The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-06-12
Rubber Gathering on the Amazon

Rubber Gathering on the Amazon.
The following account of most in
teresting industry occurs in the second
paper in the Scribner series on Brazil
by Herbert H. Smith, who writes from
personal experience:
The rubber-swamps are all around,
but land travelling is out of the question.
So an Indian canoe man is engaged-a
good natured fellow, and an adept In
wood craft. He sets US across the river
at half ruined hut, where bright vines
Chamber over the broken thatch and
hang in long festoons in front OF the
low doorway; but within, the floor is
sodden black clay, and dark mold hangs
on the sides, andAhe air is like sepul-
cher The single slovenly maanaeguca
woman who inhabits the place COM
plains bitterly of the ague which tor
lures her; yet year after year, until the
house falls to pieces, she will 60 on dy-
ing here, because, forsooth, it is her
own and the rubber-trees are near. She
will not even repair the structure. You
can see sky through the roof, but if rain
drives in she will swing her hammock
in another corner, and shiver on
through the night as best she may, for
to morrow there are rubber-trees to be
tapped, and fresh harvest of the pre-
cious milk to be brought homeland
what will you havep One must expect
discomfort in swamp.
Back of the house the rubber-trees
are scattered through marshy forest,
where we Chamber over logs, and sink
into pools of mud, and leap the pud.
dies; where the mosquitoes are blood
thirsty, and nature is damp, and dark,
and threatening; where the silence is
unbroken by beast or bird-a silence
that can be felt; it is like a tomb. in
which we are buried, away from the sun
shine, away from brute and man, alone
with rotting death. The very beauty Of
our forest tomb makes us shudder by its
intenseness.
In the early morning men and women
come with baskets of clay cups on Their
backs, and little hatchets to cash the
trees. Where the white milk drips
down from the cash they stick then
cups on the trunk with danbs of clay,
nodded so as to catch the whole flow
If the tree is large one, four or five
gashes may be cut in circle around the
trunk. On the next day other gashes
are made little below these, and so or
until the rows reach the ground. BY
II o'clock the flow of milk has ceased,
and the seriaagueiros come to collect the
contents of the cups in calabash jugs
A gill or SO is the utmost yield from
each tree, and single gatherer may at
tend to hundred and twenty trees OF
more, wading always through these dark
marshes, and paying dearly for his profit
in fever and weakness.
Our manseluca hostess has brought ir
her days gatherings calabash full Of
the white LIQUID, in appearance precise.
ly like milk. If left in this condition il
coagulates after while and forms al
inferior whitish gum. To make the
black rubber of commerce the milk
must go through peculiar process OF
manufacture, for which our guide has
been preparing. Over o smolderine
fire, fed with the hard nuts of the tucu
ma palm, he places kind of clay chin
pey, like q wide-mouthed, bottomless
jug; through this boiao the thick smoke
pours in constant stream. Now he
takes his mold-in this case a wooden
one, like round bladed paddle-wash
es it with the milk, and holds it ovel
the smoke until the liquid coagulates
Then another coat is added, only now
as the wood is heated, the milk coagu
lates faster. 1t may take the gather
ings of two or three days to cover tn,
mold thickly enough. Then the rub
Der is still dull white, but in shor
time it turns brown and finally almos
black, as it is sent to the market. Th'
mass is cut from the paddle and sold te
traders in the village. Bottles are some
times made by molding the rubber owe
a clay ball, which is then broken ~
and removed. Our old-fashioned rub
Der shoes used to be made in this way