Arizona republican., 1920-04-04

The fascination which the strange lands Of the Far East have held for the average American is taking a more tangible form, now that travel and business are bringing Asia and the United States into closer contact.
 No article of commerce is doing more to bring this country into close touch with the mystic east than rub Der. The rapid rise to supremacy in the production of crude rubber of the islands of the Indian ocean, combined with the fact that America consumes nearly three quarters of all the rubber grown there, has given many Ameri- cans an oportunity to peep behind the scenes and become acquainted with the lands and peoples of that distant quarter of the globe.
 Although the whole equatorial belt Tn that section is dotted with rubber plantations, representing a capital in Vestment of nearly half a billion dol lars. the thoughts of Americans nat urally center on Sumatra where one of Americas greatest corporations has established plantation so vast in area out as the greatest single plantation in the world. This is the plantation of the United States Rubber company, comprising 70 square miles of growing trees, an enterprise marked through out by a magnitude and an efficiency
 
 tions.
 Many young Americans, alive with the spirit of adventure, have wondered what opportunities this plantation field might hold for youth in search of a chance. Inquiries of this sort are con- stantly being received by the planta- tion executives of the United States Rubber company. To all such the com pany invariably replies that without technical training in rubber chemistry. soil chemistry or horticulture, there is almost no chance of getting foothold. One of the requirements is that a man going there must be prepared to settle down with the idea of making his perl manent home there.
 The executive and technical staffs Of the plantation are made up largely of Americans and Europeans. The Americans who, through their associa- tion with the big project, have be- come acquainted with Sumatra and it's ways, tell an interesting story of their visits to. this island.
 The first thing that strikes the American making his first visit to Su- matra, said one of the officers of the plantation company recently, "'is the intense humidity. The temperature does not get as high there as it does on our hottest days here, but for sev- eral weeks the humidity seems very oppressive. After a time we get used to that, so much so that a cool breeze makes us uncomfortable and we worry more about the occasional cool spots in the weather than about the heat. The precipitation flows so freely that colds must be guarded against, and after any violent exercise we wrap ourselves in sweaters so we won't take cold
 The next thing that attracts the at tention of the newcomer is the density of the vegetation. In the United States as we look into a forest we can see open spaces among the trees. But in Sumatra the trees are covered with parasites and vines forming a solid wall and the ground is covered with a mass of undergrowth. This super luxuriant vegetation is one of the chief foes of the plantations, making con- stant wedding a necessity. On the other hand, the fertility of the soil and the hot, moist climate which produces the heavy vegetation, works wonders for the rubber trees.
 Arriving in Sumatra one finds the coast very flat, with great coastal