130 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[January i, 1909. 



reason to expect an increased yield with greater age. But much 

 larger yields, in exceptional cases, have been authenticated. 

 Eleven-year-old trees on Culloden estate, specially tapped, gave 14 

 pounds of rubber from 8 months' tapping, and trees of unknown 

 age (probably 20 to 25 years), from 10 to 25 pounds each in one 

 year. 



So far the maximum capacity of a cultivated Hevea would 

 seem unsettled; meanwhile the conditions for a liberal produc- 

 tion have not been agreed upon. A recent writer mentions five 

 neighboring rubber plantations in Ceylon, on which were em- 

 ployed an equal number of tapping processes, each strongly de- 

 fended by the plantation manager using it. 



NOTES ON RECENT YIELDS. 



Kuala Lumpur Rubber Co., Limited, in the year ended June 30 

 gained 79,274 pounds of rubber from 39,543 trees (age not stated), 

 or a fraction over 2 pounds per tree. This year more trees are 

 being tapped, with the result that the four months ended Octo- 

 ber 31 yielded 60,740 pounds. The company's last consignment 

 of rubber to Antwerp was sold on November 19 at an average 

 of SJ. 654c(. [= $1.35 1/3] per pound. The latest Kuala Lumpur 

 report refers to an average of more than 6 pounds per tree 

 having been obtained from something over 10,000 trees on the 

 neighboring and older estates of the Federated Malay States 

 Rubber Co., Limited, which are under the care of the same man- 

 ager, Mr. E. B. Skinner. 



Sumatra Para Rubber Plantations, Limited, in their first re- 

 port, mention the collection of 62,700 pounds in 15 months, or an 

 average of 3 pounds per tree, young and old. The rubber realized 

 3J. 4.5irf. [= 82.1 cents] in London, after paying charges. The 

 cost on the plantation is figured at i.r. 1.87^. [= 28 1/3 cents] 

 per pound. 



Rubber Plantation Yields (in Pounds). 



1907. 1908. 



Vallambrosa Rubber Co.: 



Eight months to November 30 144,584 169,731 



Ktiala Lumpur Rubber Cn.: 



Twelve months to June 30 051,998 78,274 



\a — Fifteen months.] 



Perak Rubber Plantations : 

 Nine months to November 30 22,670 36,534 



Yatiyantota Ceylon Tea Co.: 

 Six months to June 30 3,077 4,354 



Sumatra Para Rubber Plantations: 

 Fifteen months to June 30 ; 62,700 



Pataling, Rubber Estates Syndicate: 

 Seven months to July 31 37.752 40,035 



Federated (Selangor) Rubber Co.: 

 Four months to July 31 5,658 15.785 



Anglo-Malay Rubber Co.: 

 Eleven months to November 30 196,109 312,050 



Seremban Estate Rubber Co.: 

 Eight months to September 30 79,167 100,418 



Perak Rubber Plantations: 

 Eleven months to November 30 22,670 36,534 



P. P. K. (Ceylon') Rubber Estates: 

 Ten months to October 31 10,448 22,212 



Lanadron Rubber Estates: 

 Eleven months to November 30 88,439 165,056 



Some Yields in November. 



1907. 1908. 



Anglo-Malav Rubber Co 22,450 34.062 



Lanadron Rubber Estates 7,500 17.508 



Perak Rubber Plantations 4.542 7,442 



Sumatra Para Rubber Plantations 3,250 5,940 



THE DISCOVERER OF GUAYULE. 



"guayule" rubber plant. A little history of this survey may not 

 be without interest. 



The Mexican boundary survey was created by act of the United 

 States congress to carry out the provisions of the treaty of 

 Guadalupe. Its duties were to determine the dividing line be- 

 tween Mexico and the United States ; to trace the Colorado ; to 

 examine into the mineral and agricultural resources, and to gain 

 information concerning the natural history of the localities ex- 

 plored. The party consisted of about a hundred persons, includ- 

 ing surveyors, scientists, artisans, and laborers. 



John Milton Bigelow, the original collector of guayule, was 

 born in Vermont in 1804, educated a physician, practised medicine 

 in Lancaster, Ohio ; served as surgeon and botanist in the Mexi; 

 can boundary and Pacific railroad surveys, and occupied the chair 

 of materia medica in the Michigan Medical College. He was the 

 author of "Medicinal Plants of Ohio" and numerous articles on 

 materia medica, and died in Detroit, Michigan, in 1878. 



Bigelow should have more credit for the discovery of guayule. 

 Our sympathies go out to this intrepid collector. The writer has 

 looked for guayule in the same section but under present con- 

 veniences and did not succeed. Bigelow's original location was 

 "Escondido creek," which place is not given on recent maps of 

 Texas. Havard gives Rio Escondido as a stream flowing into the 

 Rio Grande from the Mexican side, three miles below Eagle Pass. 

 Havard, however, does not give guayule on his list of plants. 



The writer examined this locality in 1901 and again in 1907, 

 but was unable to locate the shrub. Judging from the character 

 of the flora I infer that this location is outside of the guayule 

 belt. 



Concerning the location of Escondido creek Mr. J. T. Robinson, 

 acting land commissioner, Austin, Texas, writes : "The word 

 'Escondido' is frequently used for the name of small creeks in 

 the southwestern part of Texas. The largest of these in the 

 guayule belt of the coimtry is situated in Pecos county and 

 flows northward into the Pecos river." 



Dr. Asa Gray in his later description of the plant (Synoptical 

 Flora of the United States — Volume Compositce) says: "Found 

 on southwestern borders of Texas (Bigelow) and adjacent 

 Mexico (Parry and Palmer). The plant contains gum or resin 

 in Mexico." 



The proceedings of the boundary commission were marked 

 by bitter quarrels between the commissioner and his subordinates. 

 Charges and counter charges alleging drunkenness and graft 

 were freelv made. The quality of the rations formed a source 

 of complaint from the men. Employes were unable to draw their 

 pay on account of lack of funds. One man. the assistant quarter- 

 master, was murdered by outlaws (first appearance of the "south- 

 western bad man") near El Paso. 



That considerable anxiety was shown in the expected aridity 

 of the line of march is evinced by the fact that the original order 

 for supplies called for "10 barrels of whiskey, 60 gallons of 

 brandy, 100 gallons of claret, 60 gallons of sherry, 30 gallons of 

 port, and 40 gallons of fine assorted wine in bottles." 



With such a layout we wonder that they did not report more 

 guayule. We also begin to doubt the authenticity of those 

 beautiful, highly colored pictures of birds and reptiles. 



CHARLES p. FOX. 

 .Mvron, Ohio, Decemher 9, igo8. 



TTO THE Editor of The India Rubber World: In some notes 

 •'■ on "Guayule in the United States" in your issue for No- 

 vember I (page 58) reference is made to the official report — on 

 behalf of this country — on the boundary between the United 

 States and Mexico, in which monumental work occurs the first 

 scientific reference to what is now so widely known as the 



The recently formed German asbestos syndicate is stated to 

 be conducting negotiations for the purchase of the various as- 

 bestos mines situated in the Ural mountains region of Russia, 

 the output of which has risen within ten years past from loi,- 

 638 poods to 571,994 poods [^0,571,786 pounds]. 



An international aeronautical exhibition is to be held this 

 year at Munich, comprising nine sections, covering the whole 

 field of balloon making and its accessories, flying machines 

 in the different stages of their development, and in general the 

 subject of the control of aerial vehicles in flight. 



