188 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March i, 1905. 



RUBBER PLANimC AND EXPLOITATION. 



THE RUBBER PLANTING INTEREST IN CEYLON. 



FRANCIS J. HOLLOVVAY, manager of the Kepitigalle 

 estate, Matale, Ceylon, writes to The Times of Ceylon : 

 " During the past five years I have devoted a great 

 deal of my time to rubber cultivation and curing, and 

 during the year 1904 this estate has enjoyed the distinction of 

 having the largest sale of seed and output of rubber of the 

 island. We know that Pard gives over two pounds per tree in 

 its tenth year, planted 15X15, or say 200 trees to an acre, and 

 that it can be delivered in Colombo under 50 cents 1 = 16.4 

 cents, gold] per pound and is selling at present in Colombo for 

 between 4.15 and 4.20 rupees [=Si.34>2 to Si. 36] per pound." 



These figures, compared with even the highest prices quoted 

 for Ceylon rubber at the London auction sales, say bs. \ii. [ = 

 $1.48] would show that the margin of difference in price be- 

 tween the primary and consuming markets is very narrow, 

 after the transportation cost is figured. Speaking of the Col- 

 ombo market, the Times intimates that one or two houses 

 there may take up the rubber export as a specialty, the output 

 of the island having gone up last year to 72,000 pounds, with 

 the prospect of a steady increase. 



Writing later to The Times of Ceylon, the owner of a 300 

 acre rubber plantation, now three years old, says that selling 

 rubber at present prices equals /iioo profit per acre yearly, and 

 that, capitalizing this at 10 gloss purchase, gives a valuation at 

 ;^rooo per acre, or ^300,000 for the estate, and he asks whether 

 such valuation would be justified. 



F. S. Penfield, an American visiting Ceylon, through The 

 Times of Ceylon advises planters there, in taking up new cul- 

 tures, to give a preference to rubber rather than to cotton, for 

 the reason that while cultivation may ultimately result in over- 

 production of rubber, the stage of overproduction of cotton 

 has been reached already, and that a liberal rate of profit from 

 cotton planting is no longer to be looked for as in the case of 

 rubber. 



» • » 



Thk Kalutara district was visited early in January by their 

 Excellencies Sir Henry A. Blake, governor of Ceylon, and Lady 

 Blake. At Tebuwana an address was presented by the Kalutara 

 Planters' Association, pointing out the progress made in the 

 development of that district, and the still further growth hoped 

 for in connection with rubber planting, and requesting consid- 

 eration of means for improving the facilities for transportation. 

 At a breakfast tendered to the official visitors Mr. C. Henly, 

 chairman of the planters' association, said that, while profits on 

 tea were lower than formerly, " I do not think that there is any 

 chance of our district being a bandoned just yet. We have a new 

 product in rubber which promises to do very well, and in which 

 very large extensions are now taking place. About 1100 acres 

 were under this product alone at the end of 1903. some 2000 

 acres were planted in 1904, and much larger extensions are be- 

 ing made this year." Sir Henry expressed in his remarks to 

 the association a lively interest in the prospect of profits from 

 rubber, and afterwards spent some time in conversation with 

 the planters on this subject. Their Excellencies next proceed- 

 ed to .Arapolakanda estate, owned by the Eastern Produce and 

 Estates Co., Limited, where they were received by Mr. H. V. 

 Bagot, the superintendent, and had an opportunity of seeing 

 rubber trees tapped and the latex converted into commercial 

 rubber. They were entertained over night on Narthupana es- 



tate, at Neboda, at the residence of Mr. R. Morlson, the super- 

 intendent. 



• » * 



Mr. Thomas Petch, b. a., has been appointed government 

 mycologist, to succeed Mr. J. B. Carruthers, whose work in re- 

 lation to canker in rubber is well known to our readers, and 

 whose transfer to the Federated Malay States was reported in 

 the last issue of this Journal. Mr. Carruthers, by the way, paid 

 a visit to England before taking his new post in Malaya. 



= The Muwankande Cocoanut and Rubber Co. of Ceylon, 

 Limited, formed with an authorized capital of 300,000 rupees 

 [$97,200]. to acquire and develop Muwankande estate, in Ku- 

 runegila. The property embraces 746 acres, of which 320 are 

 reported to be under cocoanuts from one to nine years, and 73 

 in Para rubber, planted in July, 1904. It is proposed to add So 

 acres to the cocoanut area and to plant 273 acres in rubber. It 

 is stated in the company's prospectus that the cocoanuts alone 

 are expected to yield dividends on the capital. The initial 

 issue of capital is 240 000 rupees, of which the vendor takes 85,- 

 000 in shares in part payment of the purchase money of 160,- 

 000 rupees. 



= Mr. A. Van der Poorten, proprietor of several plantations 

 in Galagedara district, devoted to tea, cacao, and cocoanuts, is 

 mentioned in The Times of Ceylon as having spent a number 

 of years in the Congo Free State, where he became familiar 

 with African rubbers, and he has planted in Ceylon, by way 

 of experiment, specimens of several species of Landolphia, 

 and also Cliiandria Arnoldiana (root rubber). Mr. Van der 

 Poorten has considerable rubber growing on hts estate in con- 

 nection with other crops, including a few specimens of Fun- 

 tumia elastica (an African rubber tree), reported to be just 

 ready for tapping. 



= Shipments of Ceylon rubber seed {Hevea Brasiliensis) 

 were made lately from Rangoon (Burma) and Hong Kong. 



MONTE CRISTO RUBBER PLANTATION CO. 



Incorporated January 28, 1905. under Colorado laws; cap- 

 ital, $100,000; to purchase 5000 acres in Palenque district, 

 state of Chiapas, Mexico, and form a rubber plantation, open 

 stores, and operate means for transportation in Mexico. Di- 

 rectors : Bruce F. Johnson, F. H. Badger, Harry M. Haines, 

 Thomas C. Williams. F, J. Decker, and H. E. Badger, all of 

 Greeley, Colorado; Frank A. Chaney and Peter D. Rothwell, 

 Denver, Colorado ; Charles D. Cooper, Portland, Oregon ; Ar- 

 thur L. Tirto, Butte, Montana. The registered office is at 

 Denver, but directors' meetings will be held at the Greeley 

 office. 



REPORTED RUBBER PLANTING IN COLOMBIA. 



An interesting reference to rubber is made in a report by 

 the United States consular agent at Ouibdo, Colombia. This 

 town is located on the river Atrato, and is the market for the 

 rich gold mining region of El Choc6, in the department of 

 Cauca. The Atrato is an important stream, emptying into the 

 gulf of Uraba, an arm of the Caribbean sea. The reference to 

 rubber follows : 



" Important as is the gold mining of the Choc6, its suprem- 

 acy is being disputed by the rubber industry. Cultivated trees 

 are now producing about a ton a rubber a day. Most of the 

 negro farmers are planting rubber in a small way, and the total 

 is very large. Formal planting on a large scale is being carried 



