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to the air. In the rough state, that is in discs and 
scraps as picked from the cuts, it is liable to 
deteriorate by oxidation. The cleaned gutta is kept 
in the best condition if stored submerged in water/’ 
Barnard, B.H.F, — Notes on Gutta Percha. — Kuala 
Lumpur, 1916. 
The use of a ladder is now obviated by the intro- 
duction of a simple climbing stick, which grips the 
tree and on which the tapper can comfortably stand. 
Many thousands of trees have been tapped and 
they have been found to yield from a few ounces to 
three or more pounds of cleaned gutta per tapping, 
according to the size of the tree. It has been found 
that the same tree can be tapped several times, if a 
sufficient time (probably not less than two years) 
is given for recovery after each tapping, but there 
is always danger that decay may get started or 
that white ants may attack the tree through the 
wounded surface. The difficulty attendant upon 
this work makes it desirable that some less arduous 
and more attractive method of collecting should be 
devised, although the product obtained is the finest 
grade of gutta percha known. 
3. Leaf Collecting. 
Gutta percha of excellent quality occurs in the 
leaves of getah taban merah, and this can be 
extracted by grinding the leaves and treating 
them with hot water. Some years since a factory 
was started at Tjipetir, in Java, to do this, and 
later another factory was started at Singapore and 
still another on one of the islands near Singapore. 
The first factory used leaves from trees grown in 
plantations ; the other two bought leaves that were 
