The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-16
RUBBER cULTrRE IN ECUADOR
Consul de Leon Thinks II Might BE a
Success in Florida.


President Henry Williams of the Cot
ton Exchange has just received a lengthy
letter from Perry NJ De Leon, United
States consul at Guayaquil. Ecuador, in
which is given some interesting facts on
rubber culture in that country.
The report has something TO say con-
corning the possibilities of cultivating the
tree in Florida. From several years res
ldence in that state. Mr.. De Leon says
he is convinced the conditions in the ex-
treme southern counties are favorable to
the cultivation of the tree. He also Is
convinced that the camphor and olive trees
can be grown in Florida and expresses the
hope that the government will establish
experimental farms of not less than fifty
acres for the purpose of ascertainins
whether it would be profitable TO under
take growing these trees.
In his letter Mr.. De- Leon says that
rubber culture is new departure in Ecua-
dor. Hitherto rubber has been obtained
from the wild tree, but their ruthless
slaughter by the greedy "Caucheros" rub
Der huntersJ, who do not hesitate to hew
down the tree in order to obtain a trille
more gum, has played havoc with the
business on the coast. In the more remote
regions there are still large forests, but
insufficient transportation facilities rem
ders its marketing very costly. DR.. Don
Juan Benigno and Don Christobal Vela
are now seeking from this government an
eight year concession for the exploitation
of rubber and quinine in the province of
Tungurahua, for territory covering from
eight to ten leagues. This has drawn the
attention of the people to the cultivation
OF the rubber tree, and stories of enormous
fortunes made by English rubber planters
in Africa are in circulation. Cocoa and
coffee have heretofore been the chief pro-
ducts of this republic, but the hope is
cherished that at some time in the near
future the rubber crop win equal, if not
exceed them in value
Concerning the tree Mr.. DeLeon says:
IL IS not only one of the most valuable
but also one of the most ornamental; its
dark green leaves being beautiful Our
Conservatives give one a faint idea. The
contrast between trunk, limbs and leaves
is vivid. The tree possesses the peculiar
property of fertilizing instead of steriliz-
ing the soil. It's roots attract moisture
greedily and when they decay form with
the leaves a fertilizer of superior quality.
Ecuador produces every known species of
the tree in abundance from the Ficus
Bolfaria' in the Vulgate Ragarson to the
'Urceola,' the most beautiful of ALL The
best qualities are produced in the moro
temperate regions of the tropics At some
what over ga degrees Fahrenheit the tree
yields most gum. The exuding gum quick
ly solidiies, closing the incisions and stop
ping the flow
Planting is easy and inexpensive and
the returns are very tempting. good
tree yields from SIS to $50 per annum.
There are two methods. one being from
the seed and the other from the root. The
former takes from six months to one year
longer than the latter. Statements like
those regarding orange culture in Florida
vary widely as TO periods of maturity,
some claiming that the tree wiH yield
when from TO years old.
when tree is supposed to be ready
for tapping, the bark is cut and the gum
examined and 1t Is considered in proper
condition if it readily coagulates from the
heat of the hand or by applying a little
alcohol II the gum resists coagulation
| the tree is immature. Tapping should
| commence at dawn, when the moon is
| on the wane, and continued not later than
a. m. A strong sun causes the sap to
| rise. The incislon should be made all a
| single stroke to avoid the phenomenon of
hiding the milk, and expressive but
thoroughly descriptive phrase in vogue
with the rubber hunters. The rubber tree
| seems to possess a nervous system affect
/ "
etc, and unless the blow is effective,
| reaching al once to the woody matter,
| the tree contracts Its fibre, reducing the
size Of the sap cells contiguous to the in
cision thus forcing the gum to the upper
! part of the tree. The tree is usually tap
| ped four times during the first year of
its maturity, the intervals of rest being
| gradually diminished until the tree can be
tapped monthly. The tree may be call
ed the milch COW of the vegetable king
dom, its yield continuing to increase with
| frequent and Skillful milking, until it
| reaches its maximum, Properly cared
for tree viii yield steadily to its for
tieth year. and in some instances as long
as sixty years. The yield of gum and mar
ket price are both variable, but, as before
stated, a healthy tree should yield reve-
nue. of $50 per year.
1.-The two methods of coagulating mostly
adopted are by heat and smoke, both of
| which, however, are defective. In order
to expel the large amount of whey in the
| gum it is necessary where the first
method Is employed, to bring the rubber
so close to the fire that it loses it's elias
ticity and becomes waxy and discolored.
The fault of the second method is that it
putrifes the rubber causing it to lose
| many of its best properties. The best
method, however, is by mixing the gum
| with aqua ammonia, in the proportion of
five ounces of the latter to one gallon of
gum, which preserves it in its milky state
an indefinite period.
after straining, 36-degree proof alcohol
| should be stirred into the mixture, which
| causes immediate coagulation. The mix
ture is then put into press and the whey
| squeezed out, after which it is placed
in the air until thoroughly dried This re-
qures from two to three hours, after
which it can be packed without risk of
putrefying, all germs having been destroy
ed by the ammonia and alcohol"
Miss Wellwood-Yes, belong to The