The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-10-14
ST RUBBER CONVENTION EVER HELD IN AMERICAN son
Continued from Page one.)

home. on the mauka side of the trail
were several big trees which had been
Sdanted nine years ago by Hugh How
& kn, together with many others which
have since been cut down, through ig-
norance of the fact that they would
produce rubber in large enough quanti-
ties to he commercially valuable.
In telling of these trees Mr.. Howell
said:
II first became interested in rubber
d little over nine years ago, through
reading in one of the larger maya
zines of the country of the fact that
the natural rubber supply of the world
was becoming exhausted rapidly and
that there was fortune ready for
any energetic man who took up the
cultivation of rubber trees on a scien-
tific scale and was located in a favor
able climate. I wrote to Joseph Mars
den, then Commissioner of Agriculture,
asking him for information in regard
to rubber and also for any seed that
might be available.
He replied by sending me seed. but
in reply to my request for information
stated that the subject was one which
had just been taken up by his depart
ment and that they had not reached
a stage in their investigations which
could yield any results which would
be profitable to me. The seed he stat
i 8 I
: 1t according to the directions which he
gave me, but he could not say whether
it would prove profitable industry.
MARSDEN's ADVICE.
About three or four years after,
met Mr.. Marsden in Honolulu, and
spoke to him of rubber. He said that
there, was nothing whatever in rubber
in the islands and advised me to give |
it up and to grow camphor. which |
did. AS the result of his advice cut
down all the trees which had grown
from the seed he had sent me with
the exception of three or four. Now
I wish that 1 had kept the whole lot.
Before cutting the trees down tried
them to see IL they would produce any
rubber, and on account of my COM
plete ignorance in the matter felt that
Mr.. Marsden's advice was correct and
gave the trial up. The way in which
/ tapped the trees made it almost as
sured that I would be disappointed. 1
knew nothing Of the manner in which
II he nd int he
tree with a bit, as one would into a j
maple tree for sap and when I only
got drop or two of the latex, or milky
fluid, from which the rubber is form
ed felt sure that there was no further {
use in continuing the experiment. {
Just before breakfast was served @.
Q. Bradford, of the U. S. Experiment
station tapped one of the largest trees 7
which had been left by Mr.. Howell, c
when he cut down his first rubber
grove and the members of the party
gathered round to watch the operation
The result was quite successful, in a
few minutes enough latex being COL :
1ected to form ball Of rubber the :
size of a mans thumb.
TAPPING TREES.
In tapping the tree the first thing t
done by Mr.. Bradford was to clear the s
bark from the trunk for a space ex- 8
tending from about seven feet in height a
to the ground and about ten inches .
in width. The bark was very light and s
easily removed with a small knife. The h
next move was to bind around the tree r
a sack made of rough canvas, with
several small pockets. These pockets "
We're filed with solution of ammonia fl
and water which slowly trickled down h
the trunk. Then starting from the top +
Mr.. Bradford drew small instrument G,
down the trunk. In doing this he cut a
a three cornered channel down the =,
trunk. The latex followed the cut, m
coming slowly and being caught by n,
a small scoopshape piece of tin which ~
was stuck in the tree near the ground ~
and which led the milky fluid. which -,
had become mixed with the ammonia =,
solution, into small pan. -
Mr.. Bradford explained that the am -
monia was used to keep the latex from -,
and thus stopping the =,
1ow The cut, which had been made -,
and which penetrated only the bark -
and did not touch the trunk of the % ,,
rec, was cleaned out several times '"
~ Mr.. Bradford and a renewed flow rs
ollowed. After about ten minutes Mr.. &C
Bradford ceased his work, which had I'D
aiken long enough to allow the collec- On
ion of perhaps half a cup full of latex I'D
md solution to gather, and proceeded
o show the party how the rubber was
ormed. he
THE RUBBER RESULT. is
He poured a small quantity of acetic
cid into the receptacle and then be- int
an to stir the fluid Slowly the parti- an
les OF rubber began to collect on the I'M
tick with which he stirred and in a In
ew minutes a small ball Of white rub an
er was formed. 1t was elastic and ine
then formed into a string was evil low
emily rubber of good quality. all
When the tree which was tapped at in
81 -. >-ssk>- 81 90