
now taken in Rubber seed oil. 
Reports and notes on this oil have been already published in the 
Bulletin, but in the days when the attention of planters was called to 
this product all seeds were required for further planting, and since 
then the production of the rubber has been naturally the sole objective 
of the planter who has not bothered about the minor product. 
Now, seed is abundant, and it would doubtless be possible to 
bring this product into the market and so to add to the profits of the 
estates. In clean weeded estate it should not be difficult for women 
and children to collect large quantities of seed at a cheap rate, they 
being paid by results. The seed could be shipped to the oil-mills, 
and there sold. 
