The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1889-07-24
THE USEFUL RUBBER TREE
FROM THE WHITE SAP TO THE
HANDY ovERSHoE.
Interesting Facts About the Growth,
Preparation, Importation, and
Manufacture of Rubber.

The tree which produces rubber is
known to the scientist as "Siphonia elias
tica, and is found in Brazil, the north
and west coasts of South America, Cen
trail America, Mexico, cast and
west coasts of Africa, and India.
There are many shrubs, vines, and even
trees which produce rubber, but not in
merchantable quantities. Even our COM
mon milkweed would produce a very fair
rubber.
The standard and most reliable rubber
in quality, as well as the highest priced
the celebrated Para BISCUITS procured
from Brazil, while from the west coast of
Africa comes the lowest grade. In fact,
this latter for several years has been de-
teriorating in quality, due in fact to care
lessness or fraud on the part of gather
ers, though in theory the importers be-
ieve that this is sure result of the adj
vance of the missionary.
The so-called rubber plant found in
many houses, and admired for its beauti-
full foliage, is not the tree which produces
the rubber of commerce, for this tree, as
found in Brazil grows to the height of
of about sixty feet, without branches ex-
cept at the top, where it is crowned with
rich foliage. The leaves are Of a dark
green color, thick and glossy, resembling
the magnolia, and the bark is smooth and
regular. On the Lower Amazon, among
the islands, rubber is collected snd
brought to market every month in the
year; but rubber from the upper river,
gathered during the dry season, only
reaches market during the wet season, for
the double reason OF the necessity for
high water to enable the river steamers to
reach the higher branches of the river and
the enormous distances to be sailed over
by these steamers, whose trips into Peru,
and to the head water and back, covCr
distance greater than from here to Liver
pool and back and consume a much
longer time. Between Para-which is
the great shipping port for rubber-and
the Andes Mountains there are 30, 600 to
40, ZOO miles of navigable water of the
Amazon and its tributaries.
At the beginning of a season-say the
latter part of May or the early part of
June-the emigration of laborers to work
on rubber estates is very large, the steam
ers from the south (mostly from the
Province of Ceara) going up the Amazon
loaded with rubber gatherers, most of
whom return again in the autumn, when
the rainy season begins. Those who re-
main live most indolent life in lightly
built bamboo huts perehed on piling to
elevate them above the rising waters
These laborers have all been previously
engaged by some proprietor of rubber
estate or seringoes, as they are there
called.
Some of the seringoes are very extern
sive, in which many men are employed
and the work carried on very systemat-
ically, being divided into three gangs.
One gang clears paths from tree to tree
by constantly chopping and cutting at the
wild and luxuriant vegetable growth
which would otherwise render travel i'm
possible. A second gang follows, and
with narrow hatchets cuts long V-shaped
gashes in the bark of the tree. AT the
point of the V small clay cup or saucer
is placed, into which the white milky sap
slowly trickles. In about four hours the
milk ceases to flow and each cup has
yielded about gill. A third gang fol-
lows, gathering the contents of the cups
into large calabash, which in turn is
emptied into one of these large turtle
shells so much used in housekeeping in
these regions. The turtle shell filled, it is
returned TO camp as quickly as possible,
as the milk soon begins to CONCEAL. 1t
is now given to the ''makers," each of
whom sits by. fire made of dry palm
nuts, over which has been placed an
earthen jar without bottom and with mar
row neck. This makes a crude sort of
chimney, which gathers the white smoke
that rises from the fire in dense clouds.
The "maker, " sitting by this chimney,
from small calabash pours a little of the
milk on a sort of light wooden paddle or
shovel, always careful by proper manage
ment to distribute it evenly over the sur
face. Thrusting the shovel into the thick
smoke of the chimney, he turns it to and
fro with great rapidity, when the milk
is seen to consolidate and take grayish-
yellow tinge. Thus he puts on layer
upon layer, until at last the caoutchouc,
as the South Americans term it, on both
sides of the paddle has reached depth
of from one to two feet. Cutting it on
one side he takes it off the shovel and
suspends it in the sun to dry. The
caoutchouc, from its first color of clear
silver gray, turns shortly into a yellow,
and finally becomes the well-known dark
brown of the rubber, such as it is when
exported
The rubber is now IN the form of the
fine Para BISCUIT" as imported. These
BISCUITS vary in size, l suppose, with the
strength or energy of the maker Some
weigh no more than half a pound, while
l have seen them weighing $50, though
about $50 to 200 pounds is the usual
weight. The BISCUIT, when finished and
cut from the paddle contains ffty-six per
cent. water, which must be wholly evapo-
rated before it is ready to be put into
goods. This loss is divided between the
different parties who handle it, The
greatest loss is between the camp and
Para, where every bisqui. is cut for grad
ing Of quality, This important feature
is presided over by black major domos.
These men become very expert Judges of
quality, their Judgment seldom being at
fault. 1t is final between buyer and seller,
and is accepted as well by the manufac-
turers in the consuming markets. They
are of considerable local importance. The