July z, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



manure on a field for wheat, aud left it for less than two 

 months before it was spread. The next year the wheat 

 grew enormously on the spots where the heaps had lain 

 and i-usted badly and the straw fell down, while the rest 

 of the field showed the plainest e\'idence that it needed 

 what had been wasted elsewhere. The lesson has remained, 

 and it is recalled with much force when a field is seen 

 dotted over with manure heaps too soon after the oats 

 have been cut or when the snow lies upon the ground, 

 or whenever this subject is discussed. — A'ew York Times. 



-♦ 



INDIARUBBEK. 



The last European Mail and the Planters' Gazette of 

 the 1st ult., each contained short notices of the recent dis- 

 covery made by Mr. Jenman, the Govermnent Botanist 

 and Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens, of two new 

 India-Rubber, and Gutta-Percha trees in the interior, and 

 his report on these ha.s now been published in the Ojjicial 

 Gazette by the order of His Excellency the Governor. 

 Our readers may remember that Mr. Jenman wrote a: pre- 

 vious report on the Herea Spruceana, which was pubh.shed 

 last year, and the present one may be con.sidered to be 

 supplementary to that. Then the Essequebo aud Mazzaruni 

 Rivers, aud the creeks connecting with these, were the 

 locahties described, now he takes us to the Pomeroon River, 

 and gives a most interesting account of his operations there. 

 From his description -the Hevea, or Hatie, — the Arawack 

 name of the tree, and the one most generally known by 

 the River residents, — is very similar to the Para rubber 

 tree, attaiiiiug about the same dimensions, and growing 

 precisely under the same conditions. Low lying gi-ound, 

 frequently imder water during the wet seasons, and densely 

 shaded, seems to suit them best, as where the.se conditions 

 most uniformly prevail, in the localities where they are 

 found, most of the trees occur. The Hevea, at its best, 

 is not a large tree, rarely exceeding twenty inches in 

 diameter, and squaring for timber to about fourteen or 

 fifteen inches. The bark is thin aud smooth, aud ou trees, 

 a foot or more in diameter, it is not more than a quarter 

 of an inch thick. " "WTien found in high forests, surrounded 

 by others, the trees are quite straight and erect, and 

 attain a height of sixty feet or more, with a few branches 

 at the head." As to the rate at which the Hevea grows, 

 Mr. Jenman can only adduce evidence gathered from the 

 residents of the rivers and forests of the colony. An in- 

 telligent lad, a half breed, who has been acquainted with 

 the tree from his youth estimated "speaking of it, of 

 course, in its natives habitats, that it attains a diameter 

 of eight or nine inches in five or six years." This JMr-. 

 Jenman considers must be its extreme rate of develop- 

 ment vmder the most favourable conditions; still it is a 

 sufficient guide to those who may entertain Mr. Jenman's 

 advice to undertake the cultivation of the tree in some 

 of the many locahties suitable for its growth. 



These \vill be found on all the rivers of the Colony 

 below the falls, and will thus be accessible without diffic- 

 ulty or expense. "The cultivation might be successfully 

 pm-sued, not only where the trees are found spontaneous, 

 but, as well, on land of a similar or identical character, 

 though in which, tlirough other circumstances, they are 

 not natm'ally established." The labour reqim-ed would be 

 yery inconsiilerable, and a few hundred acres, treated with 

 care and intelligence, would prove, in the course of years. 

 a som'ce of considerable means to the proprietor. "If 

 planters in Oeylon aud India speak hopefully as they do, 

 of the eventual success of Hevea cultivation in those count- 

 ries, here possessing all the natural conditions, and the 

 advantages derived from an intimate accjuaintance with 

 these under the actual occupation of the trees, the succes.s 

 should be assured. AVherever the tree is found, in the 

 fruiting season — April to Jime — seed may be procured in 

 fan' abundance If sown at once mider the trees in nm'scry 

 bed.s prepared from the lighter soil aud leaf-mould which 

 the forest affords in places, the plants would spring up 

 rapidly, when they might be carefuUy Ufted, with their 

 rootlets unbroken, and planted at intervals under the other 

 trees. AMiere the latter are too close to admit the amount 

 of hght required, they should be- thinned out first ; ami it 

 might be necessary to carry this on with care from time 

 to time with the increasing requirements, both for room 

 and light, of the planted trees. In some seasons and places 



it would be unnecessary to collect and sow seeds as natm-al 

 seedlings may be gathered under the trees." 



The Hevea cultivator should be prepared to wait for 

 his crop, but meanwhile any trees already on the gi-ound 

 might be utilised, and the produce sold. Seeing the in- 

 creasing demand for indiarubber, with the daily extension 

 of its application, and particularly the value of Hevea 

 rubber, as compared with other kinds, the results of the 

 enterprize might be looked forward to with the utmost 

 confidence. Manufactiu-ers will take all they can obtain, 

 and were it only more abundant in the market and cheaper, 

 many new uses might be found for it. " To give an idea 

 of the importance of the Brazihan trade in rubber, I may 

 mention that the export from Para for the half-year ended 

 June last reached the value of R12,350,000. It illustrates, 

 as well, the value of the industry which is within our 

 reach. The present market value of Para rubber is 4/6 

 per lb. The cultivation might be carried on in conjunction 

 with woodcutting, plantain growing, or any other imme- 

 diately remunerative industry which would enable the cultiv- 

 ator to tide over the time till the trees reached the age 

 of production." 



Having shown how the tree may be cultivated, Mr. Jen- 

 man next deals with the yield, and the method of collec- 

 tion. From experiments on good trees he has come to the 

 conclu.sion that each cut may give half a cup-full of juice, 

 there being 15 cups to the English imperial pint. The 

 chief difficulty seems to be in the method and means for 

 collecting the juice, and for this piu-pose he recommends 

 cups that are round or flat, or shghtly concave ; the latter 

 being the best as they fit more closely when pressed against 

 the tree. They are made of burnt clay and can be readily 

 obtained at a cheap rate from Caiibisci Indians, being 

 fastened to the tree immediately under the incision made 

 by the collector's axe, by a small lump of well-wrought 

 clay. In the Pomeroon where the tree grows, he found 

 a very suitable clay which he employed in liis operations. 

 "Nothing is gained by making numerous cuts close together; 

 the flow of juice should be allowed to take place by a 

 few rather than several exudations. If it occurs from too 

 many for a certain area, so Uttle is obtained from each 

 as to be a mere drop or two in a vessel, which, ihffused 

 over the large siu:face of the several receptacles, involves 

 a proportionately large loss by surface, adhesion, in addition 

 to the time aud labour taken uj) by extra work. A circle 

 of incisions is made each day, extending from as high as 

 one can reach, and working downwards day by day to 

 the base of the tree. They should be made about six 

 or eight inches apart; the incisions in the chcles being 

 in quincunx oixler." 



Mr. Jenman then goes on to describe the new tree which 

 he discovered in the Pomeroon, and which he regards as 

 of "great interest and importance." The tree appears to 

 be a species of Ficus or Urostic/mia, but in the absence 

 of flowers or fruit it can only be identified conjecturally, 

 and he adds "the colony abounds in different iilants of the 

 above given, of whicli presumably other .species to this are 

 also valuable," some of them being known to attain large 

 dimensions. The method of coUectiou seems very simple. 

 The bark is cut and then left, and the milk which oozes 

 from the wound (hies in a few days. This is then stripped 

 from the bark, aud rolled up in the shape of a ball, the 

 rubber being exceedingly strong and tenacious. "This 

 method of collecting is that pmsued in Ceara, the province 

 of Brazil, which produces Manihot Glaziocii. It is very 

 economical of time, for it saves the tedious operation of 

 catching the milk in a vessel as it issues from the wound, 

 which is the most bothersome of ail the operations. The 

 principal objection to it is, that the rubber becomes .soiled 

 by the du-t adhering to the bark, a little of which it retains, 

 and no doubt this would deteriorate its market value; but 

 this cause of depreciation might be reduced to a minimuni 

 by carefully brushing the surface down prior to commenc- 

 ing collecting operations." " The Indians know the tree 

 under two names, the Carahisi calling it Touckpong and the 

 JraHcrc/,-.sCuniakaballi. Noble in all its proportions, spread- 

 ing and lifting its massive head above its neighbours, 

 it is one of the largest trees of the forests, and has a wide 

 and general distribution o\er the deeji belt of low country 

 in the colony. Samples of the rubber of both this and 

 the H,atie. I have sent to England to be tested as to their 

 probable commercial value." An attempt was made by 



