54 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



LOCTOBER 1, 1912. 



has been marked by active building operations at that point, as 

 well as by other phases of commercial development, notable 

 among which is the resurrection of the "Porto \'elho Marconi- 

 gram," to which The India Rubber World extends fraternal 

 congratulations and grood wishes. 



A BERMUDA RUBBER TREE. 



The accompanying illustration shows one of the Picus elaslica 

 trees which attain such large size in Bermuda. These trees 

 grow to a height of about 70 feel, and are sometimes IS feet in 

 circumference ; while some of the branches in their largest cir- 

 cumference measure from 2 to 2J/2 feet. Rubber culture has 

 never been attempted in any serious way in Bermuda, but Mr. 

 Arthur E. Friswell, an old rubber man, who was connected with 



ficus Eldstica ix Bermud.\. 



the Mechanical Fabric Co., of Providence, Rhode Island, for a 

 number of years, and later with the Goodyear Tire & Rubber 

 Co., Akron, Ohio, and who recently removed to Bermuda, in- 

 tending to make it his permanent home, has tapped one of these 

 trees 30 years old, and sent a sample of the rubber to this office. 

 It is practically identical with what used to be known some years 

 ago as Ja^-a rubber. 



RUBBER IN ANGOLA. 



According to the "Gunimi-Zeitung." the first ton of crude 

 Manihot rubber was exported from the Loanda district, Portu- 

 guese West Africa, in 1911. Two-year-old Manihot Jequie trees 

 were tapped for the first time, giving an average yield of about 

 1}4 oz. Practical results were obtained with a new tapping 

 knife from Manihot Glasio-^ii. The latex is diluted with an 

 alkaline solution, so that its quick flowing is prevented. In con- 

 sequence the rubber is obtained in transparent pieces, which 

 command a good price. The Angola rubber planters are Euro- 

 peans with a small capital. Hcvca and Manihot are the trees 

 most cultivated ; the latter to a greater extent than formerly. 

 An English syndicate has been formed for the cultivation of 

 rubber in the interior of Benguela, which will also purchase 

 rubber, to be cleaned by machinery. 



CEMTHAL AMERICAN RUBBER STATISTICS. 



In commenting upon conditions and prospects of rubber pro- 

 duction in Central America, the "Revista Economica," of Costa 

 Rica, quotes the following statistics of exports for the years 1907 

 to 1909: 



1907. 1908. 1909 



Nicaragua Tons 296 284 205 



Guatemala 180 146 172 



Costa Rica 58 42 66 



Honduras 45 35 58 



Salvador 30 25 30 



Total 609 532 531 



The importance is urged, for the purpose of maintaining the 

 Central .\merican rubber production, of adopting scientific 

 methods of working. It is added that this docs not in all cases 

 imply tliat methods, which might properly be described as rational 

 in the Dutch Indies or the Far East, should on that account be 

 introduced into Central America for native varieties. 



It will be noticed that there was something of a falling off in 

 rubber production in 1908 and 1909 from the figures of 1907. 

 This, however, should not be taken to indicate that the sources 

 of supply are being exhausted, for it is undoubtedly true that 

 there are forests of rubber trees in the various Central American 

 States that have not been touched, and from which considerable 

 quantities of rubber could he taken if they were .iudiciously 

 operated. 



After referring to the difficulties attending the organization of 

 competent agricultural and forest services, the writer in the Costa 

 Rican publication reaches the conclusion that in order to form 

 such or,ganizations. capable of furnishing up-to-date information, 

 it would be necessary to have a rubber bureau, amply endovi-ed, 

 and possessing in its various departments, men of science capable 

 of bringing about a rapid advance in knowledge on the subject 

 of rubber production. 



MEXICO'S GUAYULE FACTORIES. 



According to a recent consular report, fully 70 per cent, of 

 Mexico's guayule rubber production is worked up in the large 

 rubber plants of the Laguna district, chiefly in the cities of 

 Torreon and Gomez Palacio. There are seven such factories in 

 the Laguna district, which have a combined capacity of a little 

 more than 200 tons of guayule shrub per day. The plant of the 

 Continental Me.xican Rubber Co., operated by the Rockefeller- 

 Aldrich interests at Torreon, has a capacity more than equal to 

 that of the other six plants operating in the Laguna combined. 

 This immense plant operates 112 large pebble drums, each of 

 which has a capacity for a little more than a metric ton of the 

 shrub per day, or a combined capacity of about 120 tons. This 

 factory gives employment to about 700 men, and is said to be the 

 largest single plant for extraction of rubber in the world. The 

 output of finished rubber from this one plant in 1911 amounted 

 to between 6,000.000 and 7.000,000 pounds, almost all of which 

 found a market in the L^nited States. 



DJASINGA (JAVA) RUBBER & PRODUCE CO LIMITED. 



For July and August there has been a total yield of 13.100 

 pounds, while the corresponding period of 1911 only represented 

 3,113 pounds, a more than four-fold increase being thus demon- 

 strated. 



LANGEN (JAVA) RUBBER ESTATES CO.. UMITED. 



The yield of rubber for August has been 12.500 pounds, as com- 

 pared with 2,700 pounds for -August, 1911. For the 12 months 

 ended with August, the total has been 145,577 pounds ; as com- 

 pared with 8,722 pounds for the preceding annual period. 



