Evening star., 1947-08-17
Latin Rubber's
Future Bright
L. S. Scientists Assist ir
the Development of :
Plantations
By james bfrchfieId

By james BirehfieId
Natural rubber - the substance
that has played such an important
role in the development of moderr
American economy-is returning Il
it's native home in the Western
Hemisphere.
Under the guidance of Agricul.
ture Department scientists who
have worked in corporation with
our Latin American neighbors, the
cooperative natural rubber pro-
gram has emerged from the nurs.
cry stage. Throughout Brazil, Co.
lombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala
Haiti, Honduras, Mexico and Pert
about $4,000 acres Of field plantings
of the hevea trees, which yield the
best rubber, have been established
in government demonstration areas
on coffee, banana and other plan
tations and on nearly thousand
small farms.
The co operating governments
are establishing central nurseries
and are modifying and co-ordinat-
ing their farm credit, colonization
and extension programs to meet
the requirements of the long term
scrop.
Research Continues
Tho Agriculture Department.
having aided in establishing again
the culture of natural rubber in
South America, maintains stats of
scientists and technicians in various
Latin American centers to con-
tinue research and to train local
workers.
In addition to assuring the
United States of a supply of natu-
raj rubber at her own back door,
the South American cooperative
program Is raising the economic
level of the Latin countries, and is
afording the means Of a program
of diversified agriculture for thous-
ands of small farmers.
DR.. E. w. Brandes, in charge of
the rubber Investigations for the
Agriculture Department, says that
rubber paintings of from S to 10
acres on small farms will provide
a profitable long-term enterprise to
the Latin American farmers and
will help build a diversified and
permanent agriculture in the
tropics.
For the first three years after the
trees are planted, he says, such food
crops as corn, rice, beans and
manioca can be grown in the 20
foot spaces between the tree rows
After the 10th year, the farmer will
be assured of from 1000 to 1900
pounds of latex per acre per year
from bud-grafted resistant hevea
strains.
Impetus of Machine Age
Although the elastic qualities of
the sap Of the hevea trees was
known to American hatives when
the first white man set foot on
South American shores, it was not
until after Charles Goodyear first
vulcanized rubber in 1889 that its
economic Importance began to grow.
For a long time after Goodyear S
discovery, rubber played minor
role in our economy, with this coun-
try using little more than 5000 tons
a year. However, after 1911, when
the age Of mechanization began in
earnest, our use of natural rubber
increased until by 1899 the United
States was importing more than
100000 tons a year, mostly from THE
East Indies.
During the early history of rubber,
latex was gathered from the wild
hevea trees that grew wild in the
South American jungles. This early
story of rubber is one of disease,
death and human slavery.
Later, rubber plantations were
developed in the East from hevea
seeds smuggled out of South Amer
lea, and under the watchful eyes
Of British scientists and rubber
planters these plantations developed
to the point where it was no longer
profitable to tap the native WILD
trees.
War Spurred Efforts
Rubber xas forgotten in South
America, until the coming of World
War II left the United States high
and dry. its Eastern source of rubber
cut off by the spreading japanese.
1t was then that our scientists be-
gan the tremendous effort of again
producing natural rubber in South
America.
This work has been carried on
by both Government and private
scientists, until now there have
been developed strains of hevea that
appear to be able to withstand
attacks from the devastating leaf
disease.
Ironically, scientists believe that
South America, which gave to the
east its start in the rubber busi-
ness, Is the area where natural
rubber in the future must be grown
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