February 1, 1913.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



271 



RUBBER PLANTING IN FORMOSA. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE Japanese government does not facilitate the acquisition 

 of land in Formosa for rubber plantations, though the 

 boom of 1909 and 1910 directed attention to the island and its 

 possibilities as a source of rubber. 



Five planters have, however, started plantations after careful 

 preparation, and with the permission of the government. The 

 total area of these plantations represents 6,124 ko (about 15,310 

 acres); the principal holders being: 



Ko. Acres. 



Mr. Fujii 460 1,150 



Mr. Mukono 830 2,075 



Mr. Murai 3,134 7,835 



Toyo Rubber Co., Ltd 1,000 2,500 



Fujikura Electric Wire and Rubber Co., Ltd 700 1,750 



Total 6,124 15,310 



Mr. Kunishige Watanabe and the Formosan Agricultural and 

 Forestry Co. arc applying for permission to plant 1,200 ko 

 (3,000 acres). 



Rubber planting commenced in Formosa in 1908, at which 

 time experiments were made at the Kagi government rubber 

 planting beds with all kinds of rubber seeds. These included 

 Heiea from South America, Manihot from Hawaii, CastHloa 

 from Central America, Ficus from Borneo and the South Seas, 

 as well as Funtumia and Landolphia from Africa. 



Some years before, the existence had been discovered of the 

 Gomu Kaisura, or rubber vine, which was recognized as a source 

 of wild rubber, a full botanical report on which was issued by 

 the government and was reproduced in the Japanese papers, with 

 the result that several leading Japanese rubber manufacturers 

 visited Formosa to investigate the vine. Among them were 

 Messrs. Isaburo Yamada and Tomekichi Matsumoto of the Fuji- 

 kura Electric Wire and Rubber Co. The American and British 

 governments, through the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture and the British Imperial Laboratory, discovered the e.x- 

 cellence of the vine. It grows thickly in groups of twenty or 

 thirty, at a height of 1,2(X) feet or thereabout above sea level. 



With a view of testing the merits of this vine, the Japanese 

 government distributed 100 pounds of the latex among various 

 factories, for the production of diiTerent kinds of manufactures. 

 At the same time they tried to plant it by a method of grafting, 

 but on account of its slow growth it was finally decided to plant 

 rubber trees from various parts of the world, which have 

 produced the following results : 



Hevea (planted in April, 1907).— In April. 1911. the 



trees varied from 5 feet 7 inches to 11 feet 3 inches in 



height. 

 Manihot (planted in March, 1908). — At the end of 



May, 1910, the largest tree was 29 feet high and 12 inches 



in circumference at the base. 

 Castilloa, in the same period as recorded for Manihot, 



had attained a height of 6 feet 4 inches with 7 inches 



circumference of the trunk. 



The following details illustrate the climatic conditions in the 

 various provinces of Formosa : 



Average 



Temperature. 



Fahr. 



Taihoku 70.7 



Taichu 71.6 



Tainan 73.4 



Koshun 75.9 



Taihoku is at the northern end of the island and Koshun at its 

 southern extremity. The climate is thus well fitted for rubber 

 cultivation, particularly in the southeastern part, where it has 

 grown twice as well as in the official rubber planting beds at 

 Kagi, towards the west of the island. 



In October, 1910, Mr. Bradford, an American expert from 

 Hawaii, in conjunction with Mr. Masaichi Mukono (already 

 mentioned), applied to the government for a lease of 830 ko, or 

 about 2,075 acres. In Mr. Bradford's opinion Manihot grows 

 better in Formosa than in Hawaii; other kinds also growing 

 satisfactorily and Para twice as well in the latter island. 



The government, however, does not encourage plantations, 

 preferring to see the results of a few years before expressing 

 a definite view. One ground of apprehension is the fear of dam- 

 age to Manihot from the hurricanes to which Formosa is exposed. 

 EXISTING PLANTATIONS. 



With regard to the plantations already referred to, covering 

 an area of 15,310 acres, Mr. Fujii, who has 1,150 acres in Hozan, 

 is the oldest planter and has planted Manihot, while Mr. Mukono's 

 previous experience of Para and Manihot planting has not been 

 favorable. Both he and Mr. Fujii depend more on the proceeds 

 of cotton than of rubber. 



Mr. Kichibei Murai, a wealthy resident of Tokyo, is the 

 largest owner, with 7,835 acres. He has only Manihot and" 

 planted 2,000 acres with 50,000 trees in the rainy season of 1912' 

 along WMth 200,000 camphor trees. The latter were specially for 

 the purpose of forestation. Camphor, it w-ill be recalled, is the 

 chief product of Formosa. 



The Toyo Rubber Co., of Tokyo, has acquired 2,500 acres, 

 which will probably be planted during the ensuing spring. 



Some authorities think Formosan rubber growing has passed 

 through the experimental stage and has good prospects. All 

 depends on the results of the first tappings, some five or six 

 years after planting. 



[Formosa, an island to the east of China, was ceded to Japan 

 by the former country in 1895. Its length is 235 miles and its- 

 area 41,402 square miles. The population is 3,039,751.] 



DETERMINATION OF WET RUBBZH IN LATEX. 



.An instrument for the determination of the amount of wet" 

 rubber in latex has been invented by Mr. Thomas Cockerill, 

 Chief Instructor of the Technical Schools, Colombo. The results 

 of five years of experiments have convinced him of the infallibil- 

 ity of the "Latexometer," for at once estimating, within a frac- 

 tion, the quantity of wet rubber contained in the latex brought 

 in from the collecting area. 



The "Latexometer" is similar to a hydrometer, only the body 

 is brass plated with tin and the recording figures are placed on 

 a metal tape. The set of instruments consists of five, each 

 recording a certain range of yield ; the five groups extending 

 from 9 ounces to 117 ounces of wet rubber per gallon. In 

 Mr. Cockerill's opinion, the range thus indicated would cover 

 all practical requirements. If so desired, the scale can be 

 marked to show the w-eight of dry rubber. 



Experiments have been made at the Heneratgoda Gardens 

 (through the courtesy of the officials), and at various planta- 

 tions, including those of Gikiyanakande, Horana, and Talan- 

 gama. The last-named experiments were conducted in presence 

 of a representative of the "Times of Ceylon," which journal 

 speaks favorably of Mr. Cockerill's invention, for which a patent- 

 specification has been accepted. 



RUBBER SEED HUSES AS FITEL. 



The "Ceylon Observer'' describes a new gas-producing plant 

 m use at the Lauka Iron Works. This plant, instead of requir- 

 ing charcoal, coal, anthracite, or liquid fuel, consumes rubber 

 seed husks, which have hitherto been regarded as useless. They 

 can be put straight into the generator from the estate. The 

 power required is thus obtained at a minimum cost. 



