596 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[August 1, 1913. 



HEVEA RUBBER IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



""PHE accompanying illustrations show decided progress in 



•^ Para rubber planting in British Guiana. They are from 



photographs taken some forty miles up the Mazaruni river on 



the Bartica estate. This estate now has about 6,^.000 trees, and 



T.-vppi.vo Heve.a Trees .vt B.\rtic.\ Est.^te. 



when those in the nursery are in place will have 100,000. 

 Between SOO and 600 acres will be ready for tapping in the 



Heve.\ Trees Two Years and Tex Months Old at Bartica 



Estate. 



latter part of 1914. The trees show just as rapid growth and as 

 notable wound response as has been seen in the Malay States. 



NOTES FROM BRITISH GUIANA. 

 By Our Regular Ccrrcspondeni. 

 COME developments of considerable importance in connection 

 '-' with the local rubber industry are foreshadowed by the 

 formation of a new .American company called the British Guiana 

 Consolidated Co., Limited, whose offices are at Mills building. 

 35 Wall street, Xevv York. The capital of this company, I find 

 from the prospectus, is to be 300.000 shares at $5 each 7 per 



cent, preference stock, and 1,000,000 shares at $5 each common 

 stock. The 7 per cent, preference stock is preferential as to 

 dividend and assets, and furthermore will share equally with 

 the common stock in any and all profit distributions after 10 

 per cent, per annum shall have been paid upon the latter. The 

 company is described as a consolidation of certain interests, 

 united with a view to simplifying and economizing operations 

 in a number of industries, prominent among these being the 

 cultivation of the Para rubber tree. "This tree," says the 

 ])rospectus, "in its native or uncultivated state, at present yields 

 the best quality of rubber, but a larger proportion is of inferior 

 rubber obtained from a tree producing what is known as balata. 

 Trial plantations established at the Government Agricultural 

 .Stations, after upwards of four years' experimental cultiva- 

 tion, have so far demonstrated the suitability of the climate 

 and soil of the colony for the successful growth of the Para 

 rubber tree, that some of the larger estates and also corpora- 

 tions organized exclusively for the purpose have begun the 

 setting out of this species of tree on a commercial scale. With 

 these assurances of success, this company purposes to follow the 

 clearing of the forest by the systematic planting of rubber 

 trees." 



-Vs regards the results which can be accomplished in rubber 

 planting, the prospectus says : "The company's logging opera- 

 tions will clear about two acres of land per d,3y. or in a year 

 700 acres. Out of this area, it is a safe assumption that 350 

 acres will be suitable for planting the superior grades of rub- 

 ber. Now if the work of planting rubber follows close behind 

 the clearing of the land, the entire 350 acres available will be 

 planted within the first year of the company's operations. At 

 the expiration of the third year, there would be somewhat over 

 1,000 acres planted with rubber. It is proposed, in this plant- 

 ing, to follow, as closely as local conditions permit, the Ceylon 

 practice, which may be taken as the standard for the scientific 

 growing of this class of rubber tree. -After the eighth year 

 there will be a steady increase in production until all trees reach 

 a size sufficient to produce an annual yield of from one to 

 three pounds." ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ 



In spite of the rumors of shortage of rain in the interior of 

 the Colony, of which I wrote some time ago, and which I said 

 last month had been substantiated, it appears that the impossi- 

 bility of bleeding operations being carried out is not general. 

 While it is perfectly true that the members of the expedition 

 of the Demerara Rubber and Produce Co. in the Rupununi 

 District have found the bullet trees on its grants building, 

 and have consequently been unable to bleed them, it is never- 

 theless correct that balata is coming to town in large quantities 

 from the grants of other parties operating in the same district. 

 Only a few days ago, for instance, no less than 60,000 pounds 

 of balata arrived from the Rupununi grants of Messrs. Bugle 

 & Co., and more large consignments are expected shortly. News 

 regarding the progress of the Demerara Rubber and Produce 

 Co.'s expedition to the Rupununi District is hard to obtain. 

 The director of the company, Mr. R. Morrison, as I wrote 

 last rronth. has left the Colony. The superintendent of the 

 expedition. Mr. .Aethy, who followed Mr. Morrison to town, 

 owing to the bleeders having absconded over the boundary into 

 Brazil, has now left again to return to the bush, but he has not 

 engaged any men to fill the places of those who have absconded. 



The exports of balata from the colony continue to show a 

 large increase over those during the corresponding period of last 

 year. The amount shipped between January 1 and early in 

 July was 256,881 pounds, as compared with 35,483 pounds in 

 the same period of 1912. 



There was a busy time one day recently at the office of the 

 Official Receiver, when a large number of the creditors of 

 the .Amsterdam Balata Co.. whose aflfairs are being administered 

 by the Official Receiver, put in an appearance to receive the 



