THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



IMav 1, 1911. 



As a result of his visit to Mexico, Mr. Smith considers the 

 following conclusions as warranted : 



(a) That Tobago has the same variety of Castilloa as that 

 cultivated in Mexico, wlicre it has been proved that its cul- 

 ture can be made a commercial success. 



(b) That the general conditions, climatic and economic, are 

 equally favorable in the colony. 



(,c) That from actual experiments, and from information 

 given by planters in Mexico, there is nothing to justify the 

 statements made that ten to twelve year old Castilloa trees 

 yield an average of about 2 pounds per year, but everything 

 shows that the average at this age is near one-half pound per 

 tree. 



(d) That by tapping Iiigher up the tree as is done in Mexico 

 the yield can be considerably increased and that by adopting 

 some modification of the Mexican methods of tapping and col- 

 lecting, the cost of production in Tobago can be reduced ma- 

 terially. 



(e) That the percentage of resin in rubber from trees of 

 similar age is probably the same in both places, but the resin- 

 contents of the average rubber shipped from Mexico would be 

 lower, on account of the number of large wild Castilloas scattered 

 through the plantations, which are tapped at the same time as 

 the young cultivated trees and the latex mixed. 



THE PRICE OF PLANTATION "CASTILLOA." 



To THE Editor of The India Rubber World : I am well aware 

 that the Castilloa rubber i» not the equal of fine Para, but I am 

 of the opinion that we can prepare our plantation rubber in such 

 a way as to insure us a better price than we are now getting in 

 the open market. I should like to be informed for what par- 

 ticular uses the Castilloa is best suited, so that I can get in touch 

 with the manufacturers and try to prepare my rubber to suit 

 their particular purpose. 



I have 2,000 acres of rubber in first class condition ; the latest 

 plantings were made in 1907. Our estimated output for 1911 is 

 30,000 pounds, and, naturally, our output within the next few 

 years, will be large. I have forwarded various small shipments 

 of fine creamed rubber — very drj', and "blocked" — and have re- 

 ceived for the same ordinary scrap rubber prices. No doubt this 

 comes about, to some extent, through ordinary commission pro- 

 cedure, but the fact remains that I see no reason to prepare a 

 first class article as regards dryness and cleanliness, and then 

 accept the price of an ordinary article- 



What I very much want to try out is to prepare my rubber 

 as perfectly as possible and ship it to a manufacturer who wants 

 that class of rubber — that is, one who manufactures articles 

 for which Castilloa is suitable. If, upon a thorough try-out, we 

 can get no better price than ordinary scrap brings, then we can 

 save time and money by preparing scrap with its corresponding 

 content of dirt and water. 



Ilumanguillo, Tabasco, Mex. A. G. WEISS. 



[There can be no doubt that Castilloa rubber, if clean and dry 

 and not sticky, will always find a ready market, and ultimately, 

 when the carefully prepared product becomes better known, at a 

 price commensurate with its merits. It is scarcely worth while 

 to try to prepare it for any particular line of manufacture, as it 

 gees into an infinite variety of goods. The same applies to the 

 product of other rubber species. — The Editor.] 



RUBBER GROWING IN HAWAII. 



"Cultivation and lis Results," by L. F. Turner, manager of 

 Pacific Development Company. 



"Pests and Diseases of Rubber Trees in Hawaii,' by C. L. 

 Austin, manager of Hawaiian-American Rubber Company. 



"Five Years of Rubber Culture in Hawaii," by William Wil- 

 liamson. 



Dr. E. V. Wilcox, superintendent of the United States Agri- 

 cultural Experiment Station in Honolulu, who has made a 

 careful study of the work of the rubber growers in Hawaii, 

 gave a very interesting address on the status of the industry. 

 After commenting on the enterprise displayed by those in- 

 terested in rubber culture in Hawaii, considering the slight 

 knowledge they possessed of the work, he proceeded, in part, as 

 follows : 



"The manner of cultivation of rubber trees is one of the 

 most important things in the industry. I went over all the 

 plantings of all the Nahiku companies last May, and over 

 Puna Plantation, too, and was able to observe very carefully 

 the growth of trees with cultivation and without it. It is a 

 very serious proposition on account of the very rough nature 

 of the land. It simply means promptly getting rid of the weeds 

 and giving the sun a chance to get at the soil. In my opinion, 

 it is not necessary in rubber cultivation to stir the soil very 

 much after the trees have once gotten a start, if you keep the 

 ground clear so that the sun can get at it. 



"One of the most striking things to me on looking over all 

 the plantings and comparing them with about a year before, 

 was the great changes that had taken place in the physical 

 appearance of the soil. In some places the soil was mud and 

 the horse went along in the mire. After the weeds were re- 

 moved the superficial water ran ofT, and many of those places 

 were actually more or less dry. There was a very noticeable 

 difference, the air was going into the roots and the trees were 

 growing. Now, from the results that have been had so far in 

 growing rubber in Nahiku, it seems to me that we may be 

 sure that a tree large enough for tapping can be got inside of 

 five years. I do not think that unreasonable. Inside of three 

 years we could get them, with the best cultivation, but five 

 years is plenty of time to allow to get a plantation of good 

 size for convenient tapping. 



"I think that a reasonable profit can be obtained from the 

 rubber trees as they stand." 



Addresses were also given by Prof. Ralph S. Hosmer, Super- 

 intendent of Forestry in Hawaii, and E. M. Ehrhorn, en- 

 tomologist of the Agricultural Department. 



The following officers were elected for the ensuing year : C. 

 D. Lufkin, president ; William Williamson, vice-president ; D. 

 C. Lindsay, secretary and treasurer; B. von Damm and Wade 

 Warren Thayer, directors. 



The Hawaiian Rubber Growers' Association is an organiza- 

 tion composed of stockholders and directors of the different 

 rubber plantations in Hawaii, whose object is to advance the 

 interests of the rubber industry in the Hawaiian Islands. About 

 2,500 acres of land is planted in rubber in the Hawaiian 

 Islands at the present time. The oldest plantings were made 

 about six years ago, and the trees of these early plantings are now 

 being tapped, and rubber, in small quantities but of an excj^- 

 lent qualify, is being shipped to the Eastern markets. In another 

 year the output will be reckoned in considerable figures, and 

 as all the plantations are adopting the most modern methods 

 of preparing the latex for the market, a very high quality of 

 rubber will be offered from the Hawaiian plantations. 



THE ANNUAL meeting of the Hawaiian Rubber Growers' 

 Association took place recently in the rooms of the Cham- 

 ber of Commerce, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Delegates were in 

 attendance from all of the rubber plantations in Hawaii, and 

 addresses were given as follows : 



"Methods of Tapping," by W. A. Anderson, manager of Nahiku 

 Rubber Company. 



E. Delafond, engineer, is interested in a new factory for the 

 preparation of guayule rubber, established under the title, "La 

 Victoria," F. F. Moncada & Co., at Sierra Hermosa, State of 

 San Luis Potosi. His new process is employed in the factory 

 and the sample of the rubber it produces sent us is of excellent 

 quality. 



