Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-03-26
RUBBER CULTURE
a New Industry to Be Tried In Florida.

A New Industry to BE Tried In Florida.
HOW NATURES SUPPLIES OF RUBBER ARE BErSo
DEsrRoYED-AN INTERESTING AND vALuABLH
PLAST-How THE sEEDs ARE scArTKRED-Kow
The TREES ARE BaRKEp AND THE TREES KrLLIp.
DUBBER CULTURE-AN AGRICULTURAL
IL industry new to the United States-is to
be tried in tho Everglades of Florida. Susfi-
cient warmth and plenty Of moisture. the two
chief essentials, are to be found there. 1t is
believed that plantations OF the trees. estab-
hshed on a great scale, would prove enormously
profitable. With this purpose in view expert
ments are now being made at Lake Geno with
seeds and plants obtained from Brazil The
vast region of swamp referred to, covering
thousands of square miles. is presumably
capable of producing enough rubber to supply
the world.
NATURES RUBBER SUPPLIES.
The supplies of rubber furnished by nature
are seriously threatened with exhaustion, owing
to the reckless manner in which the trees have
been destroyed. In Brazil the forests are as
iuli OF rubber trees as they are of snakes and
levers, yet those who gather the product pur-
sue such methods of havoc that the govern
ment has been forced to seriously consider
projects for preserving the industry by cult
vation. like proposition is being agtated in
Mexico and elsewhere, the fact having only re-
Gently come to be realized that the world will
not be able to depend much longer upon wild
forests for rubber. which is at present recog-
nized as one of tine most useful substances
given TO mankind by the vegetable kingdom.
RUBBER PLANT SEEDS.
There are many different kinds of rubber
producing plants, but the best of them is the
slphonia elastica" of Brazil 1t is one Of the
most superb of tropical trees. having a spread
Oh OF branches of eighty feet when full grown
me seeds are somewhat the shape of horse
chestnuts, though smaller. Three Of them are
ueveloped IN each pod, which bursts when ripe
with sound resembling the explosion of a
firecracker throwing the nuts to some distance
IN one day man can gather enough of them
70 plant quarter section of land. When the
niue trees have reached height of six or eight
inches In The nursery each one should be put
INTO q halt-bushel basket of earth As soon as
sheE are three feet high they may be perma-
nentiy planted, the basket being set in the
ground with each one
TREE PLANTATION
Inc rubber trees having thus been set out
'he work IS done. No preparation has been
needed Tor the land and it is not necessary to
cultivate ~ further. At the end of the first wear
lhe plants VIII be eight or tea feet high but
twenty years must elapse before they will be
In tuil bearing of sap. 1t is a long time to wait.
and this IS the reason why rubber cuIture has
not been extensively resorted to already. Few
people care to SOW crops for the next genera
non TO gather. Nevertheless, 1t is estimated
That lO,0OD trees will yield III their sixth wear
$4,000 pounds of juice, So per cent of which is
water ana the rest rubber. This would signify
profit of II, 234. The profit in the seventh
year would be s7,12S. and so it would proceed
progressively. A full-grown tree will pro-
dace nifty pounds Of milk" annually.
THF RUBBER HUNTERS OF MEXICO
strip the trees OF their bark fell them slicing
the bark and placing vessels to receive the
sap, which is dried in the sun and sent to mar
ket. In Peru they cut down the trees and chop
them to pieces, limbs and all, allowing the
milk to run into hollows dug in the ground.
1t Is coagulated IN these pools by mixing with II
common soap. Being then ready for sale il is
disposed OF as d low grade of the ar ticle. Scme-
what less destructive are the methods pursued
by the Indians of Nicaragua. who cut channels
from the TOP TO the bottom OF each tree placing
vessels on the ground 20 receive the Juice They
use the strong vines which Irvine about the
trees for ladders to climb by.
THE MANUFACTURED ARTICLE.
These vines. which are of the kind known as
"liana," are useful to the rubber seekers in an.
other very curious way. From them decoction
is made which is the most efficient agent known
ioi ooaS u.auuS tHe JUICE. FOR this purpose IL
Is added to the milk i'll the proportion of one
pint to each gallon. The rubber is made into
round Hat Cakes for market. These natives
manufacture IN most simple fashion the
hnest rubber blankets III the world. They put
the fresh sap into bottles and keep it for a few
days, until 1t has reached the desired consist
ency. Then they spread piece of canvas on
the ground and pour the juice upon it from the
bottles, distributing it evenly as possible
with wooden paddles. 1t dries very soon when
the blankets are ready for use. Rubber bags
are made out of canvas bags in like manner
Rubber trees may be tapped with Ratchet
every day for years without injuring them,
otherwise than to make them SCARED and
bumpy. SO long as only the bark is cut. But
If the wood beueath is wounded even slightly
the mllh-produclng giant dies. The 'harle-
qu.n" beetle lays Its eggs in the wounds and
the grubs Matched from them bore great holes
In the trunk, rapid decay following. With
careful treatment rubber tree will continue
to yield plentifuliy for forty years.
THE RUBBER FORESTS OF BRAZIL
are worked by traders who either own them by
right OF presumption or rent them from CAPT.
talists in Para and other cities. They are usu-
ally obliged TO maintain their claims by rifle
vigilance, never yenturing out without a handy
repeating gun. In those regions there exists II
class of desperadoes known rs -capangas +"
Many traders employ gangs of these fellows to
mold their claims. Sometimes there are pitched
battles between two rival gangs. and feuds often
arise which end in massacres The laborers
hired TO gather the rubber are little better than
slaves. Each OF them starts out at daybreak.
carrying basketfui of small earthen cups, a
lump OF moist clay and hatchc.. He has from
100 TO $50 trees to attend to.
MILKING THE TREES.
Upon reaching the first tree the man makes
three missions in the bark of it with his
Ratchet. Beneath each cut, from which the
juice issues In rapid drops, he fastens with a
bit OF clay one OF his little cups. SO that the
milk shall How into il. Every one of the
trees allottei to his share he treats in like man.
ner. Then he goes home, eats hasty break
fast, and starts out again to gather the sap. He
finds the cups nearly or quite full and collects
enough OF the liquid to make three or four
pounds of rubber. Returning with it to his
nut he builds a smudge tire of palm nuts in an
earthenware furnace. Dipping apaddle in the
juice he turns it ABOUT in the smoke of the fire
which coagulates the milk" He continues to
dip and redip the paddle, holding it in the
smoke, until q lump of several pounds weight
is formed This is finally slipped off from the
paddle and sent to market.
The number OF uses to which rubber ia mt Ia
really astonishing. Among other things it
Is employed as q material for clothing. SHOES.
dolls, earrings, bracelets, brooches, watch
chains, combs, hair pins, collars, cuffs. cuff
buttons, brushes bathing tubs, machine
betting. hose, tobacco pouches, bed sheeting.
cravats and nipples Tor babies bottles How
ever, these are onlya very fe W Of the thousands
of articles made OF this indispensable vegetable
substance.