March 1, 1913] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



331 



Some Rubber Planting Notes. 



CEVLOK RUBBER EXPORTS DOUBLED IN 1912. 



ACCORDING to the official reports for last year, the exports 

 of rubber from Colombo amounted to 15.001,075 pounds, as 

 compared with 7,154.658 pounds for 1911; the increase 

 being thus nearly 110 per cent. It is of interest to note (as shown 

 by details in another column) that the exports to the United 

 States represented 4.833.085. as compared with 2.045.499 pounds 

 the previous year ; the augmentation being at the rate of 140 

 per cent. 



During the year 1912, the exports from Ceylon to the L'nited 

 Kingdom amounted to 8.176.523 pounds, as against 3,956.812 

 pounds in 1911. When, how-ever, allowance is made for the 

 quantity of Ceylon rubber which finds its way to this country 

 thniugh the English market, this seemingly increased English 

 consumption would prove to be more apparent than real. 



TEN YEARS OF CEYLON RUBBER EXPORTS. 



A valuable supplement to the "Weekly Times of Ceylon" 

 recently gave the following interesting data as to the exports 

 of Ceylon rubber for each of the last ten years: 



Pounds. Pounds. 



1903 41,798 1908 912.125 



1904 77,212 1909 1.492,580 



1905 168.547 1910 3,586,854 



1906 327.661 1911 7,154.658 



1907 556.080 1912 15.001,075 



AFRICAN CEARA RUBBER. 



Interesting experiments have lately l)een carried out by the 

 Imperial Institute. London, upon samples of Ceara rubber from 

 the Sudan, Northern Rhodesia and Portuguese East Africa. 



The Sudan type, of light brown sheet of good elasticity and 

 tenacity, was found to contain 82 7 per cent, caoutchouc : 6.4 per 

 cent, resin; 7.8 per cent, protein and 1.4 per cent, ash; being val- 

 ued at 4s. 9d. per pound, with tine hard Para at 4.?. 8rf. 



.■\ sample from Xorthern Rhodesia, from three and a half year 

 old trees, showed proportions of 71.7 per cent, caoutchouc, 4.3 

 per cent, moisture, 6.7 per cent, resin, 14.6 per cent, protein, and 

 2.7 per cent. ash. The valuation was 4.f. to 4s. 3d., with fine hard 

 Para at 5j. 3d. Notwithstanding the high proportion of protein 

 and resin, the rubber was considered of promising quality. 



RUBBER CULTIVATION IN KELANIAN. 



According to a recent official report the area planted with 

 rubber in the Malay State of Kelantan. was increased during 

 the year 1911 from 5.402 to 11.010 acres. In addition a con- 

 siderable acreage had been during the year cleared for planting. 

 The previous improvement in the condition of the estates had 

 been well maintained ; the opinions of planters who had visited 

 Kelantan being to the effect, that trees three to four years old 

 in that State, when they have had proper care and treatment, are 

 six months in advance of those of the same age in the Federated 

 Malay States. Tapping had already commenced on some estates. 



DOMINICA RUBBER. 



From the analysis recently made by the Imperial Institute. 

 London, of a sample of Para rubber prepared from llcrca 

 Brasiliensis trees growing in the Botanic Gardens, Dominica, 

 the composition shows the high proportion of 93.9 per cent, 

 caoutchouc, the result being somewhat better than was obtained 

 by an analysis of similar samples in 1908. The opinion is ex- 

 pressed by the Institute that the Para trees in Dominica will 

 furnish rubber of excellent quality, which will realize good prices 

 in the market. 



SENOR ARANA TO GO TO LONDON. 



Despatches received about the middle of bVbruary from 

 Iquitos. Peru-, state that the Upper Court revoked the order of 



arrest issued by a judge of the Lower Court against Senor 

 Julio Arana, the chief director of the Amazon Co., which owns 

 the rubber concessions of Peru. .'Xfter an investigation into the 

 atrocities committed in the Putumayo district. Senor Arana 

 anrounced his intention of proceeding to London. 



A NEW MEXICAN RUBBER TREE. 



The discovery of a new rubber tree in Mexico has been reported 

 by the West India Committee Circular. It is said to be known by 

 the natives under the name of Cacaloschili, and to be one of the 

 many species of the Pluveria, from which a high class rubber can 

 be obtained. The rubber from the young branches is superior 

 in quality to that from the stem of the tree, hence tapping is not 

 practised. It is stated that the coagulated sap contains 21.9 per 

 cent, resinous matter. 15 per cent, water and 25.5 per cent, 

 caoutchouc. 



Mr. Stuart R. Cope, of London, has called attention to the fact 

 that the late Dr. Olsson Seffer some years ago placed in his 

 bands a memorandum on the subject of a plant called by the 

 Indians CacaloxuchitI, which he recognized as a variety of 

 I'lumeria. Dr. Seffer, it is added, was the first to study the 

 Fluiiierias and Jatrol'has of Mexico from a scientific point of view. 



GUAYULE PLANTS OPERATING AGAIN. 



While the disturbances in the city of Mexico have during the 

 last two or three weeks been of such a nature as to attract the 

 attention of the whole world. 3.000 people being killed, according 

 to the estimates, in the conflict between the different factions, the 

 situation in some other parts of Mexico has materially improved. 

 According to reports received from Torreon about the middle of 

 I-"ebruary, the Guayule industry is assuming a normal condition 

 in that district. Prospects are now favorable for a much larger 

 production of crude rubber during the present year than the 

 factories were able to turn out last year. 



The Intercontinental Rubber Co.. which operates the largest 

 guayule rubber factory in Mexico, situated at Torreon. has 

 again placed its plant in operation after several weeks of idle- 

 ness, due to the lack of a sufficient supply of raw material. This 

 shortage has been filled by large shipments of the shrub. The 

 factory is now running with a full force of men, and there prom- 

 ises to be no further interruption to its steady operation. The 

 Cedros ranch embracing 2.000 000 acres, which is owned by the 

 Intercontinental company and which is the chief source of sup- 

 ply of guayule shrub for its factories, is now free from rebels. 



MEXICAN PLANTATIONS RATHER flUIET. 



It is hardly to be expected that rubber developments in Mexico 

 would, under the present exceedingly disturbed conditions, show- 

 very rapid progress. The following paragraph taken from a con- 

 sular report from Frontera. Mexico, is. therefore, not surprising : 

 "Owing to local conditions little development work has been done 

 on the rubber plantations. As most of the American plantations 

 in this State are operated on the installment plan, they are at 

 present experiencing difficulties in carrying on their operations. 

 During 1911 the exports of rubber through this port to the L'nited 

 States amounted to 357.543 pounds, valued at S369.530. Of the 

 above total 35 to 40 per cent, was wild rubber. 



INCREASED PRODUCTION OF MEXICAN RUBBER. 



That large proportionate increases are not confined to the 

 East, is shown by the figures of the U. S. receipts of Mexican 

 Rubber for the last two fiscal years : 



Pounds. V'alue. 



1910-11 853.805 $ 822.651 



191 1-12 2.226.541 1.602.046 



Mexican rubl)er has only since 1910-11 been reported separately 

 from guayule. 



