Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-11-20
RUBBER
GAN Be GROWN
IN ARIZONA
Experiments to Be Made tC
Ascertain Whether YuIe Plant
May Be Successfully Grown
in Territory
Especial Correspondence TO Morning Journal

| lSptfldl Correspondence u iicEutuS JOurnatJ
Phoenix, Ariz., Nov. 15.-Experi-
ments to determine whether yule. a
Mexican shrub worth SITS a ton be-
cause of the rubber it contains. can.
not be grown in Arizona, are TO be
conducted by Captain Edwin O. C.
ord, inspector general of the Ma
tional Guard of Arizona. Captain
Ord returned yesterday from an ex-
tended trip to Mexico. He has large
holdings of land in the state of Goa
hula, covered with the yule shrub
and brought back with him one of the
bushes, which arrived in perfect con-
dition and was presented to Governor
Sloan. The governor turned it over
to the gardener of the capitol grounds.
Captain Ord went first to Monte
| rey, where he visited his brother-in-
| law, Mayor General Geronimo Ire
vinio, in command of all Mexican
troops along the northern frontier.
Together they attended the celebrat-
ton in Mexico City. The principal
object Of Captain Ord's Mexican trip
was to visit the states of Coahuila
| and Torreon, where the yule flour
ishes in greatest %profusion. His own
lands are i'm Coahuila and the plant
he brought to Governor Sloan was
procured in the western part Of that
state, at an elevation of about 5000
feet.
General Trevinlo is the owner of A
large estate in Torreon, his land also
being covered with yule. Recently
for $125,000 gold. There are three
big rubber factories in Torreon and
they pay $175 a ton for the plant.
At a distance yule is easily mis-
taken for sage brush, the bushes be-
ing of about the same size and height
but more symmetrical. ON closer
examination, however, the points of
difference are quite apparent. The
leaves are green and about an inch
long, ending in a point and having
a little spear on each side, near the
stem. The leaves taste something like
sealing wax. The limbs are round
and quite flexible. At the base a full
grown yule is three of lou inches in
diameter.
The yule attains its full growth at
three years and is ready to harvest
for rubber making purposes. From
to so per cent Of the entire plant
including the roots is rubber. The
percentage of rubber is not SO great
in the younger plants.
Yule grows from either the roots
or seed. The seed are so fine that
they are almost microscopic and re-
pepper seed. The flowers are
little yellow blossoms about as large
as fortget-me-nots.
lis remarkable, plant is found
throughout central Mexico. 1t crowns
at attitudes of from three to five
feet and is not effected by
extremes of temperature. The noun
tainsides. where it seems to flour
sh best, are quite cold.
Though he has searched through
III the botanical works and ency-
,lOpedias which he has been able to
ind. Captain Ord has found no ref
,rence whatever to yule. 1t seems TO
been discovered about seven
5ears ago and its value as a rubber
producer was soon brought to the at
ention of capitalists. Since the fac
cries were established in Torreon the
population is denuding the
'ntice country of yule. Even the
cots are being dug up and sold at
he regular rate of $175 a ton. In
Ord's opinion it will not he
years until the supply of Mexi-
an yule is exhausted. The Mexicans
re making no attempt to replace the
liant where is it being cut off.
AS soc as he saw yule and the
haracter of the country in which it
rows. Captain ord began to wonder
1t would not grow in Arizona. In
act, he has his suspicious that 1t
nay be growing somewhere in this
erritory. The mountains of Yavapai,
e says, seem to offer an ideal place
ossible that the plant will grow in
Salt River valley but Captain Ord
that this altitude is too low.
effort will be made. neverthe-
by the capitol grounds gardner,
} keep alive the plant which the
lptain presented to Gov. Sloan. 1t
a year old and about two feet Ions,
early all the leaves and some of the
overs are still on it,
Captain ord returned from Mexico
Y way of Eel Paso, Albuquerque n
rescott. At Prescott he stopped
'veral days and showed the plant to
professional gardner of his ac-
The gardner looked
trough all his books but could not
out anything about the shrub.
aptain ord gave him some SEED
hich he will plant in the m%ile-high
'wn. At that altitude the yule
lould do quite well.
Il can see no reason why yule
not grow in Arizona ana
AXE thousands of acres of our nom
'oductive lands bring in rich reve-
said Captain Ord last night.
will do everything ia my power
demonstrate that the plant can DC
own in Arizona and that It is I'M
ensely profitable. .Mexico's supply
being recklessly digsipated. There
no attempt at conservation or re-
of yule in that country.
One point upon which Captain ora
ID particular stress is that yule IS
t the same plant that is being used
Colorado for the manufacture OF
bber. They are entirely distinct and
lie Is much more profitable, since
G percentage Of rubber is higher
d the bushes are many times larger
ord had 2 most interesting
p through Mexico. He spoke par
of the Hacienda Gorreon. an
ate about forty miles from San Luis
tosi. which is owned by a Mexican
named Zavala. ON this big
the captain saw the finest herd
cattle he ever beheld. In one paved
n t-yard he ~aw 200 Holstein dairy
tic. In correction with the dairy
creamery and refrigerating plant.
. che 50 ana 1uttlr are sold in the
y OF Mexico.
TIE Hafierda GCrreon j. irrigated
IA fifteen artt sian wells. Daring the
. se0r seventeen wells have been
TX on the place and water is flow
from fifteen. Five of the flowing
lis are in one acre. which is some
unequaled in any other part Il
world. The deepest we'll is 2fV
aud the Sha1foypSf IA meters.