The Washington herald., 1909-07-04
PROFIT Is SMALL
In This RUBBER
PalO Amarillo of Mexico Not
a Promising Specimen.
LATEX YIELD IS VERY LOW
Consular Representative at Mexico
Gives Facts Regarding This Little
known Tree OF Sierra Madre
MOuntains-NO Better Than GuayuIe
hush of Central Mexico.

I Persons who have read glowing ac-
counts. published through the South. re-
7 garding the great productivity Of the
/ palO amarillo rubber tree Of Mexico
( need 70 learn that such statements ema-
nate from the fertile brains Of promoters.
who desire to noat the stock Of pros
+ pecuve companies, and that the chance
FOR profits from rubber from this source
have no basis IN fact
c. Piquette Mitchell. vice consular gen
eral at the City Of Mexicos IN a recent
report 70 the Bureau OF Manufactures,
( effectually puts an end TO plans OF the
| promoters where his statement Of the
facts about the Mexican rubber tree are
read. a part OF his letter follows:
The palo amarillo tree was discovered
q few years ago on the slopes OF the
I Sierra Madre. and upon Investigation IL
was found 10 be botanically unknown
I species II is known In Mexico under a
variety OF common names, such as palo
amarillo. palo colorado. papehllo. and
/ cucuracho. the aforementioned name be-
1 ing generally used. Il occurs in the dry
I semitroplc zone on the slopes Of Sierra
( Madre al an elevation OF 50 10 $50 feet
{ generally being found above the oak
zone and frequently reaching as high as
10 the pine zone OF the mountains. Il
extends southwark from Durango 70 the
southern part Of Oaxaca, along the Pa
clfc coast
The tree grows 20 a height OF between
srA rrrfFN D. "A ~
from 10 y inches.
Rubber Yield of AMARILLO.
II the inner bark OF the stem and its
/ branches occur numerous latex-bearing
/ vessels containing a semiuquid huid OF
milky whiteness. which soHdihes upon
F contact with the air Chemical examlna-
ton OF this latex shows that It contains
/ from 7.3 70 l5.7 per cent OF rubber. and
from l9 per cent upward OF resins.
f have personally analyzed seventeen latex
samples from different parts OF the tree
f and from trees growing in different soils
/ The lateN from the lower parts OF the
I trunk contains the higher percentage Of
rubber as IS the case with al rubber
+ producing trees.
+ The branches carry q lateX containing
mainly resins, the rubber being about 8
I 20 per cent. and occurring IN a form
which makes IL very dihicult 20 be sepa-
rated from impurities The coagulation
Of the latex is not easy. although II can
+ be accomplished The resulting rubber Is
2 Of inferior quality and would CONNER
+ ciaIly be classed with guayuIe rubber.
which has commanded a price of about
. 81 cents. where the price OF frsI-class
Wild Para rubber was O. cents . pound
f during last year. when rubber prices have
3 been low. The tensile strength Of palO
| amarillo rubber IS 4 iu scale where hard
T Para rubber is taken as the standard Of
/ j points The product OF the palO ANA
I rillo tree being new. the test o. time,
I which. after all, is the most important
F one. has not Yet been applied. but taking
. into consideration the low tensile
+ strength. the large percentage Of resins.
and the rapid deterioration OF the latex
. through engines. IL IS not likely that
palo amarillo rubber VIII show a better
result than the rubber obtained from the
/ guayule shrub. The rubber is easy 20
/ vulcaniZe by ordinary methods
Tapping the Amarillo.
/ The exploitation OF the latex Of palo
amarillo is connected with considerable
/ difficulties. I have tapped these trees in
al the different manners generally en-
/ pIoyed in tapping Hevea, Manihot. Castil-
. la. Funtumia. Ficus. OF Sapium trees.
and I have used over twenty Of the diff
/ ferent tools and implements. patented and
. employed ia the rubber fields in the ORR
ent. Brazil. Central America, and Africa.
and must confess that the proper meth
cd Of tapping palo amarillo is not easy
/ 10 determine
/ It is claimed that the pelo amarillo
+ tree IS very easily propaEated- This IS
+ true. in so far as IL refers 20 the actual
f reproduction Of the individual. A young
branch cut from a growing tree ana
( planted in the ground viii STOW. Com
merCislly this does not mean much, as
a palo amarillo trees exploiJable age
must be at least 10 20 II years. A tree OF
this age does not give a very large
. amount Of laJeX- The ordinary Mexican
. rubber tree, Castillo elastica, can be ex-
+ plotted when eight years old. and il then
( gives a larger yield OF lateX per annum
than p 10-year-Old palO amarillo tree
/ Considering that the Istex Of the former
/ contains from = 10 4 per cent Of pure
/ rubber, against about s per cent in the
palo amarillo latex. Il IS difficult TO see
4 the advantages OF the latter under cult
walton.
Taking even the most sanguine esti-
mates in regard 70 the yield OF palo ama-
rillo. say as much as one kilo C2.2 poUndsl
per day for two days, or a total latex
yield OF A. pounds. the s per cent rubber
content would give total OF 5.03 ounces
per tree As a matter Of fact. the yield
is much less. and the average 10 be
counted upon does not exceed one ounce
/ OF rubber per tree per year.