15 



and there in isolated places. Investigations by officers of the 

 Jamaica Agricultural Department have shown, beyond doubt, 

 that this vine grows indigenously over many thousand acres of 

 our land. It yields rubber of an exceedingly high quality that is 

 free from resinous matters. 



It trails along the ground for about 20 to 30 feet and then 

 mounts the forest trees. 



I have given this plant a good deal of attention, and have made 

 and submitted its rubber to experts. They have pronounced it 

 as being highly satisfactory. 



The cultivation of this rubber-producing plant could be carried 

 on very easily. Enter the bush and under-wood, gather your cut- 

 tings direct from the present growing plants and place them into 

 the ground in rings around standing trees. They will grow 

 readily and run on the trees. The bleeding of them would be 

 exceedingly simple. By cutting a small slice on the side of the 

 vine by means of a sharp instrument, the milk would run readily 

 into a pan placed beneath. 



This vine grows readily on the kinds of land that are too 

 rocky for either Hevea or Castilloa. It has been said that because 

 the vine is a climber it would not lend itself readily to cultivation 

 but it should be comparatively easy to establish, if these vines 

 are planted 6 feet apart in the woods, from 1,600 to 1,200 vines 

 per acre. 



A single vine will often yield sufficient milk from a single 

 tapping to give an ounce of rubber, and assuming you tap the 

 vines several times in a year, the yield would be considerable. 

 The collection of rubber from vines is now being carried out 

 largely on a commercial scale in other parts of the world and 

 there should be no reason why this rubber-producing plant could 

 not be successfully cultivated for the same purpose. The de- 

 mand for rubber is exceeding the natural supply. Cultivations 

 are springing up on every side, and there are many parts of Ja- 

 maica that could be made to produce as good rubber as can be 

 obtained from other parts of the world. 



PINE-APPLE GROWING IN THE WEST INDIES 



By G. L. Lucas. 



The growing for export of pine-apples in the West Indies has 

 never been successfully accomplished, except in the Bahamas, 

 and in the island of Cuba. 



The Bahamas for many years were large producers and ex- 

 porters of pine-apples. All the fruits were sent to Baltimore in 

 schooners in bulk to the canning factories, but of late years the 

 industry has steadily failed, until now the shipments from these 

 islands have become small. 



* Reprinted from West Indian Bulletin Vol. VIII p. 151. For previous article 

 by Mr. Lucas see Bulletin of Dept. of Agriculture, Vol. V. p. 41. 



