The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-02-26
IN THE TROPICS.
INDIA RCBBER TREES.
Efforts orthe Brnzllina Go, eminent TO Brfng
Them Under Plantation Culture.

EFFORTS ofthe brazilian GO, eminent to Brfng
Them Under Plantation Culture.
Arecent report OF the Brazilian Department
OF Agriculture deDloTcs tho rapid destruction
OF what were ut one time looked upon AS mex
haustible forests OF India rubber trees. and
suggests as u remedy that plantations for tho
cultivation Of tho tree be established, showing
nj the same time. by statistics. the enormous
profits that would accrue TO the planter. In
view Of the fact that Central and South Amer
lea. and especially Brazil. arc the main terri
tories upon whicl, the commercial world relies
for its supply OF crude rubber. this official
statement from the Brazilian Department OF
Agriculture becomes worthy of consideration.
Thc large tracts OF rubber forests in the wall
lev OF the lower Amazon have been. UP to the
present time. especially profitable. because
they have required the investment Of no CAPT.
tai and the employment OF but little labor.
Tho swamp land. where the rubber tree
thrives. ~Ieauires no cultivation and demands
no care. Tho tree rropasates itself and grows
RAPIDLY. All that is required for the collection
Of n harvest is to send men into the forest to
blaze tn" trees and place Etcentaeles at their
for the, depletion OF the forests are the greed
be ,blazcd moro than three times in one day.
and an :tsat :nr" should be taken in this
slowly withers and dies. II the wood is not
touched. however. the blazing. of the milk.
yielding bark does no harm. and one tree will
produce ruhter tor fully illty years. II the
mands upon one tree. the CROP becomes less
every year. and in = sho't tine fni,s utterly.
BILE sunrly OF rubber may u. seriously injured
by greedy merchants and their careless en-
RI" bcr-yi.idinc land ana cares only Tor tie
Iresen. return: with no thought OF future pro-
diction. Another sourc. Of injury is tho
fOuphluE by tho natives. who Wanipr tnrOuul
the swa,nns 1T the npner Aih4zon. sarning
tHeip l,o ,T.ss n l2h 'n ,o the sW " h "1s tn , Tnd . sailing
The India rubber plant ,hrivrs only in Il low
and Innrshy. country. and rrluitcs y mean at
nlosphefic temperature of !U. hen trans
planted to a more ,,"mreratc cline the tree
mate. however. the plant iiour,si.es; and will
makea return in n lew weeks for The capital
drawback to planting is That Il tree needs u
growth OF twenty-nye years before it will yield
grows among others of different species. so
that one man can only care Tor about $50
itself. one lanorer could attend to several
acres with an average Of 54vtre"s 10 the acre;
pounds Of Mix iii per day, This. when dried.
gives 90 pounds o, crude rubber; which 10
at TH ri. S Tu'.' $" w tuTi a ,hs un@a ia s5 y:S5d Der acre.
Senior Maths Romero. eX- Minister at
MMnIn,nEten, and tn Ernzilian Department Of
VII y yIs.. | ! Is. Witt a. can 1 f. sathsrsa l,o% r
Of, senior Joachim Antonio, dc sylvia. on. The
twelve miles above the city Of Para. Here a
tract Of forty acres: after twenty years o: cu!-
per month neracr". or n total of S20.U0 0 for the
forty acres the first year that the trees we're
allowed for the trees to rest. SO that the year
really counted but ten months.
other experiments in the cultivation OF the
plant naNN i9pn made at S0rpNuSrD, on the
boundary line between Mexico and Guate.
by M" the M deS"I nHo"srn srmessnnt WI" th,r,yanSs s's YEARS
age; and they now sehcn yield ffty pounds Of
p pe'lf .o q, miIk to IT,, TINS scr sm % . reduces ,S sa:o q.
sell, to 1000 pounds when aried into crude
G riv. e et lne a af s;lSsi p psr a OF r an tSi, w ws
which. is .ouLle what is realized from the wild
trees IN the brazilian swamrS.
ment. OF Agriculture closes with the assertion
that neither tea. coffee; cocoa. hemp. indigo.
ton Of which are almost like those of u mine
The great Obstacle which has confronted all
those desirous OF fostering the cultivation Of
Utmost the only human being able to work in
the torrid swamp lands of Brazil is the native
the, year. Just enough to accumulate the few
aoa nuI RsfsfksInt F IL + a sTs, Mb1,n him MAN T Mss heat
native born or immigrant. who attempts to
work in the swnmrs. and the traders are
therefore rbN1peIleu TO rely on INC natives.
The Ind ans know this. and for the most part
60 into tn. swamp on their own account. rob
the trees Of their milk. and sell it to the mer-
chants. The brazilian Congress has tried
every means Of preventing these marauders
FROM invading the swnmps. out as yet has
been unable 10 frame any remedy.
Largely on account OF this labor problem the
South Americans have given .up the ide. Of
laying out rubber tree plantations. They look
now to tho morn energetic North Americans
to come down there and invest their CAPITAL
and energy in the development Of the rubber
ind ustry., As an inducement in this direction
and to, show what could be done. tn. local
Agricultural Bureau OF Fomento has drawn
up estimates to show what il would cost to
crop could be gathered twenty years after the
trees are tranSp,anted. and tllat the invest
tnent OF Sill. covering all expenses Per aero
during that Ieriod. w0uiG assure n return.
after twenty years. OF at least 5000 per year for
each acre planted. But, this calculation. as
in some way. either that high wages may in
duce the Indians to work steadily or that
coolies. may be i'm oorted and rove able to
stand the climate
Perhaps an easier way t0estahlish n planta-
ton would be to purchase u tract OF virgin
forest IN the Amazon Valley. to clear away tho
old trees and those nj Other species. and then
to care for the grown rubber trees already
there. such Il proceeding would take about
five years only. but would cost fully tour times
as much as the first plan. The cost OF the
swamp land would lie small. but nm acre OF
wild forest would produce only one-tifth as
much rs an equal area under cultivation. But
on the investment. In either OF these cnses
certain stringent laws would hive to he passed
and enforced to prevent maranding natives
from killing :he cultivated trees In their thiev-