The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-25
ABOUT INDIA RUBBER.
The Prolt Of IT. Production IN thu
Amazoa VA1ley.

The PROFIT Of Its Production Ia tn
Amsz0n Va1ley.
Enterestisg HaloeDatica csaesrsang II
DesfruetAsa ~ Robber 1ress -
| ths Tase Fersses -
esatA AmeEaea-
While tho India rubber q commerce
has been obtained from many different
parts Of the globe, the world has beer
compelled to look TO Central and South
America fer the bulk Of its supply, asy,
the New Orleans Times Democrat
South America. especially Brazil, is thu
territory upon which the commercial
world relies, and when the statement /,
made that there Is greater danger Of
the diminution of the supply Of crude
rubber from the Amazon valley it awalr'
ems thought
Figuratively, the rubber trees OF thu
Amazon are gold mines, which requira
no shafts. no machinery, no costly ex'
Periments. no gnesswork, and pracfi-
caily no risk nor labor. The only thing
to be guarded against is the killing Of
the geese which lay the golden eggs
All that has to be done to accumulate
riches from the rubber trees is to hire
the willing natives to enter the jungles,
tap the tree, and let the liquid gold run
into ones Golfers
In the great rush for becoming sud-
denly rich, however, in the lower Ana
non feld-the delta-many rubber for
ests have already become exhausted.
While the coming Brazilian congress
intends to discuss the question OF pre-
serving the forests. no such precautions
have as yet been taken at all
If but three gashes per day are made
In the rubber tree and the hatche1 in
the careless hands of the native does
not penetrate or strike the wood the
tree does not appear to suffer from the
treatment. except that the trunk grows
thick and the SCARED surface becomes
irregular and bunny.
1t will continue, however. In good
health and yield milk in abundance for
thirty or forty years. If the blow from
the hatchet wounds in the slightest de-
gree the wood Of the tree 1t dies Decay
begins at this wound As the wood is
soft little weevl called punilna enters
the decayed spot. rs a worm does the
body, and hastens the destruction. The
tree may drag out miserable, half
dead existence, but. rs they say in Por-
tuguese. it is "candsdo."
It will be seen how very easily the de-
struction Of even almost s'inexhausti-
BILE" forest m.y be completed by . mere
blow of a hatchet in the hands OF q
marauding native. For this reason
very many Of the once ''inexhaustible"
rubber swamps of the lower Amazon
are already wholly or partially aban-
doned, and the same fierce onelaaghts
are being made upon the virgin swamps
of the upper tributaries. Renters Of
swamps are naturally less careful Of the
trees than are the owners, who manage
the property from the central station.
But the principal forests are owned"
in Para or Manaos by those dealers who
are interested only in the present sup
ply, and who have no interest in the
future production.
This carelessness with regard to the
future can DO offset with cultivation
elsewhere, if begun at once, and those
who have investigated the matter BE-
lieve that the everglades of Florida Of
fer the best inducements for experiment
tai culture. The conditions Of moisture,
heat and soil there are just about on .
par with the conditions where the rub
Der tree fourishes, and rs for won
derfully remunerative returns there is
no question. II is simply q matter OF
time. Many years elapse before the
rubber tree produces sufficient milk to
justify it's planting, bat after It does BE-
gin to do 30 the profit Is sufficient -
pay for much greater delay.
The rubber tree of the Amazon valley
grows spontaneously. A man can gath
er enough of the nuts in q day TO plant
q quarter section Of land They ger
inmate easily and grow rspidly-sss
trees will do well to each acre-the land
needs no preparation and no cultivation
or care is necessary. Taking the most
figures of the rubber
swamp and applying them to the rub
Der grove the man who cares for $50
trees in the swamp could care for IN
acre with its 5ss trees. As four kilos is
an average yield from the 80 trees his
53s would yield him fifteen kiios per day.
One dollar per kilo Is al average price,
and 50 the laborer could make els per
day, with no outlay but his ordinary
in the year.
In 1865 Joaquin Antonio da Silva,
now deceased, but then living on the
River Guiana, twelve miles above the
city Of Para. had 10000 young rubber
trees planted on the low xlluvial island
in the river called Born Intento, which
formed part of his estate. He paid TO
i francisco Rahia. the man who did the
work, the sum of IS cents apiece for
the young trees when planted The
10, 0oe young trees thus cost him total
outlay of @, 200. Unfortunately the
trees were all planted near the margin
Of the island on it's whole circumter-
>nce. rs only small part OF the island
was to be planted, and it was less
.rouble to plant near the shore than To
york his way through the jungle
iurther inland.
The tide Gibbs and lows with tremen-
ious power and tears away and bailds |
ID the island at one or the other end,
by periods Of ten years
only about 600 Of the
,riginal 10000 trees remain These.
however. are In excellent condition aud
rield soundantly. though they have
,ever cost . cent for care or caitira-
Jon.