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Some increasing uses for Rubber : — 



(1 ) tyres for vehicles ; 



(2) shoes and other foot -wear ; 



(3) telephone and telegraph cables : 



(4) electric appliances generally ; 



(5) rubber belting and machinery. 



The present high prices for Rubber may be accounted for by 



(1) the increasing demand ; 



(2) improved preparation of raw material. 



Rubber latex or milk — to produce the finest grades, is now 

 carefully collected, washed and coagulated, and the Rubber is sent 

 to the market in the form of thin sheets or " biscuits." In this 

 form, the presence of dirt or any foreign matter would be easily 

 detected by the buyer, and when quite clean the rubber can be 

 worked up by the manufacturer with much less trouble and expense. 



Plantations of Castilloa elastica, Hevea brasiliensis, and Finitumia 

 elastica have been established in TriDidad. The following extracts 

 are taken from reports of the Senior Agricultural Instructor : — 



"InMayaro Ward, two small plantations of Castilloa elastica — of 

 about ten acres each, were examined. Both plantations were on 

 undulating land, naturally well-drained. The first had been formed 

 by cutting out the majority of the trees from the virgin forest and 

 clearings made in the under-bush about five feet wide, and along the 

 centre of each clearing the Castilloa were planted at about twelve 

 feet apart. In the second plantation, the whole of the original trees 

 and bush had been cut down and temporary shade, such as Bananas 

 and Cassava had been planted to protect the young Castilloa plants, 

 (Practically the same method as is generally adopted for the forma- 

 tion of a cacao plantation — Ed.) The trees in the latter plantation 

 were much stronger and healthier — quite as tall but not so spindly, 

 and there were fewer blanks and weak plants than in the former plan- 

 tation. Near here was pointed a place where a few Funtumia had 

 been planted but all had died. (Probably due to exposure to sun 

 just after planting, or putting in plants without removing bamboo 

 pots — Ed.) A plantation of Hevea was then visited near the bank of 

 the Ortoire river. The young Hevea trees had been planted under 

 the large trees — chiefly Mora, of the virgin forest, all the smaller 

 trees and bush being previously cut down. There were only a few 

 Hevea trees to he seen. A large majority had died and even those 

 remaining were very weak. I was told that owing to an oversight 

 the plants had been put in the soil without removing the bamboo pots 

 in which they had come from the nursery. Further up the river 

 and also under the forest shade some Landolphia rubber plants were 

 growing well, climbing up the trunks of the largest trees." 



" At Chaguaramas and Gasparee there are several trees of Ceara 

 (Maiuhot Glaziovii) growing well. At San Diego, several Castilloa 

 trees are thriving amongst the cacao. In Brasso Caparo district there 

 are several plantations of Castilloa about four years old, and at Coco- 



