October 1, 1912.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



55 



NOTES FROM BRITISH GUIANA. 



Z>'_v Our Regular Correspondent. 

 BRITISH GUIANA AT THE RUBBER EXHIBITION'. 

 DEADERS of these "notes'' who visit the exhibition being 

 ■'^ held in New York will observe a small exhibit from this 

 colony at the Imperial Institute's stand. After the authorities 

 had succeeded in resisting the steady pressure brought to bear 

 upon them, to induce them to secure a separate exhibit of the 

 colony's rubber at the exhibition, it was resolved to make use of 

 the permission accorded to the Imperial Institute, to exhibit in 

 seven-pound samples, types of British grown rubber. 



A tnore detailed description of the British Guiana exhibits at 

 the New York show will be found in the special exposition 

 section in this issue of The Inui.\ Rubber World. 



THE BAL.\TA ASSOCIATION— DISSOLUTION. 

 At a meeting of the Balata Association held recently, it was 

 resolved to disband. The chairman, Mr. George R. Garnett, 

 pointed out that the Institute of Mines and Forests had recently 

 been strengthened by the addition of various new members, 

 many of them being connected with the balata industry. If the 

 institute could be representative of the whole industry, it would 

 be useless having two associations carrying on practically the 

 same work. This view was endorsed by several members, who 

 paid a tribute to the work performed by Mr. Henry Daley, the 

 honorary secretary. This sudden dissohition is somewhat sur- 

 prising. It was recently announced that the representatives of 

 the local companies had joined the association and it was thought 

 that it had a long career before it. It was Mr. Henry Daley 

 who created the association and he is about to leave the colony, 

 where he was the last manager of the Essequibo Rubber and 

 Tobacco Estates Company. It is to be hoped that the Institute 

 of Mines and Forests will prosecute the interests of the industry 

 with the same energy as the association. 



BALATA FROM VEXEZUELA— SUGGESTED REMOVAL OF THE 

 EMBARGO. 

 At the same meeting, the question of allowing Venezuelan 

 balata to be shipped via British Guiana was discussed. Such 

 transit trade was prohibited about five years ago, in consequence 

 of the depredations of Venezuelans on the British Guiana side 

 of the boundary. Improper bleeding of colony balata, which 

 was shipped as Venezuelan, was rampant. It has since been 

 thought, however, that complete prohibition was a somewhat too 

 drastic remedy, and at this meeting the Balata Association en- 

 dorsed that view. Some interesting information on the matter 

 was supplied recently by General Federico R. Matthews, late 

 governor of the \'enezuelan territory on the British Guiana 

 boundary, who was visiting Georgetown. He stated that there 

 are large tracts of land, rich in balata in the territory, which 

 have no outlet at present. The way over the inland rivers via 

 Bolivia is too long to be profitable. The way via Morawhanna 

 in British Guiana is prohibited. If that embargo were removed 

 a company would be formed to exploit the balata resources of 

 the territory. This embargo and the decline of the industrial 

 enterprises in the northwest district of the colony have reduced 

 the township of Morawhanna to a state of stagnation, and opin- 

 ion in favor of the removal of the prohibition is growing. 



RUBBER TAPPING IN THE NORTHWEST— CURIOUS PERFORM- 

 ANCES OF HEVEA CO.VFUSA. 



\t a recent meeting of the Board of Agriculture Mr. Stack- 

 dale reported upon some tapping experiments in the northwest 

 district, undertaken in June, July and August. Eighty-nine trees 

 were taken, none under 16 inches in girth. Those less than 

 18 inches were given two basal cuts and those over 18 inches 

 were tapped after the half herring-bone system. July's returns 

 were better than Tune's, and .August's better than July's. The 

 results with Sapiuiii were not very encouraging. 



-At the same meeting Professor Harrison reported that a 

 sample of Hevea confusa rubber exhibited in London last year. 



had been sent to the Imperial Institute for analysis, which reads 

 as follows: Loss on washing, 1.4 ounces; caoutchouc, 93.3; 

 resin, 1.8; proteid, 4.9; ash, 1.0. The analysis was as good as if 

 the saiTiple was good rubber and worth 4.f per pound. When 

 first prepared, however, it had no elasticity and would break if 

 pulled, but it had since got a feeble degree of strength. Nothing 

 could be done with the tree, which was very old. The yield was 

 small and the tree would soon run dry. The importance of the 

 matter was that they should keep the tree out of cultivation, 

 so as to prevent it making hybrids with good rubber. 

 IMPORTATIONS OF RUBBER SEEDS— INTERESTING STATISTICS. 

 A table has been published in the Official Gazelle showing the 

 number of Para rubber seed^ imported by the government be- 

 tween the years 1905 and 1911.* Of 366,848 seeds received, 234,598 

 germinated: the cost of shipment amounting to $2,754.80. In 

 1905 a sample shipment of 50 seeds was received from Para, 

 Brazil, but none germinated, and in 1906 of 25,062 seeds received 

 from Ceylon, from the Botanic Gardens of Ceylon and Singapore, 

 2,000 seeds germinated. In 1907 63,850 were imported from the 

 Botanic Gardens of Singapore and Ceylon, and 49,700 germinated. 

 In 1908 of .^0,000 seeds imported from Singapore, 43,150 germi- 

 nated. In 1909 of 30,131 seeds, 21.609 germinated. In 1910 

 there were two shipments, the aggregate number of seeds being 

 85.155, of which 59,350 germinated. In 1911 89,679 seeds were 

 obtained from Singapore and Ceylon, and 43,757 only germi- 

 nated ; of a further shipment of 19,921 seeds obtained from Mr. 

 J. H. Richards, 15.024 germinated. 



THE OLDEST "HEVEA" IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



TIME was when Ceylon boasted only two or three mature 

 Hevea trees. Those trees today are giants, are great pro- 

 ducers of rubber, and often photographed and described. It is 

 well therefore as a matter of record to show the oldest Hevea 



Olde.st Hcrca Tree in British Guian.a. 



tree in British Guiana. This tree is already the parent of many 

 others, and some day will probably be historic. Of the figures 

 at the base of the tree, the one at the right is Professor Har- 

 rison. Director of Agriculture of British Guiana. 



