The Preparation of Plantation Rubber

CONTENTS

PART I
FIELD OPERATIONS

CHAPTER I
PLANTING
	PAGE
Seeds—Seed selection—Strain improvement by bad propagation—Nurseries—Stumps—Seed at stake—Basket plants—Preparation of land—Danger of disease—Clean clearing—Loss of top-soil—Silt-trenches on slopes	1

CHAPTER II
FIELD MAINTENANCE

Clean weeding—Selective weeding—Loss of top-soil—Grass ridges—Lallang eradication—Mimosa gigantea (M. invisa)—Green cover-plants—Connection between weeding, soil conservation, and soil improvement	13

CHAPTER III
THINNING OF AREAS

Original planting per acre—Ultimate stand per acre—Close-planting versus wide-planting—When to commence thinning operations—How to select in preliminary rounds—Later selections based on yields of individuals—Yields per tree, present and future—Trees per acre	19

CHAPTER IV
TAPPING SYSTEMS

Former methods—Former systems—Tendency to reduce number of tapping cuts and frequency of tapping—Period allowed for bark-renewal—Modern systems—Superimposed cuts—Single cuts, etc.—Tapping experiments—R.G.A. experiment—Alternate-daily versus daily tapping	28

CHAPTER V
TAPPING AND COLLECTING

Tapping knives—Personal equation in use of knives—
PART III
MACHINERY AND BUILDINGS

CHAPTER XIII
MACHINES

Quality of metal in rolls—Nature of roll-bearings—Brass liners—Liners of alloy or of cast-iron—Adequacy of machines—Arrangement of battery—Speed of machines—Gear ratios—Grooving of rolls—Heating of rolls—Sheeting machines—Lubrication—Trays—Position of battery—Drainage of battery—Access to back of machines—Engines—Power	159

CHAPTER XIV
FACTORIES

General construction—Plenty of light—Floors—Drainage of—How many storeys—Verandahs—Tanks, situation of—Designs and lay-out—Drains—Water supply	172

CHAPTER XV
OTHER BUILDINGS

Drying-houses for crepe rubber—How many storeys—Ventilation—Windows—Effect of light—Effect of direct sun-rays—Hot-air houses—Smoke-houses—Various types—Ordinary smoke-houses—General ventilation—Windows—Racks of supports—Floors—Furnaces in general—Pit-fires—Pot-fires—Iron stoves—Horizontal drum-furnaces—Rate of combustion—Brick stoves—Pataling type of—Consumption of fuel—Floor of furnace room&# ginternal">INTRODUCTORY DEALING WITH TREATMENT AND VULCANISATION

Wild rubber contrasted with plantation rubber—Milling and mixing—Preparation for vulcanising—Vulcanising	301

CHAPTER XXII
TESTING OF PLANTATION RUBBER

Tests on raw rubber—Breaking strain—Behaviour of rubber during milling, etc.—Preparation for testing—Tests on vulcanised rubber—Choice of a formula—Physical tests	309

CHAPTER XXIII
THE PROPERTIES OF RUBBER

Raw rubber—Physical tests—Vulcanised rubber—“Inner qualities” of raw rubber—Defects of crepe and sheet—Variation in physical properties—Rate of cure—Influence of various factors in raw rubber on rate of cure—Other types of plantation rubber—Fine para	313

Index	327

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