Abstract
THE rapid development of the rubber industry has been one of the most notable industrial events of the present century. Between 1910 and 1933, the net amount of crude rubber exported from the principal producing countries increased from 94,000 tons to 851,000 tons per annum, while the world absorption of the manufactured product rose from 85,000 tons to 814,000 tons during the same period. Although the demand for motor tyres has been primarily responsible for this expansion, rubber has now found its place in practically every branch of industry. To illustrate the various ways in which it may be used on the farm, the Rubber Growers' Association (2-4 Idol Lane, Eastcheap, E.G.3) has issued a booklet entitled “Rubber and Agriculture”. In outdoor equipment, not only can tyres of every description be supplied to suit everything from a tractor to a wheelbarrow, but also jointed tracks are successfully made. The inconvenience of the ordinary tipping device for unloading lorries is now avoidable by using a vehicle fitted with a rubber movable floor, which discharges on either side as desired. In the cow-shed and dairy, rubber stalls and flooring, rubber parts to the milking machines and rubber rims to the churns to reduce noise, are some of the uses to which this product can be put. In the farmhouse itself rubber is becoming increasingly popular; rubber floor coverings, brushes and even rubber upholstery now being practical propositions, while for the farmer and his family, rubber clothing of various types is a recognised part of their outfit.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rubber and Agriculture. Nature 135, 27 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135027c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135027c0