The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1906-09-15
SEARCH GLOBE FOR RUBBER
''ahy Perils Are Encountered 4,
SafherInQ the nuu.

Gathering tho Gum
FROM Southern Mexico In the north
10 Northern Paraguay in the south
from the Atlantic on the east. right
through the devious wandering Of the |
many branches and tributaries Of the
mighty Amazon and right on. out TO the
faciiie, on the west; through the mys-
ferrous, trackless and utterly unknown
sohtudes Of the Paraguayan and Bo-
hVian Chocos ont into Peru. the rub-
Der hunters are at work on the plants
and trees put ready to their use by the
bounteous hand Of nature. Where thev
90 on their Journeys CT precisely what
they do, no white man knows to this
day, or is ever likely to know. saws the
Philadelphia Ledger.
Less than a year ago met with and
spoke in English to an Italian mer-
chant In the wilds of Matte Crosse. the
northwestern province OF Brazil. whose
capital city is FIVE weeks journey from
the seat Of government at Rio de Jane
iro. For twenty years he had not heard
the sound Of English voice and during
all those years rubber has been flow
Ing through his hands, down the giant
River Paraguay, on its way to the mar
kets OF the world, via Buenos Ayres or
Montevideo. Yet Of its actual produc-
ton he knows little.
To skip, in spirit, from the north
east coast Of South America across the
south Atlantic to tropical Africa. the
Congo, the Gold Coast, the Zambesi.
Uganda and other parts, is not a DIFF
hcult undertaking. But here all is
changed, and, instead Of having noble
forest trees at his disposal, the rub
berhunter finds himself dependent on
snaky, climbing, twisting vines for his
rubber supplies, vines which usurp ev-
cry inch Of territory they can invade,
and render passage through the for
ests matter Of great difficulty and
some danger.
These vines, known as "landolphias, u
Of which there are several species, are
members Of the natural order apocy.
naceR and are common to the whole
OF tropical Africa. They differ from
the American trees, In that they pro
duce rubber In the center of the stem
as well as from the cells underlying
the inner combium, but what quantity
each plant will produce there are n,
r data to base an estimate upon.
} Although the landolphias form thu
main source Of the African rubber sup
ply, yet there is at least one family o
trees which yields a supplemental,
contribution to the sum total. Tn
: funtumla or kicksla, Of which there ar
two species, elastlca and Africania
was worked to a considerable exten
T=-rter Of a century ago, but it doe
not now seem to be fashionable plan
to cultivate a close associationshi
with. 1t resembles the heyea to som
degree, but Is smaller, Of softer growth
and requires a little less rainfall t
> luxuriate.
! Turning to India, and to Asia genel
ally, it will not be found that the col
tinent Is rich In indigenous rubber
N bearing plants. The ficus elastica, th
n Indian rubber plant Of the windo'
gardener, is found In Assam and Blu
d ma and the federated Malay states, br
N its produce Is Of very inferior qualit
Certain climbers also yield rubber, Il
three chief ones being the urceol
chonemorpha, and the Willoughbi
The fact that Para and other rubber
are being cultivated In India, etc,
! sufficient proof of the poorness Of Il
continent Of Asia in Indigenous rubbe
zs bearing plants.
Of Ceara rubber is collected by stabbir
s. the tree in a number OF places clio
N together, and as the juice exudes
OF coagulates in the air, and Is rolled
"a into balls by the collectors. 1t
lie usually In a dirty state when 1t com
as to the market.
Us The product of the ficus elastica a
D. the other Asiatic plants Is usually sil
IL ply sun-dried; the rubber from I
u, former can be identified at glance
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