The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-09-01
THE RUBBER INDUSTRY.
.. 9. wArnRHopsn. M. D.

now that there IL no doubt OF the Inn
mensc profit IN ''plAntation rubber"
A number OF these plantations were
originally In coffee, the rubber being
planted among the coffee trees. But,
seeing that rubber growing was so lu-
crative, the coffee was cut out as the
trees grew older, and larger areas were
planted with rubber alone. In those
localities where the coffee is not paying
the advent OF rubber has proved a verb
table Godsend to those planters who
were fortunate enough to have had
faith In plantation rubber" when 1t
vas first introduced. Most OF the land
however, in rubber. is on virgin soil.
where IL grows best. the forest being
cut down and burned preparatory to
planting. The stumps of the forest
trees are left to rot away. as they do
long before the rubber comes into bear
ing.
Two hundred to three hundred or
more trees are planted to the acre. so
that the plantation looks like an ordi-
nary forest. only that the lines of tree
trunks indicate the regular planting,
and as almost all the trees in view
were planted about the same time there
is one even canopy of leaves overhead
and nothing grows under the dense
shade which 1t casts.
1t is quite picturesque to see a band
of Tamil coolies gliding along, as only
those 1.-the Indians can glide. without
sound but the rustic of the leaves
under their feet as they pass from tree
trunk to tree trunk in tapping
| The average yield of the trees is about
! oue-fourth of q pound in the fourth
year. one-half in the fifth, three-fourths
to one pound in the sixth, one to one
and one-third pounds in the seventh
and increasing each year thereafter.
| The trees are apt to yield earlier and
more largely when planted two hundred
| to the acre, though q larger number
of trees per acre makes up the amount
or surpasses it for a time, even though
each tree does not yield so much. When
the trees are large enough to yield
several pounds they have to be thinned
out considerably, leaving about one
hundred to one hundred and fifty to the
acre.
There are about two hundred trees
on plantation in Perak, in the north
ern part of the Peninsula, about 1e
years old, yielding at present six oil
seven pounds a year per tree They
have been tapped regularly, as is done
on the plantations. for several years
The trees here can be tapped as early
as the fourth year, especially when
only single 'V'' incison is made al
/ fe 81, oil
partly owned<and managed by Mr.
Frank Pears, assisted by his brother
They are sons of Sir A. Pears of the
well known London firm of A. & F.
Pears. On his plantation, there is not a
tree over five and one-half years of age,
but from one hundred acres, mostly of
lfour-year- old trees and some five and
five and one-half years old, he is OBJ
tanning nine hundred pounds of rubber
a month, Next year. he will have five
hundred acres in bearing and is at pres
ent opening up two or three thousand
acres more. Mr.. Pears thinks the single
''V'' incision will get more rubber pro-
portionately to the amount of labor
than any other method. When only
this single 'V' incision is made the
Tree Cal ne tdppeu AGAIN III tnree
months instead of six as by other
methods. There is a small plantation
in Johore of only ffty acres in bear
ing with three hundred trees to the
acre, and as poor soil as l saw in the
Malay Peninsula where the trees have
been yielding two or three years and
are now in their seventh year, yielding
! one pound per tree a year. 1t has just
been purchased by a Danish company