The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-08-23

western portion of the South Auarfoa,,
| continent.
Sapium ioilmense, Hort, is a native
of the mountains in South Western
Colombia, making its best growth ar
an altitude of 300 to 5000 feet The
tree is SAID TO grow with extraordinary
rapidity, reaching a height of fifty feet
with trunk one foot in diameter in
six years 1t will grow at higher ele-
walton than coffee. The rubber is of
very excellent quality. This is GER
tainly a promising variety for intro
duction into Hawaii.
Sapium verum Hemsl. A forest tree
| so to 75 feet high with trunk 2 feet
in diameter, natives to Ecuador and
southern Colombia. 1t reaches its best
development at an elevation of $500 TO
| 1900 feet and grows I'D to 10 600 feet
This tree is the principal source of the
''caucho blaneo" of Ecuador.
Sapium stylare Muen. Arg A large
from 5000 to 5000 feet on the wet
| mountain slopes from Venezuela to
eastern Ecuador. The mean temper
allure of the region where it grows
ranges from Sc deg. to 81 deg. F.
Other species of Sapium growing
under truly tropical conditions at
lower elevations are S. tapuri Ule. s.
eglandulosum Ule, S. utile Preuss. and
S. Marmieri Huber. The milky sap of
all require higher temperatures and a
greater degree of humidity than is
found in Hawaii.
! Black Rubber, or Central American
Rubber.-The chief source of this rub
Der is Castilloa elastica Cerv. 1t Is a
native of the western slope of the An
des of Peru and Ecuador up through
Central America to Mexico. The tree
grows to the height of 40 to 60 feet
in the open, but often reaches 120 to
$50 feet in height and feet in diameter
in the dense and hot tropical forests
feet, but requires good drainage. 1t is
never found in wet or swampy locali-
ties and grows best at the lower eleva-
lions in hot, sheltered inland valleys
In the equatorial belt tcastilloa occurs
| up to $500 feet, but at Is deg. either
side of the equator does not grow well
| above 1900. 1t requires rich alluvial
well-drained soils, high temperatures
and shelter from winds The optimum
growth of this tree range from a deg
| to 80 deg. F. 1t grows In Mexico where
the mean yearly temperature is ~ deg.
F. and will stand a much lower one,
but as the temperature and humidity
| decrease the growth of the tree is
slower and The yield of rubber rapidly
diminishes
The leaves of CastilYoa elastica are
heart-shaped at the base, entire,
young trees 20 inches long by inches
wide, those of old trees to II inches
long by 1-2 to inches wide. The
trunk of the tree is wing buttressed
at the base. Rubber collectors distin-
guish varieties depending on the
color of the bark and twigs, but botan-
ically all are considered one species.
Castilloa elastica has been widely
planted. Five hundred thousand trees
vicinity of Bluefields, Nicaragua, dur
ing the last seven years. The first of
the planted Castilloa forests in Near
aqua has been tapped this year. Six
thousand seven-year-old trees yielded
534 pounds of rubber, an average OF
1 1-3 ounces per tree. A few of the
largest We're tapped repeatedly at e
week intervals without injury and
yielded an average equal to that Sc
regions climatically suited to it Castil-
loa is considered one of the surest and
most reliable species in the cultiva-
ton of which it is safe to invest the
large capital required to plant and care
for an artificial forest up to the time
when dividends may be expected. How
ever. it is doubtful whether it's culti-
walton should be attempted on more
than an experimental scale in Hawaii |
Our mean annual temperatures and
mean humidity are too low, and also
the islands lie within the zone of the |
trade winds, and lack the tropical eli |
mate of other island groups in equal |
ATTITUDES.
Ceara rubber is derived from a small /
tree usually Tin HawaiD not exceed |
ing % to so feet in height, Manihot
Glaziowii MueH Arg This tree is 81
native of southern Brazil. 1t grows on
hot desert-like sandy plains and along
the granite ridges in a region devoid
of running streams and with only a |