AmAug0uUst'i884rm}    India  Rubber  and  Gutta  Percha  in  Ceylon.  443 
conducted  on  a  large  scale.  Much  of  the  35,000  acres  in  private  hands  in 
Ceylon,  at  present  growing  nothing  but  Lantana  and  other  weeds,  is  suit- 
able for  this  hardy  plant,  which  costs  nothing  to  cultivate,  affords  a  sub- 
stance of  a  value  which  is  continually  increasing,  and  awaits  only  the  dis- 
covery of  a  process  by  which  the  latter  can  be  cheaply  and  exhaustively 
extracted. 
Castilloa  Rubber. — From  a  single  tree  at  Peradeniya  a  considerable  crop 
of  seedlings  was  raised.  The  fruits  ripened  at  the  end  of  May  ;  they  are 
little,  white,  pointed  nuts,  about  half  an  inch  long,  covered  by  a  bright 
orange  pulp,  and  some  twenty  to  thirty  are  crowded  together  on  the  fleshy 
flattened  scaly  receptacle,  forming  collectively  what  is  called  a  compound 
fruit ;  about  half  of  the  fruits  ripen  and  contain  each  a  single  seed.  I  have 
already  expressed  my  opinion  as  to  the  suitability  of  this  tree  for  cultiva- 
tion by  a  Forest  Department  as  a  source  of  prospective  revenue  ;  and  as 
comparatively  few  of  the  plants  were  disposed  of  to  private  persons,  I 
made  an  endeavor  to  get  plantations  of  this  valuable  tree  formed  at  Ratna- 
pura  and  Kalutara.  The  plan  was  sanctioned  by  the  Governor,  and  I  gave 
the  necessary  instructions  ;  but  after  three  months'  delay  it  was  discovered 
that  the  trifling  sum  necessary  could  not  be  provided. 
The  growth  of  the  largest  Castilloa  tree  at  Henaratgoda  is,  at  a  yard  from 
the  ground,  30^  inches,  an  increase  of      inches  during  the  year. 
Para  Rubber. — Nine  trees  flowered  at  Henaratgoda  in  March,  and  the 
fruit  ripened  in  August.  About  two  hundred  and  sixty  seedling  plants 
were  raised,  many  of  which  have  been  disposed  of  to  persons  desirous  to 
try  the  culivation.  Our  largest  tree  is  now  30  inches  in  circumference,  an 
increase  of  4J  inches  in  the  year. 
Eighteen  plants  of  another  species  of  Hevea,  H.  Spruceana,  were 
received  from  Kew  in  October.  This  is  a  native  of  British  Guiana,  where 
it  is  generally  known  by  its  Arawack  name  "  Hatie."  It  has  been  studied 
in  its  native  forests  by  Mr.  Jenman,  who  sent  us  a  plant  in  1881,  which 
unfortunately  died.  Dr.  Spruce  also  collected  it  on  the  Amazons.  It  is 
closely  allied  to  JET.  brasiliensis,  and  grows  under  quite  similar  conditions. 
The  specimen  of  the  rubber  sent  home  by  Mr.  Jenman  for  report  appears 
to  have  been  unfortunately  mixed  with  some  impurity  which  prevented 
its  value  being  accurately  ascertained.  The  plants  have  been  put  out 
mostly  at  Henaratgoda,  and  are  doing  well. 
Some  seeds  of  this  species  were  also  kindly  sent  to  the  garden  by  the 
Manager  of  the  Ceylon  Company,  Limited,  in  July,  but  were  quite  dead. 
It  is  useless  to  attempt  to  import  seeds  of  this  description  from  any  dis- 
tance, as  they  lose  their  vitality  in  a  few  days. 
Other  Rubber  Plants. — Landolphia  Petersia?ia,  one  of  the  East  African 
rubbers,  has  flowered  during  the  year,  and  L.  Kirkii  is  now  in  bud  at  Hena- 
ratgoda. Two  plants  of  Taberncemontana  crassa  are  now  doing  well. 
Among  seeds  received  from  Mr.  L.  Wray,  of  Perak,  were  some  of  u  Gutta 
Singret,"  which  appears  from  leaf  specimens,  also  sent,  to  be  a  species  of 
Chilocarpus ,  another  climbing  apocynaceous  genus.  Its  rubber  is  not  of  a 
good  quality,  and  is  chiefly  used  for  adulteration.  A  few  plants  were  raised 
and  are  planted  at  Henaratgoda. 
Gutta  Percha. — A  valuable  series  of  dried  herbarium  specimens,  of  wood, 
