JAMAICA. 



BULLETIN LIBRARY 



^ " •: 



OF THE B- 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Vol. IV. AUGUST, 1906. Part 8. 



PARA RUBBER. 



Review by W. G. Freeman, in Botanisches Centralblatt. 

 Wright, Herbert, Hcvca braziUensis or Para Rubber. Its botany, 

 cultivation, chemistry and diseases. (A .M. and J. Ferguson, 

 Colombo. I06 and VII. pp. With 28 plates. 1905.) 

 The first plants of Para Rubber were received at Heneratgoda, 

 Ceylon, from Kew in 1875, having been raised from seed collected 

 by Mr. Wickham in the Ciringals of the Rio Tapajos. Propaga- 

 tion, first by cutting and later by seed, was carried on and now 

 there are some 40,000 acres of this plant in Ceylon whilst large 

 quantities of seed have been distributed to many parts of the 

 world. Although at first it iwas thought that Hcvca should be 

 planted in places but little above the sea-level it has been shown 

 that it will grow up to 2,000 feet and even higher in some districts of 

 the island. The laticiferous system is briefly described and the 

 functions of the latex discussed. 



At Para itself there is a rain-fall of 80 to 120 inches and a mean 

 temperature of 75' to 8l"F., and although it is pointed out that these 

 conditions are not absolutely necessary for the cultivation of Para 

 rubber, many parts of the tropics possess them and in these areas 

 the industry promises to become as important as in Ceylon, the 

 Malay Peninsula and India. 



The cultivation of the plant is dealt with in detail, and illustrated 

 by views of trees grown in various conditions, e.g., drained swampy 

 lands, rocky hillsides, &c. With wide planting coffee and cacao 

 can be grown with success amongst Hevea,^Nh.\\si as "catch crops" 

 for the first few years, Groundnuts {Arachis hypogaca), Cassava 

 {Manihot utilissima) and lemon grass {Andropogon) have given good 

 results. 



A chapter is devoted to soils and manuring. Three chapters 

 treat fully of the important question of tapping. The harm done 

 by bad tapping by which the wood is injured is illustrated. Vari- 

 ous patterns of tapping instruments are described and illustrations 

 given of several ; GoUedge's knife, and Bowman's and Northway's 



