ABSTRACT
The substance long known as india-rubber is familiar enough, but down to a period about forty years ago the demand for it was comparatively moderate. Its use for waterproofing was known long before that time, and the great increase in the commercial application of rubber dates from the introduction of the rubber tyre as applied to bicycles and later to motor vehicles of all kinds. The latex as it flows from the tree has a tendency to coagulate and to form clots or scrap which has to be dealt with separately. But the bulk of the liquid is conveyed as soon as possible to the factory, and after being strained, to remove impurities, it is mixed with a small quantity of acid, generally acetic acid. The treatment of wild rubber on the Amazon is somewhat different. V-shaped incisions are made in the bark, and at the bottom of each cut a small collecting cup is placed.
