Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-09-27

duct which has in SO short a time be-
come an everyday necessity, and none
that has an equal Importance for the
application of the latest scientific dis
coveries to practical use as the rubber
plant, says Theo. Eckhardt in the
Baltimore Sun. Still it seems as if
very little has as yet been done to in
vestgate the capacity of the natural
rubber sources which the luxurious
tropical vegetation presents. Less has
been done to insure rational and pru-
dent proceedings in the harvesting or
this most valuable product, and hardly
anything has as yet been attempted to
increase the area of production by ra-
tional plantations, the careful selection
of sorts and the cultivation of the rub
Der plants.
The assertion that the natural supply
of rubber is actually going to ex-
haustion may seem to be rather alarm
istic than probable to the casual OBJ
server, but such must be the conclu-
sion of those who study the reports of
the travellers. The leaseholders or
owners of the rubber districts seem to
care little about the future, or they
would stop the mutilation and destruc-
ton of the plants or else take proper
steps to encourage new growth to re-
place what is destroyed. 1t is certainly
time that measures be taken to prevent
the continuance of the INSCRIPTIONS
methods of bleeding the plants and to
assist the spontaneous multiplication
which has already suffered so much
through the tree slaughter by syste-
matte cultivation. While South
America has up to date yielded the best
rubber and supplied by far the largest
quantity of it-about 55 per cent
little attempt has been made to replace
the exhausted trees. One district
after anther falls under the knives and
axes of the gatherers, and it is vain
hope to expect the new growth, even if
it be left to develop to maturity, to
yield as much again as did the original
one, which has had centuries to grow
up. Even if such should be the case,
as some experts maintain, it would not
supply the ever-increasing demand,
and a scarcity of rubber must lead to
calamitous conditions IN the future
1t is somewhat reas5uring that in re-
cent years number of new rubber
plants have been found, some of sec
ondary value, but a few which compare
favorably with the best Brazilian sorts.
East India produces some very good
rubbers, and in Africa quite number
of different genera of plants have been
found to contain the same precious
product
The English government some time
ago caused experimental plantations
to be made in order to acclimatiZe val
liable species in different colonies, and
commercial companies have followed
the good example, but only in a small
way The French have taken up the
introduction and propagation of the
rubber plants in their colonies, but
neither country has taken up this
problem so thoroughly as have the
Belgians. A little explanation on the
methods of the Belgians may, there
fore, be of interest and practical value.
Belgium has since it's independence
enjoyed a period of ever Increasing
prosperity and therefore it is but nat
ural that a good share of attention and
capital has been devoted to the de-
velopment of it's newly acquired Congo
colony. Among other explorers
number of botanists, gardeners and
agriculturists are yearly sent there,
and not only is the flora of that vast
country scientifically studied, but the
economic value of it's different districts
and their vegetation is closely ex-
amined and many foreign plants have
been tested and cultivated there. The
rubber plants have since the beginning
received the closest attntion, and be-
sides a number of native kinds quite a
collection of others have been found
suitable for rational cultivation and
will in the course of time become a
gold mine for that country.
The basis of this enterprise is a
very large and in every way an ideal
greenhouse establishment near Brus-
sells. 1t is a stock company, "L'herbi-
cole coloniale." Through its members
il is closely allied to the government
of the Congo State and to the more
important plantation companies there.
For half a century or more number
of explorers have been travelling for
L'herbicole coloniale or its predeces-
sor ninden) and collected plants of
economic or horticultural value All
the rubber producing plants have thus
been united into an interesting collec-
ton. Each has been studied and
thoroughly tested as to requirements OF
culture, productiveness and the COM
mercial value OF its rubber. This
arduous work has been carried out I'M
der the supervision of the famous hor-
ticultrist Lucien Linden, and has Led
to astonishing and invaluable results
The researches, which. by the way, are
still in progress, have demonstrated
that rubber plants are vastly different
in their habits of growth and eonse-
quently their requirements as to nature
- Ill ..,o;et,,ra and fpn1 Dprafurp vary