The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-06-11
INDIA RUNNER TREES.
Efforts of the Brazilian Government to
Bring Them Under Plantation Culture.


rapid destruction OF what were at one
time looked upon as inexhaustible forests
OF India rubber trees, and suggests as a
remedy that plantations for the cult
walton OF the tree be established, showing
at the same time, by statistics, the enor-
nous profits that would accrue TO the
planter. In view OF the fact that Central
and South America, and especially Bra
I'll, are the main territories upon which
the commercial world relies for its up
ply Of crude rubber. this official staten INT
from the Brazilian Department Of Agri-
culture becomes worthy Of consideration.
The large tracts Of rubber forests In
the valley Of the lower Amazon have been,
up 20 the present time. especially profit
able, because they have required the in
vestment Of no capital and the employ
ment OF but little labor. The swamp land,
where the rubber tree thriyes, requires no
cultivation and demands no care. The
tree propagates itself and grows rapidly.
All that is required for the collection OF
a harvest is 10 send men into the forest
TO blaze the trees and place Teceptacles
at their base 10 catch the milk. Inc
causes assigned for the depletion OF the
forests are the greed OF the lesseeS CT
the trees and the carelessness OF the Ia
borers. No tree should be blazed more
care should be taken in this so that the
Ratchet may not cut through TO the trunk
Itself. IL the tree Is thus wounded 1t
slowly wthers and dies. II the wood
Is not touched, however, the blazing OF
the milk yielding bark does no harm, and
one tree will produce rubber for fully
fifty years. II the yield Is forced, how
ever, by too frequent demands upon one
tree the crop becomes less every yea-,
and in a short time falls utterly.
IL is thus evident that an almost mex
baustible supply Of rubber may be seri-
ously injured by greedy merchants and
their careless employees for the dealer
as a rule rents his rubber-yielding land
and cares only for the present return,
with no thought Of future production
Another source Of injury is the poaching
by the natives, who wander through the
swamps OF the upper Amazon, sspping
rubber trees for their own benefit ana
selling their stolen milk 10 the traders on
the coast.
The India rubber plant thrives only IN
a low and marshy country, and requires
4 mean atmospheric temperature OF 30
degrees. When transplanted to a more
temperate cline the tree cases to yield
milk and becomes merely an ornamental
shrub In an equatorial climate, how
ever. the pant fourshes, and Will make
a return I'm a few weeks for the capital
invested in its early planting. The great
drawback 10 planting is that tree needs
Il growth of twenty-five years before u
will yield milk IN a virgin rubber
swamp the tree grows among others Or
different species, so that one man can
only care for about $50 trees, whereas, II
il were planted in groves by itself one
laborer could attend 10 several acres
with an average OF so trees 10 the acre.
1t is estimated that $40 wild trees yield 10
pounds Of milk per day This, Wnen
dried. gives % pounds OF crude ruber.
which is worth sl5, so that the annual
Yield per acre at this rate would amount
10 $3.50.
Senior Matias Romero, ox-Minister at
Washington, and the Brazilian Depart
ment of Agriculture are authorities Tor
the statement that the India rubber tree
under cultivation will yield twice what
can be gathered from wild trees In the
swamps. This statement IS based on ex-
perlments made on the plantation OF
Senior Joachim Antonio de sylvia, on the
island OF Boca lntentO, IN the Amazon
river. twelve miles above the city Of
Para. Here a tract Of forty acres, after
twenty years Of cultivation, gave first
crop aggregating 500 per month per
acre. or total Of $4,000 for the forty
acres the first year that the trees were
tapped. There was an interval Of two
months allowed for the trees 10 rest. so
the year really counted but ten months.
Other experiments I'm the cultivation Of
the plant have been made at Soconusco.
on the boundary line between Mexico and /
Guatemala. Young rubber trees were |
transplanted by the Mexican Government /
thlrty-fye years ago. and they now each /
yield fifty pounds Of milk annually. This /
amounts 10 1900 pounds of milk to the |
acre, which reduces itself 10 1900 pounds /
when dried into crude rubber The aver /
age price of rubber would give a return ]
of 5000 per acre on this basis, which is ,
double what Is realized from the wild /
trees in the Brazilian swamUs.
The official report Of the Brazilian De- /
partment OF Agriculture closes with the /
assertion that neither tea, coffee, cocoa. /
hemp, indigo, or any other agricultural /
product Is as profitable as rubber, the .
returns from the cultivation Of which (
are almost like those Of a mine IN Be- /
nanZa."
The great obstacle which has con-
fronted all those DESTROYS Of fostering the .
cultivation of the rubber tree has been .
the labor problem. Almost the only hui
man being able 20 work in the torrid .
swamp lands Of Brazil is the native In |
dian. and he will only work few days Of
the year. just enough 10 accumulate the
few dollars necessary 10 sustain him.
The heat and malaria kill off any white
man, whether native born or Immigrant,
who attempts 10 work in the swamDs.
and the traders are therefore compelled (
to rely on the natives. The Indians know
this. and for the most part 90 into the
swamp on their own account, rob the
trees Of their milk and sell IL 70 the mer-
chants The Brazilian Congress has tried
every means Of preventing these marau-
ders from invading the swamps but as
vet has been unable TO frame any remedy.
Largely on account Of this labor pro-
blem the South Americans have given up
the idea Of laying out rubber tree pianta-
tons They look now 10 the more ener-
getic North Americans TO come down
there and invest their capital and energy
In the development Of the rubber indus
try As an inducement I'm this direction
and 10 show what could be done the
ocal Agricultural Bureau Of FomentO has
irawn up estimates 10 show what II would
cost TO establish a plantation. IL Is esti-
mated that a crop could be gathered
twenty years after the trees are trans
planted, and that the investment OF All,
covering all expenses per acre during That
period, would assure a return, after TWEEN
" years, OF AT least $500 per year for each
acre planted. But this calculation as
5umes that the labor problem has been
solved in some way either that high
wages may induce the Indians TO work
steadily or that coolies may be imported
md prove able TO stand the climate.
Perhaps an easier way 10 establish
plantation would be to purchase tract
If virgin forest in the Amazon Valley, to
.lear aMav the old trees and those OF