The Forrest City times., 1904-06-24
RUBBER TREES IN INDIA.
Information of Interest Concerning
This Most Valuable Of Minor
Products.

| find the Ficus elastica, the indig-
enous rubber tree generally Cutivatee
is perhaps the only rubber plant id
India which can be said TO give indi-
cations of a future extended CONNER
cial value 1t is found in the damp
parts of the Sikkim Himalaya and east
ward TO Assam and Burmah In the rub
Der tracts of Upper Burmah it is scat
tered singly and in small groups in
dense evergreen forests. the average
number Of trees being per 100 acres.
The seed of the Ficus elastica. when the
tree grows naturally in the forest, ger
inmates almost Invariably in the forks
of trees 80 10 40 feet and more above
the surface of the ground and the young
trees grow in consequence for some six
ten years as epiphytes. after which
the aerial roots reach the ground and
increase in size until some of them
reach a girth of from four TO six feet.
These roots are very numerous, and it
is not uncommon az a later age that
they are thrown out also from the up
per branches 80 to SO feet from the
ground. being first as thin as whipcords.
but very soon increasing in size after
they reach the ground. 1t has fire.
quently happened that the tree on which
the rubber seeding first terminates is
killed by the more vigorous growing
Ficus elastica. which in this respect re-
sembles the well-known banyan tree,
and it is one of the largest trees in
the mixed forest of Assam 1t requires
an exceedingly damp atmosphere to do
well. and. therefore, thrives best at the
foot Of the mountains or on the noun
tains themselves, up to an elevation of
2,e0O feet 1t is also met at higher
elevation. but there it is not so vigor-
Gus and at 5000 feet it is liable to be
injured or killed by frost
At the present time india rubber is
the most valuable minor forest prod
uct Of Assam. In 1873 the commence
ment of the Chardnar rubber plantation,
which has been regularly extended. was
made with a view to provide for the
future supply of rubber. and from that
plantation many trees have been trans
planted.
The trade in india rubber in Upper
Burmah was first brought 10 the no.
tice of the government in 1870, and its
export to the lower provinces com
menced in 1873, when the monopoly was
leased by the Burman king to Chinese
| firms. After the occupation of Upper
II q h u he BRIT SI 10 oly SI-c-
| TEN continued up TO October. 1883, the
license being sold for about $4,000 per
arnum The trade was then thrown
| open TO anybody who took out license
on payment of about 20 cents a viss
(three and one-half pounds duty at
Bhamo.
In Burmah there are several in
disenous trees capable of yielding rub
Der of commercial value, bat the Ficus
elastica has so far been the most Gull
tivated and productive.
The reports sent me from Madras say
there is every indication that rubber
cultivation is now beginning to receive
the earnest attention Of planters in that
presidency. which its great and con-
stantly increasing importance entities
il TO. In southwestern India the eli
matte conditions in the CHATS up to 900
feet elevation. and in the low country
lying close TO them having minimum
rainfall Of so inches year. are especially
favorable to the successful growth OF
rubber trees.
Experiments are being mace at the
government experiment farm al Burli-
yer, in that presidency. to determine
what is the best rubber producing tree
but | have been unable to find a com
parative report, and would suggest that
those who may be interested in the Gull
uvation Of rubber trees in the Philip-
pines write the curator of this farm for
the result of his experiments: also that
they write MI Ridley. director of the
botanic and forest department. Straits
Settlements, Singapore. who has re-
Gently written ard issued instructive
articles on rubber trees. and on the
Para" rubber tree in particular
AS the Para rubber tree requires
vey humid atmosphere, with long
breaks in the rainfall. and does not
thrive where the temperature sinks he.
low 60 degrees Fahrenheit. il does rot
90 well in Assam, and the localities suit
cd 10 II in Burmah are confined to the
coast from Moulmein southwark. The
Para rubber tree Was first introduced
INTO lnota in 1873. and Ceylon. from
its climatic conditions. seemed to he
the best place for its cultivation. but 7
nave no report from there showing what
has been the result.
F. PATTERSON.