470 
VARIETIES. 
feet  in  diameter,  the  branches  being  few  and  small.  The  natives,  after 
felling  the  tree,  make  an  incision  round  it,  from  which  the  milk  flows.  This 
is  repeated  at  distances  of  6  to  18  inches  along  the  whole  trunk.  It  appears 
that  the  taban,  or  milky  juice,  will  not  flow  freely  like  dammer  and  caout- 
chouc, but  rapidly  concretes.  Its  appearance  in  this  state  before  being 
boiled  is  very  different  from  that  of  the  article  as  imported  into  Singapore, 
and  then  shipped  to  Europe.  It  has  a  dry,  ragged  look,  resembling  shreds 
of  bark,  and  instead  of  being  dense  and  tough,  is  light,  and  possesses  so 
little  cohesion  that  it  is  easily  torn  in  pieces. 
Various  statements  are  made  as  to  the  produce  of  each  tree,  which  is 
somewhat  surprising,  considering  the  uniform  size  of  the  trees.  The  ex- 
tremes mentioned  are  two  catties  and  fifty  catties.  Dr.  Oxley  takes  the 
average  yield  at  ten  catties,  but  probably  five  would  be  nearer  the  mark, 
hence  it  would  take  twenty  trees  to  produce  one  picul  of  gutta,  or  133  lbs., 
and  as  the  exports  of  gutta  percha,  from  the  commencement  of  the  trade 
up  to  the  close  of  1853,  have  amounted  to  3107  tons,  it  follows  that  upwards 
of  one  million  trees  must  have  been  destroyed  to  obtain  that  quantity  in 
nine  years.  The  natives,  however,  do  not  appear  to  be  under  any  appre- 
hension that  the  trees  will  be  extirpated,  and  smile  at  the  probability  when 
suggested,  for  it  is  only  trees  arrived  at  their  full  growth,  or  at  least  at  a 
very  considerable  age,  that  repay  the  labor  of  felling  them  and  extracting 
the  gutta,  and  those  of  all  inferior  ages  which  are  therefore  left  untouched, 
will,  it  is  supposed,  keep  up  the  race. 
The  collection  of  the  gutta  has  widely  extended,  embracing  now  the 
Johore  Archipelago,  Sumatra,  Borneo,  and  Java.  Unfortunately,  the 
quality  has  deteriorated  by  the  admixture  of  gutta  percha,  jelotong,  gegrek, 
litchin,  and  other  inferior  gums,  the  products  of  different  trees,  which  are 
often  used  to  adulterate  the  taban. 
The  Gitah  Lahoe  is  the  produce  of  Ficus  cerifera,  Blume,  which  promises 
to  be  of  great  importance  in  an  industrial  point  of  view.  The  natives  of 
Sumatra  form  torches  of  it,  which  burn  with  a  clear  flame,  but  make  a 
great  deal  of  smoke.  A  hydro-carbon,  closely  resembling  Cullemundoo 
gum,  from  Jaulhna,  was  shown  this  year  at  Madras  obtained  from  Euphor- 
bia tirucalli.  It  differs  considerably  from  caoutchouc  or  gutta  percha  in  its 
physical  qualities. 
The  milky  juice  of  the  Muddar  plant  of  India  (the  Asclepias  or  Caloiro- 
pus  gigantea),  gradually  dries  and  becomes  tough  and  hard,  like  gutta 
percha.  It  thrives  on  the  poorest  soils,  and  also  furnishes  an  excellent  fibre, 
useful  in  the  place  of  hemp  and  flax. 
The  juice  of  the  sappodilla  plum  tree,  the  Acliras  sapota  of  the  West 
Indies  and  South  America,  is  slightly  adhesive  to  the  touch,  but  it  differs 
from  gutta  percha  by  becoming  adhesive  and  extremely  glutinous  after 
being  immersed  in  boiling  water,  while  gutta  percha  immediately  on  ex- 
posure to  a  cooler  temperature  regains  its  original  toughness  and  flexi- 
bility. 
