9 
Seeds of the Caroline Islands Ivorv-nut palm, Caelococcus carolwensts, were received 
from the Goverrior of the Caroline Islands, and an additional supply of the Amazons 
Ivory-nut palm, Phytelephas macrocarpa . from Trinidad. The only plants of the latter 
in the Botanic Gardens which have flowered as yet are all males. It is hoped that some 
females will be among the newer stock. 
Suckers of the Porto Rico pineapple were sent by Mr. J. C. Harvey, a new kind 
of pine for the East, and from the same correspondent was received the little wild 
tomato of South America, with fruits as big as a cherry, forming a very pleasant fru t, 
and being a very prolific bearer. 
Brucea svmatrana , “ Kosam.'’— A quantity of the seeds of this plant, 24 lbs. in 
weight, was sent to Messrs. Burroughs and WELCOME, whose research-chemists 
Messrs. F. B. POWER and F. H. Lees published a very valuable paper on the subject. 
No alkaloid was found but two bitter principles were isolated, neither of which was 
quassin-, as stated by other chemists, “ a correct conclusion respecting the active 
principle of Kosam Seeds could apparently only be formed when some definite consti- 
tuent of them such as the bitter principle (a) isolated bv us, is treated clinically with 
reference to its particular value in the treatment of dysentery.” 
This, it may he hoped, will be done ; meantime further reports as to the efficacy of 
the seeds have been received in correspondence at the Botanic Gardens. 
Pas pal inn dilatatum . — The Australian Fonder Grass was successfully introduced 
and grew well, being readily propagated by breaking up the clumps. Tricholcena rosea 
however failed again. 
Exclusive of Rubber seeds and plant the chief demand was for Cotton, Nutmegs, 
Sago, Brucea smiatiana , fruit trees r and Sanseviera. 
Rara Rubber. 
The demand for plants and seeds of Hevea braziliensis showed no falling off, in- 
deed it was quite impossible to supply anything like the demand. Of seeds 170,175 
and of plants 28,665 were disposed of during the year. 
As the seed crop was rather irregular this year the grass and weeds had to be 
cleared beneath the trees for the purpose of collecting them several times which entailed 
a good deal of extra work. In years when the crop falls at one period it is only 
necessary to do this once. 
Experimental Tapping of Rubber Trees. 
A special vote of §1,750 was sanctioned this year for experimental tapping of 
Rubber trees, purchase of tools and utensils and erection of a drying house. 
A substantial air-tight drying chamber has been erected in the Economic Gardens- 
as well as a work shop for rubber work and a sufficient stock of enamelled plates, pans, 
collecting jugs, strainers, and aluminium collecting cups and the other usual tools for 
tapping were purchased and are available for future work. 
V In view of conducting the experiments on definite lines all trees of large size were 
numbered and registered, and all possible data, such as girth, description of tree, age 
whether previously tapped or not, were recorded for each tree. 
Altogether 1,285 trees have ^ een s0 registered and recorded, and of these, includ- 
ing some" still under experiment, 880 have been tapped, and it is expected that the 
amount of dry biscuit rubber will give a pound a tree in all of which the average girth 
at three feet from the ground is 3^ feet. 
The experiments showed that the most favourable time for tapping were morning 
and evening, and from the same number of trees which produced a total amount of 578 
lbs the morning trees realised 3*4 lbs. while the evening trees fell to 263 lbs., showing 
a difference in favour of the morning tapping of 51 lbs. The diminished flow in the 
evening is no doubt to the loss of water pressure due to excessive transpiralion during 
the hot part of the day, which had not been compensated for by the time of the evening 
tapping. 
Experiments were also made in tapping by various methods, the action and results 
beincr carefully recorded, and also to discover the effects of tapping at different inter- 
vals of time. Measurements of trees w^ere taken at different times of the day which 
showed the decrease in girth during the day and the increase towards evening. 
Experiments were also carried out in mulching the trees with rptten -lea\e>, and 
with cowdung. 
All the rubber w’as prepared in the form of biscuit which it is expected will on 
analysis be found to give 97 per cent of pure rubber. It must he borne in mind that in 
preparing an almost pure rubber the average yield of a tree will be much less. than was 
