Vol. VII. No. 15.5. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Ill 



RUBBER EXPERIMENTS IN BRITISH 

 GUIANA. 



Experiments in rubber cultivation are in progress 

 at the Onderneeming School Farm, British Guiana. 

 The varieties under trial are Para rubber {Hevnt 

 hrasilian.'iis), as well as CastUloa elastica, Ftintiimia 

 elastica, and the indigenous rubber, Supium Jenmanil. 



With regard to the Para variety, the latest report on the 

 ■experiments states that plants set out in .June 1902, had, at 

 the end of September last, grown to a height of 4.3 feet, with 

 A circumference of 17 inches; trees planted in November 

 1903 had (also in September last) reached a height of 

 24 feet, with a circumference of 12 inches, while Para rubber 

 trees, planted in December 1904, had attained a height of 

 20 feet and a circumference of 7 inches by September 1907. 



All these trees, it was stated, had been to|iped from 

 time to time, as the natural tendency of the trees is to grow 

 to an unlimited height without branching, and with a very 

 small girth. 



Young plants of all the above-mentioned species have 

 been planted out under various conditions— some in swamp 

 land, some in sand, etc., with a view to ascertaining under 

 what conditions they grow best. 



The Castilloa trees are reported as having grown fitfully, 

 and different trees show considerable differences in rate of 

 development. One tree of this variety, tour and a half years 

 old, is now seeding ; it is 12 feet high, and has a girth of 

 10.'/ inches at 1 foot from the ground. 



The Funtumia or West African rubber trees are hardy, 

 and have shown excellent growth. It is mentioned, however, 

 that they have a strong tendency to branch excessively, and 

 grow into bushes rather than trees unless the lateral branches 

 are regularly cut back. The oldest Funtumia trees at the 

 station are four and a half years ,and their height 21 feet 

 with a girth of 12 inches. The trees have given a good 

 sui)i)ly of seeds, and a large number of plants have been 

 raised. Of these, 3,466 have been sold and sent to estates 

 in Essequeljo and Berbice, and 500 t-> the North AVest 

 district. 



RUBBER PLANTING IN HAWAII. 



The question of the maintenance of a satisfactory 

 foi-esb reserve has of late years been receiving considerable 

 attention in Hawaii, in common with many other coun- 

 tries. The Hairaiian Sugar Flanter.-<' Montldy for 

 November last contained the Annual Report of the 

 Forest Committee of the territory ; this gives a good 

 deal of information and advice as to the most suitable 

 and remunerative varieties of hardwood timber. From 

 the closing section of the report, the accompanying notes, 

 dealing with rubber planting in Hawaii, are taken : — 



Systematic rubber jilanting in Hawaii as an industry was 

 begun three years ago, but until this year there have been no 

 .systematic tapping of trees and keeping of statistics of yield, 

 on which to base connnercial calculations' of the profitableness 

 <ir otherwise of the business. 



During the past year under the direction of Mr. .Tared 

 Smith, chief of the Federal Agricultural Experiment Station 

 in Hawaii, a number of mature rubber trees growing in the 

 territory have been tapped and statistics kept of the yield. 

 The results are not yet available for publication, but sufficient 

 has been learned to make certain that rubber production will 

 be profitable in this territory under existing conditions. 



This fact has been accepted to the extent that there are 

 -already five incorporated companies ' planting rubber on 



a considerable scale, oesides a large number of individuals 

 planting on a small .scale. There have already been planted 

 in the territory l.etween 500,000 and 600,000 rubber trees. 

 The first tapping on any scale will take place next summer. 



From the standpoint of a profitable industry there is 

 great hope in r iW ei', especially a.s, although the trees reijuire 

 good soil, thev ca,n be grown to advantage in jjatches 

 scattered throu.uTi the many small valleys which are found in 

 all the mountaii. -e tions of the territory. The business will 

 therefore not on'-.y le rf vui le ui creating a new and profitable 

 industry, but will i.niden a'ly a.s.si.st in reafforesting the islands, 

 especially wher ■, ' a-on of inaccessibility or suiallness of 



area, it probalil; nld uever pay to plant for lumbering 

 purposes. 



There are U'li i.'.stionaly, however, large areas which 

 are unfit for gci' iiitivation, which -should be reatt'ore.'<ted, 



and where rub.n : roes wb- do as well, and be more profit- 

 able, than any oii. ,y,_;; which cui be planted there. 



The Terrico r Vgricnltural Forestry Department has 

 also interested it-.-ii in the matter: is furnishing rubber 

 seed at appro.\-iuiate cost to all who desire it, and is 

 prepared to give expert advice and sugge.stions as to locations 

 and methods of plnntiiig. 



There is no is.in why, incidentally, a number of sugar 

 plantations, espee-ially tho.se in the non-irrigated windward 

 districts, shouhl imt, at slight expense, plant large numbers 

 of rubber trees ii! .■ullies an 1 other loc'alities tuisuitable for 

 cane, resulting ' , benefit by present afforestation, and 

 ultimate profit fro'ii the rublier product, which, if present 

 prices prevail and th • expectations of those who have made 

 a study of rubber are fulfilled, will eventually be greater per 

 acre than is even sugar. 



The concrete results of ne.xt year's tapping of the trees 

 at Nahiku will be watched with eager interest by all 

 interested in the development of Hawaii. 



CASTILLOA RUBBER. 



Referring to the cultivation of Castilloa rubber as 

 carried out in JMexico, tlte report, for 1906-7, of the 

 Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Department) 

 of Agriculture, contains the following notes : — 



Visits to extensive Castilloa rubber plantations in 

 Mexico give evidence of the need of caution in enterprises 

 based on the Central American rubber tree, for it is being 

 found that the bark in the p'oximity of old cuts yields very 

 little latex. The ruliber-forming materials of the latex are 

 restored only slowly, if at all. The first cuts yield far more 

 latex than in the Para rubber tree, but there is no such per- 

 sistent production, nor any repeated flow to be obtained by 

 paring back the edges of the wounds, which, in the case of 

 the Para rubber tree, produce more latex than previously 

 luiinjtu'ed bark. 



The latex of Castilloa is al.-<o quite different from that of 

 the Para ruliber tree, and requires dift'ei-ent methods of treat- 

 ment. With slow coagulation the quality of the product 

 deteriorates. Exposure of the latex to air and sunlight by 

 spreading it out in thin lajers produces better and more 

 duralile rubber than Indk coagulation, even with the thorough 

 ami repeated washings which are now generally advised. 



The backward condition of some thinly planted areas of 

 ('astilloa i-ul)ber trees indicated the damaging effects to the 

 crop of exposing the soil to sun and rain. Rapid growth 

 of the trees is pronnjteil by a stirface mulch with decaying 

 organic matter. 



