November i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



405 



of nutriment, the dense shade and the drip are 

 serious objections. In Southern India, however, shade 

 is generally used, the favourite trees for the purpose 

 being Indian figs. Many of these, including the noble 

 Moreton Bay Fig, are native to Queensland, so that, 

 if the coffee enterprize is really entered on extensively, 

 experiments with trees likely to be most beneficial 

 and least injurious as shade can be easily tried. 



THE INDIARUBBER INDUSTRY IN BRAZIL 



AND CEYLON, 

 is the subject of discussion in the Kio Press. The 

 Eio News writes : — 



Concerning our coramonts on the new rubber-pro- 

 ducing industiy of Ceylon, and of the backward state 

 of that industry on the Amazon, our esteemed contem- 

 porary, the Diario do Gram-Pard, contests both the 

 accuracy of the observations of Mr. Henry Trimen of 

 Ceylon, from whose report we made a full extract of the 

 discussion on "coffee" and "rubber" and the deduct- 

 ions wliich we drew from them. We are inclined to 

 believe that our colleague misunderstanils the position 

 assumed both in our extracts and and in our comments, 

 as he devotes his whule attention to proving the com- 

 parative superiority of the ParJi rubber, and of its 

 inexhaustible supply on the Amazon. As far as we 

 know, no one seeks, to under-rate the excellent qualities 

 of Parij rubber, nor the immense supplies still within 

 reach. What we sought to demonstrate was the ener- 

 getic measures adopted iu Ceylon and India to cultivate 

 this product, and the apparent good chances of success. 

 We then drew attention to the apathy existing in this 

 country on this growing coinpetilion — just as it has 

 existed in the cane of cotfeo production — and of the 

 wasteful process still employed in the industry on the 

 Amazon. We also drew attention to the gradual re- 

 cession into the interior of the rubber-producing 

 localities, giving the receipts this last season from the 

 Rio Beui as an instance. The Diario replies that the 

 Beni is in Bolivian territory, and that the rubber came 

 down iu canoes until it reached the river steamship 

 route, where it was shipped down the Amazon by 

 steam. This, however, does not meet the argument. 

 We held that the rubber industry in Brazil is etill 

 primitive and destructive, and that it is steadily re- 

 ceding into the interior, thus increasing the costs of 

 production through increased inland transportation. 

 We learned from one of our Pani or Amazouas 

 contemporaries that the first shipment from the 

 Rio Beni came down this last season to Manaos — and 

 all the way by canoe. Whether gathered on Bolivian 

 territory or not, it still proves the truth of our state- 

 ment that the industry is receding into the interior. 

 Furthermore, our colleague must admit that scores of 

 rubber-producing localities ou the lower Amazon are 

 now eutirely unproductive and deserted, and that even 

 the villages of rubber-gatherers have gone up the river 

 with the opening of new seringdcs. So true is this 

 that travellers are often shown the sites of these aban- 

 doned villages, now over-grown with new forest. These 

 facts prove the correctness of our argument, and should 

 prove also the logical conclusion which we drew that 

 the industry is iu serious danger. It is all well 

 enough to point out the excellence of Paia rubber, 

 and its steadily iucreasing comtuercial importance. In 

 this connection it should be remembered that the in- 

 creasing export is due to the increasing uses of rubber 

 througliout the industrial world, aud that this means 

 as muc: for other producing countries as for Paril. 

 Whenever the cost "f Para rubber becomes too high 

 in comparison with other grades, nothing is more cer- 

 tain than that manufacturers will make more miniite 

 classifications of grades for special uses, and will find 

 a wider use for the inferior grades. If Brazil eliooses 

 to sleep until that time, sUo will then Cud that the 

 52 



child of today has grown into a strong man — that the 

 new ijroducers who are now planting, cultivating and 

 experimenting, have won a position where they can 

 compete on adv.antageous terms. Even admitting that 

 Ceylon and India may never be able to produce a gr:'de 

 of rubber equal to that of Pard, the fact still remainpth.it 

 they will eventually conquer an important part of the 

 consuming market and may restrict Pard to the supply 

 of a special grade for special uses. As in the case of 

 coffee, it may occur that production will outstrip con- 

 sumption, in which event prices and profits must fall. 

 In such case how is Pard prepared to meet the emer- 

 gency ? Her source of supply will be distant and 

 diminishing. The cost of production and transportation 

 will be high and increasing. And she will be totally 

 unprepared to make economies. We beg our colleague 

 to remember that nothing is ever lost by looking facts 

 square in the face. The export at Pari has been iu- 

 creasing hand over baud, but that means also a corre- 

 sponding destruction of the source of supply. It mens 

 nothing more than that more people are engaged in 

 the business, and that more rubber trees are com- 

 pelled to pay tribute to the demands of trade. In a 

 developed industry this would also mean a more ex- 

 tended cultivation, and a consequent addition to the 

 permanent wealth of the country. In the Amazon 

 rubber industry, however, it means nothing of the sort. 

 The people are becoming no wealthier and no more 

 civilized. The land is not tilled, no new permanent 

 improvement, are being made, the country is really 

 not a shilling richer than before. It is true that a 

 few more traders will gain profits from the industry, 

 and that the tax-gatherer wdl gain new revenue from 

 the increased product, but of what real value is ibis 

 to the country ? No country ever yet taxed itself 

 rich, and no country ever gained but a slight per- 

 manent advantage from the profits of its frontier 

 traders. We do not doubt the natural advantages of 

 the Amazon valley in this respect, but we do doul^t 

 the wisdom of continuing so important an industry in 

 a primitive stage. , , , i 



The writer then goes on to contrast the backward 

 state of Brazil first visited by the Portuguese under 

 Caldeira three years before the pilgrims landed at 

 Plymouth Rock and the progress of New England. 

 The fcctilements ou the Amazon do little yet except 

 to collect aud export forest produce which constitute 

 14-15th3 of the exports from Para for the half-year 

 ended June last. Rubber shewed for $12,350,000, 

 say £l,--.'35,000 for the half-year. At the same rate 

 for the 12 months, the value would be £2,470,000. 

 Our readers will thus see the great importance of the 

 trade which the Brazilians are exhausting. 



HINTS ON TEA CULTURE AND MANU- 

 FACTURE. 



Tea planters throughout all the various districts of 

 India Cejlon and Java are now straining every nerve 

 to reduce the cost of production, whilst at the same 

 time improving the quality, and hence the tol owing 

 practical suggestions, prepared by a London hrm having 

 the a.^ency of a large number of Indian properties, 

 deserve wider publicity then they have hitherto been 

 accorded Ihey arc specially directed to the more 

 perfect economical working of Indian tea gardens, but 

 they are equally applicable to the case of Ceylon, Java 



and Johore : — • ^ ,. j-i 



Some of the more important points to be kept steadily 



in view are — 



l&t—Pluclcinrj the green leaves at an earlier stage 

 of development— allowing at the cnmmencement of 

 the season a free growth of shoots for the formation of 

 youn'' wood. It does not necessarily follow that this 

 would entail auy material reduction iu the amount 

 of crop, aud auy partial loss in g_uanlily would be 



