New-York tribune., 1899-03-05
THE PTBBER TREE IN MEXICO
AN INTERESTING DESCKlfll'N 'r
METHODS AND PROFITS OF IT'S
CULTIVATION.
xico Two Republics.


...,nN L',onee to the natural order of the Arto-
carpacen or Urticacce. The old Aztecs cairo
II holquahuu or Chilli, and the TarascanS TAI
antdquam. -. IT. rorr,ar
PLAYED game with balls made Of the gum on
the free The gum was known by theH uf'u,
the name of holi and the old MeXlcahs CAV VIZ
bark sap leaves and gums numc"ou iIrui' ~ ~ mo-
ennlica ions In A. u. 1913 Fr. Juan luilu'
mada mentions also similar use ilaue VI unS
r1lm and notes the name OF the tree wh'i
yi,ds il as the Ulcqualmitl or Ole tree. bu' u
was not till 1874 that D. Vicente CerNantcs VINO
was sent by the Spanish Government 10 mexico
70 examine its vegetable productions pupilsheu
his investigation there by q @monstrauhg 10 tiic
ci,.iIized nations the future usefulness OF TINS
valuable plant i'm the industrial world. since
then the tree has been tapped ana us pr'hclpii
product been exported. nevertheless untlI wlthin
the last twenty years some ehorts nave peon
made toward cultivatinS it.
This tree is found growing wild south OF -
degrees north latitude on both slopes at altltudes
from sea l@vel to 900 metres on the Pacihc, but
on the Mexican Gulf it is seldom found above
600 metres owing to the reckless method en-
ploved by natives who destroy the rubber trees
i'm order 10 obtain a greater yield of milk at one
time the virgin rubber forests are almost eHtn-
guished excepting in Southern Yucatan, Eastern
Campeche and Northeastern Chiapas, and with
I'm a short time the worlds supply of crude
rubber must be derived from cultivated planta-
tons-that il. in reference TO this country.
THERE ARE FEW PLANTATIONS.
the republic The principal one is La Esme-
RADIO, in Juquila, OaXaca, which has over one
hundred thousand trees. ten 10 fourteen years
Old, the next is plantation in the hacienda
Doni Fclipa ortiz in Pichucalco, Chiapas. con-
ssting Of ten thousand trees twelve years old.
The Dos Rios Company. whose lands are
located on the Chalchijapa River. hfty-two miles
from the port Of CoatzacOalcos In the State of
Vera Cruz. have planted during the last three
years about one hundred thousand trees for
III omselves and their settlers. Other small plan
ia ions have been established. among them that
OF Mr.. Hartman in Jaltpan, Vera Cruz; Zan-
Jon seco. in the County Of SOconuso. Chiapas,
and Iiatillo, Sta.e Of Vera Cruz There has
been much interest taken in the growth Of
the plant thai an English syndicate, the MeXi-
can FpInc' Syndicate planted last summer in
the District Of pOChutla. OaNaCa, two hundred
and eighty five Thousand trees; the owners Of
Union Ib~rica. Cuicatlan District. same state.
have ten thousand trees among their coffee
plants AID the FL POry mir Company. dis
trict Of Xongolicd, Vera cruz have planted
nearly fifty thousand trees
The tree propagates itself from the seed which
drops from IL in the month OF May and
June to the ground, and is there watercd and
nUIturci by the warm rains. which soon fol
low The young plant, some time after. comes
up to take its place among the varied tropical
lie. The Sc-d Of the 'icus rlpens from January
e. March. when il should be collected as ii falls
ard dried in the sun. Properly speaking. this
l. the fruit ana consists Of small ngs the size OF
pea which at the time of sowing detween
April and juno are broken between the hands.
The seed thus mixed with tn. particles Of frJit
t. sOWn without any attempt To clean or scpa-
rate il Generally there are seventy five very
small seeds in one fig.
Both SPECIES can also readily be prcpaeated
from mature cuttings or shoots. by first being
planted N a coarse sandy loam and then trans
planted. The planting must be done when the
sal Of the parent plant COR the shoot itselD IS
dpwn-namely after the rains. In the case OF
thc cuttings the branches must be cut below
the bud or close to the stem of the parent plant
and the cutting not allowed to bleed Moreover.
young plants found under old trees are suitable
for propagation
In both species at the end of ne first year the
tree will be from \ to 10 feet high from II to
l. at the end of second year; at three To four
years. IL To- - feet with trulk Il TO inches
in diameter: at five to six years - to 80 feet
and l. 10 lS inches in diameter and at eight to
ten years - to 40 feet. and 20 To 80 inches in
diameter When the tree reaches ~ To- go feet
high IT attains usually > to ! feet in diameter.
1t is a wcll-known fact that al soc ,nusco CHA
pas, trees have been fourd m, assuring G feet in
diameter covering an area htNins G2 metres,
POS feet Of circle. and showing 30 years # age.
Although the trees fructify at six years Of age.
get they are not ready to tap until after ten
years from transpllnting. The yield then is six
pounds Of juice. 10 per cent of which is gum.
or the Gulf the CaStilloa is susceptible of yield
ing at that age three pounds If gum. but on the
Pacific il has not yielded over one pound. II
the trees are planted on lands having the soil,
climate and elevation well adapted for the
culture ana are properly tapped. The yield will
increase from ~ To - per cent every year for
fifteen to twenty years. as then the tree. having
assumed a diameter 0f four 10 five feet, will
yield twenty gal ons emusi n, or mi k, e1uva-
lent to forty pounds Of gum. The tree IS Sus-
ceptiblc Of lasting fifty e. seventy five years.
COLLECTING AND PREPARING THE GUM
Regarding the work Of extracting the gum it
is To be- said that one man (thc hulerO) Will tap
twenty to twenty-five trees a day If the opera
tion is performed carefully and methOdically
In some places the tapping is done after the
heavy rains in October. but il IS more advisable
t. perform same in the dry months namely.
March. April and May when the juice or sap
but less quantity OF liquid The tree Will not
suffer as much then, a. IT is not liable To over
bleed