Modern compounding methods, particularly the development of preservatives, have greatly increased the length of time which a rubber product is expected to last. The nature of high quality natural rubber itself, however, is such that a surprising length of life has been recorded for many rubber applications which were manufactured a long time ago. When so many claims are being made for the quality of synthetic materials in highly specialized applications, it is useful to review the proved and tested quality of the natural product in the many general applications in which it has served so well for over a century.