Evening star., 1942-02-07

NoteDook OF Science rro9reSS
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.
Can Brazil's jungles grow rubber for
North Americas tires?
After nearly Is years Of experimental
tion-some of It costly-the plantations
OF the Ford Motor Co. along the Topajoz
River, third tributary OF the Amazon, are
giving an Affirmative answer.
The extensive paintings at Fordlandia
and Belterra, which cover nearly 10000
acres and include more than q million
hevea rubber trees, now are producing
high grade Of rubber on commercial
scale. From the beginning in 1928 spe-
cialists of the United States Department
of Agriculture have watched the expert
ment and seen one dificulty after
another overcome.
American towns have arisen along the
Topajoz. Plantations comparable in every
way with those Of the British and Dutch
In Malaga have been established. The
Ford experiments have telescoped years
Of patient experimentation which other.
wise would have been necessary for gov
ernment agencies.
Since the start Of the present rubber
shortage citizens of the United States
have been asking how their Government
allowed condition to develop when a
major crop, native to the Western Hem
isphere, should have been cornered al
most completely by the Far East
The Ford experiment gives the prac-
tical answer. In 1927 the Companhia Ford
Industrial obtained rights to $500 900
acres along the Topajoz. The next year
was established the thriving settlement
Of Fordlandia. about $50 miles from the
point where this river empties into the
Amazon.
1t was the native land Of hevea rubber.
From very close to the site of Fordlandia
the first hevea seeds had been taken to
England. The Ford agents planted with
native stock and the result was dis
astrous.
The difficulty in producing rubber in
the Western Hemisphere has been, from
the beginning. the leaf blight disease.
The hevea rubber tree is a native Of
Brazil and eastern Peru. In the jungle it
grows wild-three or four trees per acre.
The wild tree is poor producer and
harvesting costs are heavy. But with
such a thin population the blight, q
fungus disease, spreads slowly and In an
attenuated form. Wild rubber trees
through countless centuries have learned
to live with it.
When the hevea trees are planted In
plantations. about 1000 to the acre, the
disease spreads like forest fire. It in
creases In virulence from tree to tree.
The total investment in q plantation will
be lost in few months.
Back in 1875 an English botanist
named Wickham gathered 10000 hevea
seeds from region about 200 miles up
the Tapajoz River, In Brazil. He knew
nothing about the leaf blight. He carried
them to the celebrated Kew Gardens in
London. From them has come the Brit
tsh and Dutch Malayan rubber crop.
There were no germs Of the disease in
the Far East. The seedlings were bred for
yield and for resistance to new diseases
never heard Of in Brazil. At first 1t was
not particularly profitable investment.
Rubber had limited use in footwear.
garden and fire hose, etc. The Malayan
plantations were small.
About the beginning Of the 20th CEN
tury there came use Of rubber hitherto
undreamed of. the automobile tire. At
first 1T was quite limited, but the worlds
rubber supply was overtaxed. Tires cost
$50 each. They were of unbelievably
poor quality. the inner tube had not
been invented. 1t became a common
practice to I'LL tires with molasses in
stead Of air. Otherwise there was a
puncture every few miles.
The price Of rubber sky-rocketed.
About 1910 Brazilian rubber reached the
record price OF So pound. A frenzy Of
speculation set in the world over. Ameri-
$500 SSAASS~SSSAiSAo o1lo WoI6
swindled out Of their last dollars, in
vested in rubber plantations in Brazil.
Central America, the Congo region,
Dutch East Africa.
The hevea tree simply was not suit
able Tor plantations-in Brazil. It was,
at the time, the poorest of all known
rubber sources, even with the breeding
experiments already started by the Brit
ish and Dutch. Through Central America
there were extensive paintings of the
native castillo rubber tree. In Malaya
thousands OF acres were planted with
ficus elastica, the rubber plant" of Vic
torian era parlors. Africans planted their
native rubber vine.
The yield was very small-less than a
pound per tree per year. When such trees
were tapped at the right season rub.
ber Juice" would stream out, but the
stream was short-lived. The automobile.
which depended on rubber tires to be-
come popular. seemed due to be =
colossal failure.