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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December i, 1902. 



PROGRESS OF RUBBER PLANTING. 



YIELD OF "PARA RUBBER IN CEYLON. 



FRANCIS J. HOLLOWAY writes to The Tropical Agri- 

 ciillurist from his estate at Keppitigalla, Matale, Cey- 

 lon, in regard to the yield of rubber from his cultivated 

 " Para'" trees. These trees are at an elevation of 600 

 to 1400 feet, and of the ages of 8 to 1 1 years ; the largest girth 

 one foot above the ground is 47 inches. The trees are not in- 

 clined to spread, but grow straight up, with few side branches, 

 and make an excellent light shade for cacao planted 12X24 

 feet, thus giving about 150 trees to the acre. Tapping pro- 

 ceeds throughout the year and each tree has two series of 

 tappings, lasting about two months. Now for results: Writ- 

 ing August 22, 1902, Mr. HoUoway had tapped 3903 trees once 

 since October, 1901, obtaining a total yield of 2128 pounds, or 

 a trifle over yi pound per tree. Some of these trees tapped 

 again, within seven or eight months, yielded as much more, or 

 a total per tree per year of i pound. Hence he thinks it safe 

 to estimate an average of )i pound per tree, or ii2>^ pounds 

 for 150 trees per year. The principal object of Mr. Holloway's 

 report, however, is to present his estimate of cost of collection. 

 The amount of rubber collected during the first five months of 

 1902 was 1302 pounds of good rubber and 60 pounds of scrap; 

 total, 1362 pounds. The cost of tapping and curing was 570.63 

 rupees; packing boxes and transportation 31.13 rupees; and 

 proportionate share of cost of an outfit of collecting tins, 

 tapping knives, and coagulating tins, 36.60 rupees; total cost 

 of placing 1362 pounds of rubber in Colombo, 638.36 rupees. 

 This is equal to about ^^42. \\s. 2d., or $207.10, gold. The 

 average cost per pound would work out at 41/. or 15.2 cents. 

 The expenses to London and commissions are not stated, but 

 most of the rubber was sold at 3^. 6d. per pound, and the scrap 

 at 2s., equal to 85J6 and 4873 cents, respectively. 



IOWA RUBBER CO. 

 [Plantation near Carmen, state of Campeche, Mexico. Offices: McManu8 

 building, Davenport, Iowa ] 



Incorporated July 18, 1902, under Iowa laws, with $300,- 

 000 capital, divided into shares of $300. The company hold 

 1000 acres, lately part of a tract of 937 square miles owned by 

 The Laguna Co., capitalized at $3,000,000, composed of Iowa 

 business men, and incorporated in Maine. The president of 

 The Laguna Co. is John R. Markley, a Chicago capitalist, who 

 is described as "the pioneer, founder, and manager of the 

 most successful plantation companies ever incorporated" — 

 having reference to fruit growing in the western United States. 

 The Laguna Co. are interested particularly in cabinet hardwood 

 lumber in Mexico, and several members of this company are 

 in the lumber business in Iowa. The Laguna Co. appear to be 

 a thoroughly substantial concern, and, it is stated, "under- 

 writes the stock, guaranteeing the carrying out of the terms 

 of the Iowa Rubber Co.'s contract" to plant 680 trees per acre, 

 with a view to tapping one-half of the trees to exhaustion 

 after a certain date, and leaving 300 permanent trees. " Side 

 crops" are also to be planted. Purchasers of shares of $300 in 

 cash, or on monthly payments of $5, are entitled each to the 

 pro rata share of one acre in the company's profits. The 

 company make very liberal promises of profit, and subscribers 

 should not be disappointed if these should not be fully realized. 

 It is stated, for instance: " The annual dividend declared for 

 seven years will return original money invested and leave a net 

 profit per share of about $303.10." The officers are: Frank 



M. Hanna, of Clarence, Iowa, president ; Fred W. Noel, a law 

 yer, of Davenport, vice president; and S. H. Noel, of Daven- 

 port, secretary and treasurer. The company advise The India 

 Rubber World in regard to their land : " It is being cleared 

 now and will be ready for a crop planting in a short time." 



" CEARA RUBBER " IN NICARAGUA. 

 In regard to the Hacienda La Victoria, of La Paz, Nicaragua, 

 mentioned in the last India Rubber World (page 57), Mr. 

 George Adler favors us with some additional details. The soil 

 around La Paz is mostly sandy — pumice and volcanic ash or 

 sand — which retains moisture within a few feet of the heat 

 baked surface throughout the dry season. The temperature 

 varies from 80° to over 98°. There is very little rain, and at 

 night during the dry season there is practically no dew. Being 

 familiar with the Manihot Glaziovii — the rubber of Ceara — Mr. 

 Adler decided that this location in Nicaragua was well suited 

 for it and purchased 1000 acres of land there under the name of 

 •' La Victoria " plantation. In February, 1902, work was begun 

 on the clearing of the unaergrowth on 300 acres, and in the 

 last week of April the ground was burned over. Alter the first 

 rains in May 6o,ooo' seeds were planted, mostly at stake and 

 the rest in a nursery. During June many of the seeds began to 

 sprout and the seedlings had been appearing daily up to the 

 time of Mr. Adler's writing (November 6). At that date the 

 seedlings which had first appeared, being five months old, were 

 10 and 12 feet in height and 3 to 4^3 inches in girth, 6 inches 

 from the ground, which Mr. Adler considers "extraordinary 

 growth even for the Manihot Glaziovii." So rapid was the 

 growth of the plants in nursery that many had to be trans- 

 planted at the age of four weeks instead of being allowed to re- 

 main in the beds for a year, as originally intended. Mr. Adler 

 has found the best results from allowing the sun rays full access 

 to the rubber plants, for then the trunks become full and strong, 

 whereas if any other growth is allowed around the young plants 

 they grow slender and lack strength to support the weight of 

 the leaves. The seeds of this species retain their vitality for a 

 long time. Some have sprouted lately at La Paz a year after 

 planting. One tree there, fourteen months old from planting, 

 is 24 feet high and 14 inches in circumference. Mr. Adler has 

 been " tapping " plants only four months old and is encouraged 

 by the show of rubber. 



ECUADOR RUBBER AND DEVELOPMENT CO. 

 [See TiiE India Rubber World, October i, 1902 — page 16.] 



It appears that this company has been organized to plant 

 rubber, on a large scale. Planting has been in progress this 

 year, of a species of Hevea abundant on a tributary of the up- 

 per Amazon. President Retsloff writes that there are many 

 rubber species in Ecuador, several of which can be distin- 

 guished from each other only by experts. Their location is in 

 northern Ecuador, near the Pacific coast. One tract is near 

 La Tola, a town of 1000 population, at the mouth of the nav- 

 igable river Santiago. Another is on the river Esmeraldas, 38 

 miles from the mouth, and from the city of Esmeraldas. This 

 is the region, by the way, which furnishes the rubber known as 

 " Esmeraldas," but not from the variety of tree which the new 

 company are planting. President Retsloff writes to The India 

 Rubber World from Winnebago City, Minnesota: 



" It is the desire and intention of the management to place 

 this company at the head of all rubber producing organiza- 

 tions. With unlimited capital, thorough personal study of 



