caoutchouc ob indiarubber (Para). 
found with many Ceara rubbers of Brazilian origin. The 
rubber after washing and drying in sheets lost 19 per cent, of 
its weight; the sheets contained 93 74 per cent, of caoutchouc, 
4‘38 per cent, of resins. 
PAPA RUBBER. —Para rubber is obtained from Hevea 
brasiliensis, a species belonging to the Euphorbiaceae and in¬ 
digenous to the Amazon valley. Plants were introduced into 
Ceylon, through Kew, in 1876, the Indian Government paying 
all the expenses incurred by Messrs. Wickham and Cross (who 
collected seeds and plants) and by Mr. W. Chapman, who 
brought the seeds over from Kew. Most at the plants were 
sent to Henaratgoda, but a few were planted at Peradeniya. 
The plants were first propagated from cuttings, the twigs from 
two to three-year-old trees being used for this purpose. The 
plants at Henaratgoda flowered for the first time in 1881 
when they were five years old, while those at Peradeniya did 
not flower until 1884. In 1883 a crop of 260 seeds was pro¬ 
duced at Henaratgoda, and from that year the trees have regu 
larly seeded, the annual crop from about 500 trees now being 
about 200,000. 
Plants were sent to India and the Straits in 1878, and in 
subsequent years seeds or plants have been distributed to 
Jamaica, Buitenzorg, Queensland, German East Africa, 
Borneo, Sumatra, Seychelles, Fiji, Gold Coast, Australia, and 
many other places. The acreage in Para rubber has increased 
very rapidly in Ceylon, the Straits, India, and other countries, 
especially Java, Borneo, Sumatra, &e., where large areas are 
being planted with this product. During the last six years 
the acreage has increased in Ceylon from 1,750 acres in 1900 
to 40,000 in 1905, whilst a slightly larger area has been planted 
in the Straits. The prospects for the industry are bright on 
account of the increase in value of the prepared rubber to over 
Qs. per pound and the improvement in yields and methods of 
collecting the latex. 
