January 1, 1911.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



123 



Mexican Rubber Plantation Notes. 



By a Special Correspondent. 



THE favorable growth of trial plantings of Ilevca brasiliensis 

 in different parts of Mexico has led to serious consideration 

 of the introduction of this genus as supplementary to the 

 indigenous Castilloa, and practical commencements are now being 

 made in this direction. On "El Palmar" estates, near Cordoba, 

 lately acquired by a British company and now under the technical 

 management of Mr. James C. Harvey, a planting of considerable 

 extent is to be made with seed imported from the Far East, 

 while on "El Dorado" estate of The Land Co. of Chiapas 

 (Mexico), Limited, a similar venture is being made — in this 

 case stumps having been procured from Ceylon and put into 

 nurseries upon arrival, for planting out in due course. 



This latter concern, by the way, has inaugurated an active 

 policy of developmen't, on broad lines, of the immense territory 

 which it owns in the state of Chiapas. In addition to devoting 

 250 more acres to Castilloa (500 acres being now under cultiva- 

 tion), the company is erecting a sawmill on the above mentioned 

 property, excellent timber being abundant on the same and on 

 adjoining lands which the company has reserved for its own 

 purposes. The Pan-American railway passes through the estate, 

 and a station will be built upon it. The present manager of the 

 company, Mr. Cecil J. Wacher, under whose direction all planting 

 operations are conducted, has had some eight years' general 

 agricultural experience on the western ghauts in southern India, 

 and has also been engaged in planting Ceara rubber (Manihot 

 Clasiovii) in British East Africa. He is therefore well qualified 

 for the work which is being carried out under his regime. 



The Land Co. of Chiapas are experimenting with four varie- 

 ties of "manigoba" — namely, Manihot Glaziovii, M. dichotoma, 

 M. heptaphylla, and M. Piauhyensis — on their "San Vicente" 

 estate, situated about 20 kilometers from Tuxtla Gutierrez, where 

 the physical conditions seem to be suitable for the same, the 

 elevation being 2,900 feet above sea-level and the rainfall 45 to 

 SO inches per annum. In other districts the company are planting 

 henequen and going in for cattle breeding, while a new coffee 

 zone is being opened up by the construction of a road from 

 Pijijiapam, on the Pan-American railway, to the town of Mira- 

 flores on the eastern side of the Sierra Madre, to the cost of 

 which the company is contributing. 



Considerable interest attaches to the present visit to Mexico 

 of Colonel Sir Tliomas Hungerford Holdich, k.c.m.c, k.c.i.e., 

 C.B., R.E., F.R.G.S., chairman of the Soconusco Rubber Plantations, 

 Limited, of London, owning the "Dona Maria" estate in Chiapas. 

 Besides having had a distinguished career in the British army 

 as an officer in the corps of Royal Engineers, Sir Thomas has 

 rendered important services to geographical science by his surveys 

 in Afghanistan, for which he was awarded the founder's medal 

 of the Royal Geographical Society. He acted as a commissioner 

 on the settlement of the Argentine-Cliilian boundary, and has 

 also done a good deal of literary work, airiong which may be 

 mentioned an article on Surveying for the new edition of the 

 "Encyclnpscdia Britannica," which is about to be issued by the 

 University of Cambridge, England. Sir Thomas spent a couple 

 of weeks in the capital, where he was received in special audience 

 by President Diaz, and entertained by the British minister and 

 other prominent persons in the official world of Mexico City. 

 He is now on the plantation, whence he will proceed to Tapa- 

 chula, on business connected with The Land Co. of Chiapas 

 (Mexico), Limited, of which he is also chairman. 



A short time prior to the arrival of Sir Thomas Holdich, Mr, 

 Ashmore Russan, one of the board of directors of the Soconusco 

 Rubber Plantations, Limited, and a well known rubber expert, 

 came out from London on his own initiative with the object of 



personally investigating the situation. This gentleman found 

 things at "Dona Maria" in so unsatisfactory a condition that he 

 immediately removed the then resident superintendent, who had 

 been appointed by Dr. Olsson-Seffer, the promoter of the com- 

 pany. Tlie latter no longer has any connection with the company, 

 and, as a matter of fact, never did have any legal status with it. 



It has transpired that the Amistad Rubber Plantations and 

 Estates, Limited, of London — also promoted by Dr. Olsson- 

 Seffer — does not own the "Amistad" plantation (which was the 

 most important of the group of properties embraced in the flota- 

 tion, as the name of the company would suggest), that estate 

 having been purchased by American interests some time before 

 Dr. Olsson-Seffer had complied with the terms of the option 

 which he held upon it, or those of the sale which he was then 

 negotiating. It remains to be seen how this impasse will be 

 bridged. 



Among various rubber plantations in Mexico lately transferred 

 to British owners is that of "La Esperanza," situated near the 

 town of Tierra Blanca, state of Veracruz, and with which Mr. 

 George Cullen Pearson (whose name will be familiar to readers 

 of The India Rubber World) was foriuerly conected. A few 

 years ago the estate became the property of The Mexican Rubber 

 Co., Limited, of London, and Mr. Pearson has since resided in 

 England. Mr. H. E. Levesley, who was associated with Mr. 

 Pearson in this enterprise from its inception, and under whose 

 immediate personal supervision the whole of the development 

 work was done, remained on the estate as manager. Durmg 

 the recent rubber boom in London the property again changed 

 hands (this time to a private individual), Mr. Levesley continuing 

 to act in the same capacity for the new owner. The estate com- 

 prises 3,200 acres of land, only a portion of which has been 

 cleared, with some 150,000 planted rubber trees (Castilloa 

 elastica) , ranging in age from seven to eleven years. Five 

 thousand pounds of rubber were shipped from it last season 

 (tapping from August, 1909, to March, 1910), the best price 

 secured on the London market having been 10.S. Ad. [= $2.48] 

 per pound, when fine plantation Para was quoted at \\s. 9rf. 

 [= $2.82]. 



No planter in Mexico has done more conscientious or more 

 efficient work than Mr. Levesley. Due to the thorough care 

 exercised in every detail of its preparation, the rubber which he 

 has turned out has been of a remarkably high grade, as the 

 figures above sufficiently attest ; and he has produced some by a 

 special process of his own, without the aid of any coagulant, 

 samples of which were mistaken by a leading firm of brokers in 

 London for fine Para. 



With regard to the revolutionary movement which has lately 

 developed in this country, and of which some very exaggerated 

 reports have been published by certain newspapers in the United 

 States, it may be observed that at this date quiet has been restored, 

 and general confidence is felt in the ability of the administration 

 of President Diaz to effectually suppress any further seditionary 

 action that may be attempted in any quarter. It may be added 

 that where conflicts have occurred neither Americans nor other 

 foreigners have been molested, the discontent manifested being 

 purely political. 



Mexico. December 14. 1910. 



The United States consul at Alexandria states that the new 

 Egyptian cotton crop approximates 700,000,000 pounds. The yield 

 last year was about 500.000,000 pounds. The Egyptian govern- 

 ment has made a report showing 1,603,266 acres under cotton this 

 year, as against 1,456,187 acres last year. 



