The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-08-24
CONTINUED from Yesterday

Continued from Yesterday
Ceara rubber trees will grow in a
very wide range of situations. II
makes an extremely rapid growth in
Hawaii thriving from sea level up to
$500 feet on both the dry and wet sides
of all the islands.
The tree is being largely planted in
all tropical and subtropical countries.
The seeds are about the size of small
plum pits and notified like castor bean
seeds. When planted they take long
time to terminate, unless the hard,
stony outer coating is filed or abraded.
Plant the seed where the tree is to
grow either at irregular intervals, If
in gulches or along stony ridges or
to be used pillow and prepare the whole
field, or plant in hole, as is often
practised in the case of bananas. The
distance apart should be from 6x10 to
12x15 feet, which would give from $40
to 726 trees per acre. If tillable land is
used it will pay to cultivate and ferti-
lie. On gulch, mountainous and waste
lands the weeds and grass must be
cut out and a space hoed around the
foot of each tree as often as neces-
sary.
A number of Ceara rubber trees were
planted in 1898 on the land now occu-
pied by this station. A tree standing
alone near the Tantalus road in the
upper forest in the midst Of a clear
ing. and which has been somewhat
systematically cared for is about 40
feet high with a trunk ten inches in
diameter. Other trees planted along
the trails and absolutely neglected for
twelve years. overgrown by lantana
and over-shadowed by Eucalyptus are
now little more than twelve to fifteen
feet high with a trunk the size of a
mans finger. So it pays to take care
of trees even though common report
has it that mo cultivation is required"
Pernambuco Rubber-This formerly
unimportant but of late years much
talked-of rubber is derived from Han
cornia speciosa Muell Arg. 1t is a
mediums sized tree native to the dryer
coastal plains and up lands from Ven
ezuela to southern Brazil and from the
Andes in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.
Unlike the Ceara, this tree bears rub
Der in every part of the plant, in the
bark, wood, leaves and green fruits.
The milky sap which flows from
wounds becomes rubber without other
treatment than exposure to the air.
The flow of milk sap is greatest dur
ing the summer months. Although
Hancornia speciosa is of very slow
growth it is being substituted for cof-
fee by many planters in southern Bra
I'll who see only small profits in that
business for many years to come.
The tree grows on great variety OF
soils, and is easily propagated from
cuttings. The leaves are about two
inches long by three-fourths to one
inch wide, acute at the base and blunt
at the apex The fragrant white flow
ers are about one inch across. The
fruit is greenish-yellow berry
streaked with red. and is edible. The
rubber is white and of very good
quality.
These species of rubber plants are
the chief sources of the American RUB
Der supply. The genera Hevea. Mani
hot and Sapium belong to the Eupho-
biaceae or Spurge family. well known
members of which are the Castor Bean,
Tua-Tua and Cassava.
The milky sap which yields the rub
Der is contained in milk tubes in the
inner or growing portion of the bark.
Hancornia belongs to the botanical
family Apocynaceae, While Castilloa is
one of the Moraceae, family including
the fig and breadfruit.
OF the 81, 462 tons of rubber exported
from South and Central American ports
in 1900, 25,500 tons were derived from
trees of the genus Hevea, 400 tons
from Castilloa and Sapium Gao per cent
Sapium and so ger cent Castilloa) and
1850 tons Ceara and Pernambuco rub
bers.
AFRICAN RUBBER PLANTS.
The African rubber supply is very
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