India Rubber and Gutta Percha. 75 
placed. The other mode is by winding the stout flexible 
stem of a climber round the trunks, and claying it round 
securely so that no milk may creep between the trunk 
and the climber. These plans are not universally adopt- 
ed and can only be successfully put in practice where 
the tree has not been previously tapped. There is al- 
ways a great deal of ' negro-head,' in consequence 
of the distance the milk has to run and of the 
large quantity of clay employed in the process. Going 
from tree to tree at a sort of running pace, the collector 
empties the contents of the cups into a large calabash 
which he carries in his hand. As he pours the milk out 
of each cup he draws his thumb or forefinger over the 
bottom to clean out some which otherwise would at once 
adhere ; indeed a small quantity does remain, which is 
afterwards pulled off and classed as negro-head. The 
cups on being emptied are laid in a little heap at the 
base of each tree, to be ready for the following morn- 
ing. The trees occur at various distances from 10 to 100 
vards apart. 
The Castilloa trees are usually felled. Narrow rings 
are then cut round the trunk-bark, eight to ten inches 
apart, and the flowing juice is caught in a vessel or leaf 
placed beneath each cut or ring. If the ground is soft, 
as is often the case, log stretchers are laid at intervals at 
right angles to the direction in which the tree will fall, 
for it to rest upon. This is also the method practised in 
this colony in collecting balata gum. The trunks of 
balata trees are, however, sometimes drawn and squared 
for timber after the milk has been collected, but this is 
only practised to a very limited extent. A collector will 
K I 
