476 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Junz, 1899. 
ranges from 61s. to 92x. for No. A, while a small lot of peaberry fetched only 
80s. Wynaad figures are just about as unsatisfactory, though 102s. was touched 
for peaberry. Nelliampathy averaged well, ranging from 8ls. for A. to 
108s. 6d. peaberry. 
RUBBER. 
Wirn the march of science, problem after problem in manufactures and in 
agriculture is being gradually solved, and what appeared at one time to be 
insuperable difficulties have been successfully overcome, and the only wonder 
has been that nobody had thought of the method before. Lately we have been 
assured that the trouble with rhea has become a thing of the past. Now we 
learn from the report of the Director of the Peradeniya Gardens, Ceylon, that 
by the help of what is practically a cream separator “ pure caoutchoue can be 
obtained from the milk of any species of rubber-tree, and the product thus 
obtained is practically identical, whether got from the Para, Ceara, or other 
species. The best results are perhaps obtained,” says the Director, “from the 
milk of the Castilloa elastica, and it thus becomes a question whether the plant- 
ing of this species should not be taken up in Ceylon in the dry parts of the hills, 
where Para rubber will not grow.” 
The Lropical Agriculturist of Ceylon, always prompt to give to its readers 
the latest information on the subject of new processes in the manipulation of 
agricultural products, gives the following description of the method adopted by 
Mr. Biffen, who is the Demonstrator in Botany at the University of 
‘Cambridge :— 
As the rubber exists in particles in the latex, it seemed possible that the 
centrifugal method of separation might be adopted in examining the phenomena 
of coagulation. A modified form of the ordinary centrifugal milk-tester was there- 
fore designed capable of being rotated some 6,000 times per minute. 
The latex was taken directly from the tree, strained through wire gauze to 
remove any pieces of bark, and then, if yery thick, diluted to about the con- 
sistency of deat cream. ‘The first experiments were made with the latex of 
Castilloa elastica. 
After centrifugalising for from three to four minutes, the rubber particles 
completely separated as a thick, creamy, white layer from the deep-brown 
solution contaming tannic acid, in which they had been suspended. This layer 
was taken off, shaken with an excess of water to thoroughly wash it, and again 
separated. The separated particles were then shaken with water, .so as to form an 
emulsion, and alkalies were added. No coagulation now occurred, even though 
the mixture was allowed to stand for several days. The particles could, 
however, be brought into a solid mass by pressure, by gently heating or by 
drawing off the water with a porous tile. 
; So prepared, the rubber formed a pure white mass, without any trace of 
its usually characteristic smell. On exposure to the air for several days, the 
surface became brown, probably owing to oxidation. 
The percentage of rubber in the latex was estimated at the same time h 
separating 50 c.c. The weight of the dry substance was 12-5 grammes [] 
gramme = 153 grains Troy—Ed. Q.A4.J.], which, as the specific gravity of 
Castilloa elastica latex is practically 1-0, gives a yield of 25 per cent. 
On treating the latex of Hevea braziliensis in the same way for a slightly 
longer time, a similar separation occurred. ‘The same purely physical means as 
those employed in the case of the separated Oustilloa rubber particles, caused 
them to coalesce to form a solid mass, while the addition of acetic acid and the 
action of the smoke of the urucuri nuts had no effect. 
The yield 6f rubber, estimated as before, was from 28 to 30 per cent. The 
latex of Manihot Glaziovii also separated readily, and gave results completely 
parallel with those mentioned above. The latex is interesting, as it is readily 
clotted by churning. A soft spongy clot is formed in a few minutes, containing 
in its meshes the greater part of the solution in which the rubber particles were 
a: Sane Suan needa, Scan an Ree 
