The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-07-17
UNExR L0RED COUNTRY OF VAST RESOURCES

collects The milky sap from tho cupA Ho
pouTs J. into tin i,au and carries = 20
the eatq1sartGrs Of the Causp. lie places
IL sogIseN acre in the shade ANA then huil3A
fire % smoke Il. This :srs Is made Of
Wet wool Or palm mats, and :; IS so ar
ranged as - give a dszsSs saloAe- Now
the Indian takes r wooden shovel or spoon
and covers IL with milk. lie then thsusts
+ into the smoke and rapidly turns 1t
about. AS the smoke touches the rubber
milk < Goa sulstes and turns from The color
O! rich cream ~ a light gray. He coats
his shovel again and again. and at last
has bail of rubber upon II. This IS cut
on and laid away 20 he shipped 70 sha
markets, y number OF the balls are put
into nets. Taese are slung on the hacks
Of mules or donkeys and are thus taken
"a C5illiaya, on Lake TircaSa. or La raz.
We have 10 watch ;he Indians taat they
do nog put stones or dirt INFO Their balls
Of rubber - make them weigh heavier.
This - the case wEea they are paid by saa
Work done rather than by the day.
The Land ef Quiuinc.
This is the land 81 quinlne. The bark IL
the cinchona tree, from which quin.ne is
made. IS called Peruvian bark. out II
would he more In accord with the facts
10 call ii Bolivian bark. The best quinlna
Of the world is made from the bark %
trees grown IN the stale Of Ia Paz, and
Bolivia far exceeds Peru in the number of
her Quinine trees. There are millions OF
trees here growing Oh plantations set out
to make money out Of the quin,ne mar
ket. These plantations were established
when qninine was high and before some
Of the Bolivian trees had been taken TO
India and Ceylor to start plantations
there As a result ~ the Indian p'anta-
lions the market became oyerstockesi. and
quiDiae fell. The bark which n ISL
brought here in la Paz SD ii Bolivian
money hundredweight now sells for
from sis 10 Sis a handredweleht. consider
ing the difference in the value Of the
Bolivian dollar by the fall Of silver for
about one-thirtieth what il soli fer six
teen years ago. The fall ~ prices ruined
a great many Of the Bolivian capitalists.
More than 100000 was invested in such
estates by people OF La Pax. and the for
cign houses who had advanced money on
them were severely hurt. The bark at ona
time VAS 50 low THAI IL did not pay TO cut
IL and carry /, 80 the markets. and today.
while there IS somewhat OF a revival, the
margin OF profit IN the business is small.
| see loads of cinchona bark here every
day. They are brought in 10 the export
ers on little donkeys or mules. each ~
which carries a bundle on each side OF hs
back of about 100 pounds each The most
OF this bark comes from wild trees which
grow IN the head waters OF she Bent and
MADEIRA rivers. II Is carried for many
miles through the forests on mems backs,
and then loaded on the donkeys which
bring ii to La Pag. As far as / can learn.
there is no money 10 bee made in the qsii-
nine business by foreigners. Any number
OF good plantations can be bought, \
rich planter of interior Bolivia told ma
today that he could buy mo Sn.e0 trees
IL | wished them for less than 5 cents OF
our money a tree. These trees would he
from six 10 ten years OF age and la prime
condition FOR cutting down for quinine.
This man said that the trees would each
produce nj least four pounds Of bark.
Quinine trees are planted nine feet apart.
and ut five years Of age an orchard Is
ready for the market The trees are then
chopped down and stripped of their bark.
Sprouts spring up the following season
from the stumps. and ut the end of Ave
years there Is another crop. The cinchona
trees grow wild almost everywhere that
the rubber tree grows. They are often
very tall and have a magnificent crown OF
foliage which is OF such a color tina, tho
Guinine hunter can pick Il out n long us
lance in looking over the trees Of A forest.
FRANK @. CARPENTER