502 Philippine Journal of Science 1919 
Dutch East Indies in 1916 has been estimated at 209,312 hectares 
(517,000 acres) .* 
Although the United States takes considerably more than one- 
half * of the world’s supply of crude rubber, very little is pro- 
duced in American territory. Unmanufactured India rubber 
imported into the United States during the year ending December 
31, 1917, amounted to 184,381,035 kilograms (405,638,278 
pounds),° valued at 466,441,808 pesos. It is true that a part 
of this was wild rubber from South America, Africa, and else- 
where; but the imports of crude rubber in 1917 from the British 
and Dutch East Indies alone amounted to 115,915,868 kilograms 
(255,014,910 pounds), valued at 300,303,192 pesos. In view of 
this very large importation of rubber into the United States 
and the importance of the industries there dependent upon it, 
it would seem very desirable to develop a rubber-planting in- 
dustry within American territory should land and climatic con- 
ditions suitable for the successful growth of Hevea brasiliensis 
be found. 
There has long been a question as to the suitability of certain 
sections of the Philippines for the growth of Hevea brasiliensis, 
but notwithstanding its remarkable development in nearby coun- 
tries the industry has received very little attention here. How- 
ever, a small area of Hevea brasiliensis has been planted and is 
now producing rubber in profitable quantities; and, while it 
must be admitted that the industry has hardly passed the ex- 
perimental stage, it has been demonstrated that rubber will 
grow and yield satisfactory returns in the Philippine Islands. 
During the latter part of 1917 I had the opportunity of 
visiting the Basilan Plantation Company’s estate on Basilan’ 
Island and while there made a number of girth measurments of 
trees of various ages. The results of these measurements are 
given in the present paper together with data regarding the 
climatic and soil conditions in the southern part of the Philippine 
Archipelago. The rate of growth of Hevea brasiliensis in the 
Philippines is compared with that recorded in other countries, 
and a comparison is made of the climatic conditions and soils 
of this part of the Philippine Archipelago with those in other 
countries, more especially in the Orient, where Para rubber is 
now being successfully cultivated. 
*India Rubber World 54 (1916) 382. 
* The India Rubber Journal No. 19, 55 (1918) 10 quotes a statement that 
in 1917 the United States took 71 per cent of the entire crude-rubber 
production of the world. 
"India Rubber World 57 (1918) 384. 
