August i, 1901.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER ^VORLD 



319 



THE RUBBER PLANTING SITUATION IN MEXICO. 



To THE Editor of The India Rubber World : Regard- 

 ing rubber culture in the Soconusco district, state of 

 Chiapas, Mexico, I desire to say in the first place.that on 

 thr low lands of said county, and down near the Pacific 

 coast, the rubber tree grows n ild in profusion and in many 

 instances is found of enormous sizes. On the " San Carlos" 

 tract, for example, belonging to Mr. Alejandro Cordova, of 

 Tuxtla-Chico, Soconusco, there are rubber trees which cannot 

 be less than fifty years old, having a diameter of seven feet, 

 and the space shaded by the foliage a diameter of at least 

 seventy to seventy-five feet. Similar trees can be seen at the 

 "Jesus Maria" tract belonging to Mr. Richard Bado, of 

 Tapachula ; on the different properties of Mr. Porfirio Aparicio, 

 of Tuxtla-Chico, towards the Guatemala frontier; and on "Los 

 Cerros " and " Santa Isabel" tracts belonging to the Escobar 

 family, also of Tapachula. 



Now, as to the cultivation of the rubber tree in the same dis- 

 trict, enough has been written lately to demonstrate that its 

 returns provide plenty of margin for contingencies. I hereby 

 give you some data in reference to this industry, the truth of 

 which can be also easily verified. 



In 1871 Romolo Palacios planted over 100,000 rubber trees 

 in connection with cacao on the tracts " San Antonio " and 

 " Pumpuapa " of his property, about five miles distant from 

 Tapachula, and near the seaport of San Benito, in the district 

 of Soconusco. These trees have been gradually reduced in 

 number by reason of forest fires until probably only about 6000 

 remain. The owner of the property, dying about ten years 

 ago, left it to his son Teofilo Palacios, who now manages the 

 estate. The rubber trees are tapped every year, and some of 

 the product has been shipped at various times to New York, 

 to Marquardt & Co., and W. Loaiza & Co.,* and to London. 

 I have never seen the trees tapped, but from what I have seen 

 in the district I should say that trees of the age mentioned 

 should yield readily at a single tapping 10 pounds of milk, 

 which will afford 4 pound.s of dry rubber per tree. 



In 1872 the late General Sebastian Escobar, a well-known 

 agriculturist, thoroughly acquainted with the nature of the 

 Soconusco lands, and enthusiastic in the matter of agricultural 

 progress, planted over 1,000,000 rubber trees on his properties 

 called " Los Cerros " and " Santa Isabel." These trees were 

 also planted in connection with cacao, at a time when the Mex- 

 ican government was seeking to encourage the planting of rub- 

 ber by the payment of a premium or bonus. It was also at the 

 time that an interest in rubber planting was being stimulated 

 by Mr. Matias Romero. This plantation has also been fre- 

 quently ravaged by fires, particularly such as result from the 

 annual burning of the old grass to make the new growth more 

 available for the cattle. Grazing, by the way, is the chief in- 

 terest on this estate, and little attention really has been given 

 to rubber. There are now perhaps 75,000 of the original trees 

 standing, and from these more or less rubber is taken every 

 year which reaches the agents of the Escobar estate. A 

 greater amount, however, is probably stolen by neighboring 

 Indians. The rubber from this estate is sold in the Tapachula 

 market, lots having been taken at different times by William 

 Henkel & Co. for shipment to Hamburg, O. H. Harrison for 



• It seems proper to state here that Messrs. Marquarcit & Co. and also Messrs. 

 Loaiza & Co. advise The India Rubber World that no rubbel wliich tliey may 

 have received from Mexico at any lime has been described to them as being the 

 prodi|ct of planted trees.— The Editor. 



London, and Louis Tomelen & Co. and others for Hamburg 

 and New York. The " Santa Isabel " property is about 6}i 

 miles from Tapachula and the " Los Cerros " property thirty- 

 six miles distant, near Guatemala. 



In 1873 the late Mexican ambassador to the United States, 

 Mr. Matias Romero, started, on the "Suchiate" tract of his 

 property a plantation of over 100,000 rubber trees, and, as for 

 political reasons he was compelled to abandon the property, 

 when the trees planted grew large enough to yield rubber, they 

 were tapped by the natives and nearly destroyed, but still 

 there are many of them growing and yielding rubber to show 

 what a cultivated tree will produce. This tract consists of 

 14,868 acres, about three miles from the port of Ocos beyond 

 the Guatemalan border, and sixty miles from Tapachula. It is 

 owned by the wife and sons of Mr. Romero, whose agent is 

 Ricardo de M. Campos, collector of customs at Tapachula. 

 Perhaps 2000 or 3000 pounds of rubber are sold each year 

 through Henry Pincon, of Tapachula, who represents some 

 English firm in handling the cedar wood which is the princi- 

 pal article of export from the estate. 



In 1888, Mr. Rafael Ortega planted at " Los Cerritos " over 

 50,000 rubber trees which can be seen while going by the coun- 

 try road from San Benito to Tapachula. This is a sugar cane 

 estate, devoted to the making of rum for consumption within 

 the country. The trees were planted in the open, bordering on 

 both sides of the road, and probably 40,000 are still standing. 

 Naturally all of the original planting would not sur\^ive, besides 

 which some of the trees have been injured by the crowding of 

 wagons when forced out of the regular roadbed by its bad con- 

 dition in the muddy season. Mr. Ortega was a large coffee 

 planter on another estate owned by him, and, getting into finan- 

 cial difficulties, was obliged to surrender all his properties, in- 

 cluding that on which these rubber trees stand, to a German 

 house, on account of advances made to him, and who are rep- 

 resented at Tapachula by the import and export firm of Louis 

 Tomelen & Co. The rubber gathered from these trees is 

 shipped to the various connections of the house of Tomelen. 



In 1898, Mr. Ferdinand Nehlsen started in planting rubber 

 trees on the " Ulapa " tract of his property, where there are 

 many wild rubber trees. He has to-day over 1,000 plants hand- 

 somely growing. These trees were planted in the open in the 

 grass lands, such as are maintained for grazing, which is the 

 principal interest on this estate. The estate is near the Indian 

 town of Excuintla, about 28 leagues from Tapachula. 



In 1899 La Zacualpa Rubber Plantation Co. planted over 

 30,000 rubber trees, to duly appreciate the development of 

 which they must be seen personally. This company is already 

 tapping cultivated trees, which were planted by the former 

 owner of said " Zacualpa " tract, to shade his cocoa plantation, 

 some twelve years ago, and during the last year has planted 

 over 500,000 young rubber trees. 



The Soconusco Rubber Plantation Co., organized by me and 

 incorporated under the laws of California October 16, 1900, 

 owns 17,858 acres, with over 5000 wild rubber trees yielding 

 gum, and intends to transplant from its nurseries this year as 

 many young trees as possible to enhance its production. 



What precedes is sufficient in my opinion to demonstrate 

 incontestibly the possibilities of rubber culture in the Soconusco 

 district, and persons who are interested in this important 

 source of wealth, if considering the matter seriously, will find 

 out that the industry has long since passed the experimental 



