158 TiMEHRI. 
the merchants that if the fruit had been wrapped in 
coloured tissue paper and marked " sele6led fruit," 
they would probably have fetched 12/6. Considering the 
incidental expenses, the price left a good margin of profit, 
and if the trees were cultivated as an adjun6l to the 
farms which the ordinary labourer could always possess, 
they would pay extremely well. 
Mr. Bellairs suggested that the experiment might be 
tried with mangoes. 
With reference to the report on the rubber-trees of 
the colony, Mr. Quelch said he found on enquiry that a 
report corresponding in detail to what the Society 
wanted, was being prepared by Mr. Jenman for the 
Government, and as it would be possible to secure 
copies of this report, all he had judged it desirable to do 
was to prepare a short report merely, which might be 
distributed in the meantime to those enquiring about 
rubber-trees. He then read the following report, for 
which a vote of thanks was passed :— 
The rubber trees ot the colonv may be classed under 
two heads, namely, those that yield india-rubber proper 
or caoutchouc, and those that yield balata or gutta- 
percha. In all cases, the produ6l consists of the dried 
milky juice yielded by the trees when the bark is cut. 
Technically and economically, the differences between 
the two produ6ls are very marked, and even in the 
rough state they are readily distinguished by the charac- 
ter that at ordinary temperatures india-rubber is al- 
ways highly elastic, while balata is comparatively in- 
elastic. For the colle6lion of both balata and india- 
rubber in the colony, licences are required to be taken 
out, and a royalty is charged on the amount colle6led. 
Balata is obtained from the well-known bullet tree 
(Mimusops balata)^ which occurs widely distributed in 
the low-lying lands of the colony, more especially in the 
