October i, 1901.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



the time, but of what avail? The cauc/iercs ha.ve worked with- trees permanently productive. Every ton of rubber that 



out restraint. It has been nobody's business at Para howCau- reaches the market, whether from the "Caucho" districts of 



cho was collected, so long as it continued to come down the South America, or from Africa or the East Indies, emphasizes 



river into their hands. The manufacturers in the United the future need of rubber plantations, for it means a lessened 



States and Europe have had no concern in the matter beyond number of wild trees. And every ton of such rubber 



buying at the lowest possible figure at the nearest market. Be- strengthens the probability that cultivated rubber produced 



sides, why should they become alarmed at reports of exhaustion under right management will sell for all that it costs to grow 



of supplies, when they could see with their own eyes larger it— and more. 



imports every year? The illustration on this page is the most eloquent statement 

 The situation may be stated in few words : There are just so that can be made of the causes of the exhaustion of rubber sup- 

 many millions of P'ies. It is made 



of Colombia. DESTRUCTION OF FOREST RUBBER TREES BY NATIVES. Balata and Outta- 



" Caucho," b y [By coartesy of the Tehuantepec Rubber Culture Co.] percha t r 6 e S , by 



the way, is Span- the way, has a cer- 



ish for Caoutchouc, or India-rubber, and is the name by which tain bearing upon the rubber interest. The prospect for the 



this product is known in Colombia. When the Caucho gath- production of these gums under cultivation is much less prom- 



erers descended mto the region of the head waters of the Ama- ising than in the case of the India-rubber species, and the time 



zon, they were still in Spanish territory, and when they ship- may come when the whole demand for insulating materials, 



ped their collections down to Para, as the quality was different especially for ocean cables, will have to be met from the world's 



from the Para rubber, the Spanish name— Caucho— followed rubber resources. 



the material to all the markets of the world, to distinguish rubber production of Colombia. 



it from the other shipments from Para. The tree which pro- Record of Importations from Colombia into the United States for 



duces this rubber is the same as the rubber tree of Central Fiscal Years ending June 30, and into Great Britain for Calendar 



America, and the same that is being planted to-day in Mexico. Years— in Pounds : 



U.. 1 . o ..L A • .1. .. .u J**-... ..u»..» Years. United States. Great Britain. Total. 



IS not alone in South America that the condition above „ „^ „ 



., , . _, ,, , , , r 11 CT 1855-1860 2,300,020 17.472 2,318,392 



described exists. The rubber output from Assam has fallen on. 1861-1865 3,435,264 3,516,240 6,951,504 



There is now almost no Madagascar rubber coming to market. 1866-1870 9608,376 5.594512 15,202.888 



The India Rubber World lately has recorded a marked 1871-1875 22.952,386 3.907.232 26,859.618 



, ,. ., j-rA T JO II u 1876-1880 17.394.793 1. 194. 144 18.588,937 



decline m the production of Accra, Lagos, and Benguella rub- 1881-1885 9,503,916 979,136 10.483.052 



bers. And letters have been received predicting a similar 1886-1890 4.309,306 727,516 5,036,822 



situation in the Congo Free State. In all the countries and 1891-1895 3.848,365 ''°3|'323 4883,693 



.... , r , , u J r 1. . • uu I896-I9OO 3,152,957 1,146,880 4,299,837 



districts here referred to the sole method of obtaining rubber ^ ^ __Z_ 



is by destroying absolutely the source of supply. Total 76.506,283 18,118,460 94,624,743 



To-day almost the only rubber gathered by other means ■ 



than the destruction of the tree is the Para rubber, obtained News comes from Germany of a visit by Prof. George Lin- 



from the Hevea species. Ultimately, unless other means are coin Goodale, of the botany department of Harvard University, 



adopted with regard to rubber species, the Para trees must be to Magdeburg, for the purpose of studying the history of the 



the world's sole reliance for rubber, and even these are known development of the sugar beet, from the period when it was 



in many cases to be damaged by careless or excessive tapping, found growing wild on the shores of the Mediterranean, in the 



The one encouraging sign is the tendency toward planting hope that by the application of similar principles to the culti- 



rubber, on a large scale, with a view to harvesting the product vation of rubber a larger yield may be obtained than is now the 



under intelligent supervision, by means designed to render the case. 



