Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-10-03
GATHERING RUBBER m BRAZIL.
The Wo rid Dependent oa Tree.
Worked by Careless Natives.

Exchange
Writing about the production aud cN
port of rubber IN Brazil. Consul General
Andrew saws The rubber tree requires
growth oi twenty Ia twenty i've year,
before 1t begins - produce, hence little
or nothing has been done for ltS prnpa
CATION. Tho milky sap which forms rub
Der Is taken from the wild tree. which
grows scattered through the forests of
the Amazon and many Of is ahlucutS
The industry, being principally in the
hands of AN unelucatcd aud hallciNil
ized nnmad population of Indian
mixture. Is Of a crude character Moth
ing has been done To improve the system
of labor. \ wastcful and exhaustive
system has been followed for half n
century, and the consequence II that
millions of rubber trees have lHrn de
sti"ycd and many others abandoned
from premature and excessive use Their,
are instances Of groves of trees. which.
by careful Use and 10y not permitting
them To be tapped in the months nf
August and September, IN which the,
change their leaves, have been Wedding
for thirty years. and still arr ~ gy,od
producing condition: but the common
practice is SO wasteful that many well
Informed people apprehend that. unless
some remedy is applied, this rich r,'sourcv
will before long suffer serious aud pcr
haps fatal decline.
The rubber tree thriycS only ON soil
which is annually overfowcd Ia drpth
of three or more feet, and pr'frrs the
lowest and most recent river deposit The
rubber gathcrerS are temporary squat
tcrS, and their usual dwelling Il hut
with low roof of palms. beneath one end
of which there il "A raised floor or frame
work of lath, one or two yards from the
ground, 10 which the occupants RETREAT
at high water
The following description of the pro.
c;Ss Of gathering rubber was written b,
MIR. Franz Keller: Narrow paths lead
from the gathercr's hut through deus,
underwo to each separate trcc, aud ~
soon as the dry season sets In he bctakcs
himself with his hatchct to the
trees To cut little holes in the bark
The milk-whitc sap Immediately bc.
gins to exude into pieces of
bamboo tied below and having their
ends i'll little clay cups set under the
gashes to prevent its trickling down the
stem. He travels thus from tree To tree
On the return visit he pours the contents
OF the bamboos into large earihcn YES
sci provided with straps, which he
empties at home into large turtle she'll
without delay he sets Ia work Ia coagu.
late it with smoke Of palm nuts, and
pours little of the milk evenly ON n
light wooden shovel, which he thrusts
into the thick smoke issuing from Ia
tie narrow chimney made by the neck
of an earthen bottle. He moves the shovel
several times TO and fro with grca, rap
idity, when the milk Is seen Ia consoli
date and 20 take grayish yellow tinge
Thus he puts layer upon layer. until
at last the rubber on both sides If the
wood has reached thickness two or
three centimeters. Cutting IL ON one
side, he takes il off the shovel and hang
it in the sun to dry. A good work man
can thus prepare five or six pounds of sold
rubber in an hour. From its initial
color of silver gray il turns shortly into
a yellow, and finally becomes the we'll.
known dark brown of the rubber such M
is exported. The more uniform, the
denser, and freer Of bubbles the whole
mass is the higher price Il brings
Almost double the value IL obtained fof
the firstrate article over that Of the
most inferior quality which Is nothing
but the drops collected at the foot Of the
trees -