The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-05-30

which was backed by German, French.
Mexican and American capital. In
1905 there Yere,5,2 patents issued for
extracting GuayHle rubber and a rush
into the business. began. Great ship
ments were nader to Germany, and the
Mexican GoTernptent. seeing Il source
| of revenue. promptly put on an export
| duty of 10 fpeSoS ton, which came
near sitting Ihe Ghusiness. In 1906 the
progress made was marvellous. A num-
Der of companies We're formed in Eu-
rope, the United States and Mexico and
Guayule rubber began to take the di-
mansions of q craze.
1T is alleged tnat more than 3 $780,
| 600 are invested in Guayue in Mexico
! The Continental Rubber Company. of
New York, has a capital of $50, 900. 900.
1t is owned principally by Thomas f.
Ryan and John ID. Rockefeller. Jr This
company OWLS and operates eight large
rubber factories..t located at different
! points in northern Mexico. II purchas-
| ed only recently the Cedros Ranch.
embracing 2,608,000 acres of land, upon
which the guayule shrub grows pro-
fusely. The purchase price of this
property was SS.990,0oo.
The GunyuIe in Texas.
The excitement in regard to Guayule
has extended to Texas. once valuelcss
lands are being snapped up at fancy
being built at Marathon, Tex, will cost
| 100000. Marathon is on the Southern
Pacific Railroad, in Brewster County,
which borders on the Rio Grande The
whole County had only 1855 population
| in 1900, which was some hundreds less
| than in 1890.
! 1t is claimed by experts who ha ve
been making an investigation of ne ex-
tent of the suayule shrub supply. that
there are not less than 10000, 900 acres
| Of land in Texas upon which it is now
growing in commercial quantities.
| The State OF Texas owns about one
half of this land. Much of it is unfit
/ for anything, except for cattle and
sheep grazing purposes. Before the
value Of the Suayule shrub was di5cov-
cred any of the land upon which it
grows could have been purchased for
81 to Sl.50 per acre. It's present value
! is many times that amount. The Leg
islature, at its recent regular session,
enacted law giving the State Land
! Commissioner authority, with the APP
proVal of the Governor and Attorney
General, to fix the price at which the
guayulc shrub growing upon State
| lands may be sold. In Mexico the
shrub is selling for 500 to $110, Mexi-
can money, per ton, which is equivalent
to $50 to S55 United States money, per
ton. The shrub grows more prolific in
|
| in that country usually Yields about Two
tons. The average yield per acre in
Texas will probably not exceed one
half ton. Even at that low yield there
are millions of dollars of wealth in the
shrub. 1t is claimed that it will repro
duce itself in about two years if proper
care is taken in cutting it. Instead of
being dug up by the roots. it should be
cut off near the ground. The law pass
ed by the Legislature seeks to prevent
the denudinS of the State lands of the
shrub. The Land Commissioner will
require that the shrub shall not be dug
up, but that only the upper portions
shall be utilized. BY doing this, the
State will be given a perpetual source
of revenue from its guayule lands.
The GuayuIe Plant.
The guayuiS IS really a starved,
| dwarf tree, r9f ian average hight of
l z feet. tho some specimens may reach
| to three feet 1t is found on the slop-
ing foothills. at IAN elevation of from
5000 to 6.O0P feet above the sea. It'll
| affects arid soil (which has a strong
admiXture of rlimestone. 1t is plentiful
over the northern, States of Mexico and
that arid part Off Texas lying next to
them. 1t differs from the other ruD-
| Der plants in ehaTing no latex: that is
| white, milky juice which contains The
rubber. This! is. chiefly found in the
cells of the bark,i with little in the
wood and none athall in the leaves and
new shoots, eThG best Mexican quay
| ule contains froraf 8 to 10 per cent of
rubber. while that from Texas has only
| from s TO per cent. Growing with
the guayule is a plant closely resem-
bling it, and three times as plentiful,
the mariOla. which, however, only con-
tains one per cent of rubber The
guayule is plant of slow growth, and
ii is estimated that the plants now
gathered are from 10 to 20 years old |
They average something less than one |
pound of rubber apiece. Attempts have
been made at cultivating the plant, but |
so FAR the results have not been en-
couragiHg.
Swift Increase In Exports.
In all the years prior to 1905 there
mad only been 100000 pounds of quay
rule exported from Mexico. In 19O5I