May 



1905] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



259 



THE SOUTH AMERICAN " CAUCHO " TREE IDENTIFIED. 



By Ernsl UU." 



THE rubber tree Castilloa t//«' (Warburg) belongs to the 

 fsmily of the Morcees s^nA is distinctly different from 

 the West Indian species, Castilloa elastica (Cervantes). 

 The chief difference consists in the form of the fruits, 

 which are globular and not flattened. The trees bear dis- 

 tinct male and female blossoms, the crowns of which spread 

 out to a considerable size. The fruits ripen about Christmas 

 time, and are edible. The Castilloa trees may be distinguished 

 trom a distance by their roots, which spread near the surface 

 of the soil, and are often exposed to the air. In Germany we 

 call such roots of forest trees " rope " roots. In the Amazon 

 district the Castilloa Ulei is generally called " Caucho," and 

 grows in those parts of the forests which are free from inunda- 

 tion, in the same districts where the Hevea Brasiliensis is found. 

 Very peculiar methods are used in the gathering of rubber 

 from the Castilloa Ulei. 



The rational exploitation of the trees would hardly be profit- 

 able in the districts where the Pard rubber is gathered, and in 

 the whole territory of Amazonas, therefore, the gathering is 

 done without regard to the welfare of the trees. The Castilloa 

 trees are mostly found in the in- 

 terior of the forests, in the dryer 

 places, where vegetation is less 

 dense. 



The gathering of this rubber 

 often requires long and difficult 

 journeys Into the interior, necess- 

 itating the transportation of food, 

 while, on the return journey, 

 heavy loads of rubber must be 

 carried. As the Brazilians show 

 little liking for such an advent- 

 urous life, the gathering of the 

 product of the Caucho has gen- 

 erally been left to the Peruvians, 

 numbers of whom come to Brazil 

 (or this purpose. These Peruvi- 

 ans, as descendants from the In- 

 dians intermixed with Spanish 

 immigrants, are much more ac- 

 customed to life in the wilds, and to the carrying of loads. 

 The Castilloa trees in Peru have mostly been destroyed, while 

 in the territory of the more western streams flowing into the 

 Amazon in Brazil — the Javary and Jurua rivers — their number 

 has greatly decreased. Not many years have passed since the 

 Jurud districts had the largest exports of the product of Cau- 

 cho. At the present time most of the Castilloa rubber is gath- 

 ered in the territory of the Purus and Madeira rivers. 



Many Peruvians from the eastern parts of their country make 

 their way into Brazil, and many of their home villages have at 

 times no male population, their women rarely accompanying 

 the men on their journeys. These Peruvians, known as Cau- 

 cheros, are under the leadership of a contractor, who enters 

 into an agreement with the proprietors of the rubber districts 

 and pays them a tax. 



On the outward journey Brazilian river steamers are made use 



CASTILLOA ULEI (WARBURG). 



[F— Branch, with fruit. 6"— Fruit. //—Section of fruit. 

 One-fourth natural size.] 



•Extracts from " KautschukgewinnunK und Kautschukhaodel am Amazon- 

 strome," published as a supplement to Der Trofienjianzgr (Berlin), January, 

 1905- 



of, unless an opportunity offers for embarking on Peruvian ves- 

 sels, which are compelled to sail under the Brazilian flag. Pe- 

 ruvian settlements are scattered along the banks of the streams, 

 and often serve the Caucho gatherers as a point of departure. 

 The most necessary utensils and provisions must be taken 

 along on the journeys through the woods. Chopping knives 

 [ter(;ados), axes, guns, ammunition, hammocks, mosquito net- 

 ting, some clothing, mandioca (tapioca) flour, and dried fish 

 make up the most indispensable articles. In regard to food, 

 the requirements of the Peruvian are very simple, but, being a 

 good hunter, he Is seldom long without fresh game of some 

 kind or other. 



When the Caucheros, who always journey in small parties, 

 have reached a district where Castilloa trees are found, they 

 rest awhile from the fatigues of the journey, before commenc- 

 ing the chopping down of the trees. Some care is taken to 

 have the trees fall in favorable direction. As soon as the tree 

 has fallen under the reiterated blows of the axes, the rubber 

 milk is gathered at once. A number of incisions are first made 

 in the branches and the tree top, to prevent the latex from flow- 

 ing into the mass of twigs, and 

 when this Is accomplished the 

 slits are made in the trunk. 



The latex is now allowed to 

 flow into receptacles of different 

 kinds, such as calabashes or tin 

 vessels, which are usually emp- 

 tied into flat holes in the ground, 

 lined with leaves. The sap of an 

 Ipomoea, known as " batata rana," 

 to which a little soap is usually 

 added, rapidly causes the milk to 

 coagulate. The rubber thus pre- 

 pared prevents Itself as a broad, 

 flat mass, of a dirty black color. 

 This product is known as plan- 

 chas (sheets) de Caucho. A new 

 method has lately come into use 

 by which the latex is allowed to 

 flow and to coagulate by contact 

 with the air. Strips of rubber are thus produced, which are 

 rolled up and are sold at a higher price under the name of ser- 

 namby de Caucho. 



As a single tree will sometimes furnish as much as 30 kilo- 

 grams [=66 pounds] of Caucho, the work at the present time is 

 profitable, although the price is low. However, many days may 

 elapse before the gatherer finds other trees, and the transporta- 

 tion of the product is, moreover, a very difficult and fatiguing 

 task. The Brazilian serini;ueiros\.\\tm%t\vt'i seldom gather the 

 rubber of the Castilloa, AnA attempts to rationally maintain the 

 trees by tapping them have been rare. It is said that the Cas- 

 tilloa trees will not bear tapping, and that the trunks decay 

 soon after the operation. 



Although the Brazilians complain that In the districts visited 

 by the Peruvians, not only are the Caucho trees destroyed, but 

 likewise the game and the wild Indians, they allow them to 

 continue their raids for the sake of their own personal profit. 



In regard to the rubber gathered from the Castilloa Ulei an 

 Investigation would have to be made in order to determine 



