Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-09-22
HARVESTING RUBBER


Gathering the yalee OF the rndsa Rubber
Trees in south America IL Dinsrsas
frsm Making mSpss sugar An the Rural
Regions Of the North.
Rubber Il not obtained from cultivated
orchards, but II taken from the trees which
grow wild In low lying areas or basins.
Erch areas are q striking feature OF the
valley a. the Amaxon They are not
marshes, but are the perfect analogous OF
the basins existing In the flood plain OF the
Mississippi. The rubber trees are found IN
the greatest abundance along the tribsi-
taries and the smaller streams which feed
these. At the beginning Of the rainy sea-
son the long siesta at the fazeuda comes TO
an end. II rubber trees exist tn sufficient
abundance near mf hand, the Indians and
others who live In a state OF dependency AZ
the fazenda are sent each day into the woods,
where they collect the milk and bring it In
10 be cured, but IL often happens that jour
neys OF several days or week must DO
made 20 procure plentiful supply. In
this case great canoes. sometimes forty feet
In length, are fitted out with provisions.
and arrangements are made for a protracfed
No elaborate preparations are made for
camping A blanket and hammock Tor
each Of the whites and o rude covering con
sisfinR Of sheets OF the fihrous inner bark
OF q tree for the Indians, several bags OF
farina and rice, salt fish and plentiful
store of caehaca, or rum OF sugar cane,
with arms and ammunition, are considered
a sufficient equipment. When q site Tor
camp has been selected the Indians can In
n half day construct palm thatched hut
for their abode which will prove water
tight for week. The rubber trees being
gregarions In habit. one man can tap from
forty to fifty In a day.
The whole party sallies forth In the morn
ing, each provided with quantity of little
tin cups and n narrow bladed Ratchet. An
incision. merely penetrating the outer bark,
being made with the latter instrument, one
of the cups IL attached beneath with bit
Of moistened clay, into which the thick
white milk Mt once begins to flow. The
rubber gatherer passes from tree to tree
until he has consumed half the day, after
which he collects the milk from all the
trees he has tapped. This In taken to the
camp, where II Ii smoked Were the
milk allowed TO stand for period OF TWEEN
ty-four hours or longer It would thicken
into a coarse, granular, somewhat stringy
Of manufactured rubber.
The coarse material, known In Brazil as
sernamby, IL often found hanging In great
punches upon the trees, where Il has oozed
through a crack In the bark, OF from the
end Of fractured limb. II, however, the
milk be poured over a wooden blade or
round stick and held for few moments In
| the dense fumes from q fire OF certain palm
nuts, IL Is coagulated into the finely elastic
rubber with which all are familiar A sec
| ond coating OF milk Is poured over the
blade and similarly treated until the sue
cessive layers have made ball Of consider
able size. In some sections the habit is to
make the balls. or pclls, from eighteen
inches to two feet In diameter a practice
which results In imperfections In the
smoking and retards the subsequent dry
| ing of the rubber.
Defects may readily occur In this curing
process by making the successive additions
OF milk too thick or as result OF inequali-
| ties In the exposure OF various parts Of the
bali to the smoke. Such deterioration is
easily discoversble by cutting the ball in.
half. when II will reveal itself by vesicn-
lar or granular condition Of the rubber, the
occurrence Of which reduces the whole
lump to the middle grade sentra fina), be-
tween the "tine Para" aud the coarse" or
/ sernamby.
Thenuts which, according to native ex.
perience, yield uniformly the best resulta
are those from the well known palm Inaja.
This does not usually grow In great album
dance In the neighborhood OF the Heyeas,
so that the nuts Of the palm Urucury are
frequently substituted. aud failing an
adequate supply Of these, resort Is had to
the nuts Of the palm known an Uauassu
pronounced wah-wahssoo The rubber
after being smoked" Is still white. only
becoming black by prolonged exposure TO
the air. IL has, however. acquired its
characteristic elasticity and an odor en-
actly similar to that OF smoked hams.
The smoke from other nuts, or from
simple wood fire, will not produce the de-
| sired result. So Ear as have been able to
ascertain, no thorough chemical inyestiga-
ton has been made to identity the volatile
ingredient which accomplishes this remark
able physical change in the rubber, which,
previous 20 curing. is present I'm the sap a.
an emulsion. A study Of this phenomenon
| might lead 20 important notifications OF
the present treatment, for II means could
be found TO cure the rubber Of the Heveas
by the addition of some liquid or powder
10 the milk. II wonld not only prevent en-
tirely the formation Of a middle grade, hut
would enable the rubber To be prepared Ia
a better form for shipment, aifurling an
enormous saving to all concerned.
At the end OF the harvest. II such term
be allowable, the canoes laden with gum
return TO the fazenda, and then follow
merrymakings prone to end In wild de
bauch. Tha careful creditor now looks cut
Tor the reward OF his Indulgence, commonly
making his round OF visits In a steam
launch capable ofcarrying from ten to fifty
tons Of rubber. After his collections arc
finished he forwards the product TO Manaos
or Para. whore II Is boxed Tor final ship.
ment TO the United States and Eurnpa. =