The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-01-24
RUBBER.

In order to see what has been ac-
| complished during the past four years
on La Zacualpa, the foremost rubber
plantation in Mexico, we visited that
property, remaining there for several
| days.
The appearance of the place is a
pleasure to behold.
The plantation is laid out in squares
| of 80 acres each, with roads % feet
| wide between the same.
The roads running from north to
| south are termed avenues and those
running from east to west are streets,
each having it's corresponding number.
| AS each square is planted it is num-
bered on the survey in the managers
office. The same idea has been car
ried out in the buildings for the labor,
| these being pIazas or squares and
| streets.
! The population of La Zacualpa in
| Guiding men, women and children is
| about 600.
Without including the nurseries
| which were planted this year (190D on
| La Zacualpa, and contain millions of
saplings, there are 100000 trees plant
ed out. and under cultivation ranging
from few months to 5 years old, and
the growth of these trees has to be
seen to be realized.
We tapped six 4-year-oId trees, and
from the Iatex, got 29 ounces of COM
mercial rubber making on an average
So ounces per tree.
This was from one tapping in the
season which was not suitable for the
same, and also in the heat of the day
wi &c do ic
and there is no doubt in the mind of
the management that months from
now these same trees could be retap-
ped and similar amount of rubber
obtained from them.
The tapping of these trees at SO
young an age, was entirely an expert
ment as there is no intention of tap
ping them for commercial purposes
until they are years old.
The result of our visit to La Zacual-
pa was to fully convince US that rub-
Der planting is no longer an expert
organization as exist today on this
plantation rubber culture is bound to
be an immense success, and we have
no doubt in our own minds that if the !
shareholders in this plantation are 80
inclined at the present time, by ex-
tracing every ounce of rubber posi- |
BILE from the trees, Git would mean of !
course, the killing of a large number of |
trees) they could obtain for it double |
the money that they have put into the |
proposition.
The Hfdalgo lands consist of rolling
ridges with dark-red volcanic soil over
laid with black vegetable loan, thus
forming fine strong land.
Owing to the dense forest we could
not travel over trails, and from the
Wild rubber trees, we saw growing
there was proof to us that cultivated
rubber would grow there as well as on
La zacualpa
Rubber has been sold from these and
lands for many years, as
the Castilloa elastica the rubber that
is being planted here, is indigenous to
Soconusco
Labor is plentiful, cheap and eff
cient, the usual wage being about 20
cents per day
The cost of producing rubber from
the wild trees and such cultivated trees
on La Zacualpa as are being tapped at
the present time, is 80 cents per pound,
Guatemalan silver, about lie gold.
When all cultivated trees are tapped,
1t Is reasonable to suppose that this
hgure will be very much reduced as
the trees being close together, instead
Of being scattered over a wide area. I
as at present, will facilitate the process
Of tapping. s
The average price for all grades of f
crude rubber in the United States for
The last three years was over Gle per
pound, and it has been proved that Gull
"a TkAr9 lNEAs
Der, even Para, for We find that on
November 18th, plantation rubber was
selling at $14S per pound against :
i 1924.
The methods which will be employed.
md of which we had evidence on La
lacualpa for preparing the rubber will
'ring it almost if not quite, on an :
quality with Para I
A sample of this rubber was sent to Il
he works of the Silver Town Gutta =
'ercha and India Rubber Co., Ltd. -
I London, the company that recently !,
aid the Pacific cable to Manila. which -
has written to the effect that =
hey are prepared to take at all times. -
he total output of the plantation on -
asls OF : cents per pound less than -
ne market price of Para rubber. -
Iak1ng everything into considera ton .,
ON the minute Investigations We have al
lade, both as to the coffee and rubber .,
We are fully convinced that
lie conditions in the Department of
oconusco for the growing of these two
nportant articles are ideal and for
a Zacualpa and Hidalgo properties "
lder the present management, partic- !,
arly so. U-
We would here state that great We
DIRK has been done on La Zacualpa hs
ID the results achieved are surpris- tn
g, especially when it is remembered Of
lat it is the pioneer company. and -
IS no doubt had to suffer for its want II
experience in the beginning. as is ar