August i, 1906.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER ^A^ORLD 



355 



but it is quite likely that some of the existinjj insects will 

 adapt themselves to the rubber situation as it develops. 



My interest in rubber in Hawaii dates back to iSgo, dur- 

 ing the reign of King Kalakua, with whom I had a most in- 

 teresting correspondence. That is, I wrote him .some very 

 interesting letters and got no replies. I don't say specifi- 

 cally that that is why he lost his throne, but any student of 

 historj- knows what has happened to the islands since I re- 

 ceived the royal snub. 



The defunct ruler, however, went on record as believing 

 that something might be done with the Fiais religioso and 

 the FiiKS fnilita \\\\{c\\ grow there in "prolific profusion." 

 He also noted that the bread fruit tree {Aitocarpos iinisa) 

 produced a gum that for centuries had been used by his sub- 

 jects for waterproofing purposes, and which he believed 

 might contain a percentage of rubber. With regard to the 

 cultivation of rubber, he promised his royal sanction to any- 

 body with money to spend to come there and spend it for 

 rubber or anything else. 



Somewhere in 1900 the papers in the Far Rast claimed 

 that the United States government was going at once to 

 save $30,000,000 that it was then paying for imported rub- 

 ber, by booming cultivation in Hawaii. The 

 story was, that the nucleus was to be 100,000 

 rubber trees transplanted from Brazil to the 

 newly acquired territory. Nolhing, lu)wever, 

 came of this. 



It was on the island of Maui that the first 

 real start at rubber planting was made. Seven 

 hundred and si.xtj' square miles has Maui, and 

 a most romantic island it is. It is really two 

 mountains connected by a sandy isthmus, and 

 is wonderfully varied both in climate and 

 scenery. For example, speaking of climate, 

 one side of the island is dry and barren, but 

 the other, the windward, is exceedinglj- fer- 

 tile. This portion, which consists on the 

 lower levils of picturesque valleys, has plenty 

 of rain and rich soil, and it is here that the 

 rubber is being planted, and Ceara {Manihot) 

 was the first tree selected. Rumor has it also 

 that there was something like 200 acres, part 

 Ht'vca and part Ficus, planted about the same 

 time, but no record of this planting is at pres- 

 ent available. In 1905, however, there was 

 formed the Nahiku Rubber Co., Limited, 

 which took over the plantation containing 

 the Ceara trees planted some years before, 

 which although few in number, had not onl3' 

 matured remarkably, but had become excel- 

 lent rubber producers. This was rather re- 

 markable, that is, the fact that the trees pro- 

 duced latex, as the rainfall was nearly 250 

 inches, and with the experience of the Ceylon 

 planters before them many thought that the 

 trees would be barren. The reason for this 

 difference perhaps lies in the fact that al- 

 though the rainfall is great the evaporation is 

 very sudden so that the trees are led to ex- 

 pect a drouth, which never comes. The same 

 company are also importing seed of the 

 Hevea from Ceylon and expect to plant that 



on a large scale. 



Wiih regard to the yield of the Ceara trees in the Nahiku 

 plantation, six small incisions produced an ounce of drj' 

 rubber, and this tapping maj- be repeated once a week 

 through the year. 



Mr. Jared (5. Smith, who is in charge of the Hawaiian 

 Ivxperiment Station, is authority for the statement that the 

 Manihot trees at Nahiku landing have alread}' produced a 

 pound and a half of dry rubber a year. This assures a good 

 profit. He also mentions the recent incorporation of two 

 more planting companies but gives no particulars further 

 than that they are already planting and the young trees 

 showing nuirvelous growth. As several leading business 

 men from Hawaii have recently been in Ceylon and the 

 Straits studying rubber culture it is quite likely that future 

 ])laiiting will be in part, at least, of the Ihvea. It is worthy 

 of note, that the principal rubber planting in Hawaii has 

 been done by settlers from the United States. These are 

 small beginnings, but beginnings all the same. Ju.st keep 

 an eye on T. H. and see if in another decade .she is not pro- 

 ducing good rubber as well as furnishing seed for Formosa, 

 the Philippines, Samoa, and other tropical countries. 



PLANTING ON NEWLY CLEARED LAND, NAHIKU PLANTATION. 



