June 1, 1911.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



303 



moving bird, that looked for all the world like our northern 

 scarlet tanager. We passed the abandoned Windsor Forest 

 Estate, that not long ago had 4,000 acres under cultivation and 

 was very prosperous until the sea broke in and laid it waste. 

 The extensive mill, administration building, and coolie quarters 

 rapidly going to pieces and the land growing up to jungle; it 

 was not a pleasant sight. 



At Vreed-en-Koop we boarded the small side-wheel steamer 

 Amy, were ferried across to Georgetown and as evening fell 

 found ourselves quartered in the huge four-story wooden hotel 

 that everybody said was "very bad," but which we found clean. 

 quiet and comfortable. The servants, to be sure, were slow- 

 footed blacks, good-natured, forgetful and easily confused. They 

 were honest, however, and exceedingly grateful for even mode- 

 rate tips. The city, which is twelve feet below the sea level, is 

 well lighted, excellently policied and has an up-to-date electric 

 car service of which it may well be proud. It is very hot in the 

 middle of the day, but at nightfall the sea breeze brings comfort 

 and the whole city gathers on the broad esplanade that runs 

 parallel to the great sea wall and gossips and promenades and is 

 content. 



I would not have missed the visit to the botanical gardens 

 for much. Thev are certainlv fascinatingly beautiful, and 



or niDic seedUngs and begin what may be a goodly plantation in 

 embryo. 



The Sa/'iiDH Jciniuini. which is indigenous to British Guiana, 

 and which is really a beautiful tree that gives good rubber, is 

 quite a favorite in this part of the world. Much is being 

 done with it experimentally, and it is to be hoped that it proves 

 itself commercially profitable. 



England shows wonderful wisdom in her selection of men to 

 administer the affairs of the various departments of her far-away 

 possessions. When more than twenty years ago she sent Pro- 

 fessor Harrison as Director of Science and Agriculture to 

 British Guiana, she did not err in her choice. An athlete, as 

 strong mentally as he is physically, with a string of letters after 

 his name that tells of many degrees conferred by learned so- 

 cieties, with a broad knowledge of tropical conditions and needs, 

 what he has done for the colony is beyond tabulation. When 

 gold seemed the most important of the country's problems, he 

 headed exploring parties that brought back and analyzed and 

 classified rock specimens from all parts of the colony. His 

 work in sugar cane, cocoa, cocoanuts, etc., etc., has been enormous 

 and of the greatest value. And it is upon him that the rubber 

 planter will depend for advice and help as the country turns to 

 the extensive exploitation of that pndnct. n; it siTciy will. 



A Be.\utifui, Drive ix the Botanic.xl G.\rden. 



whether or not one knows anything about palms, orchids, foliage 

 plants or tropical flora, a visit is w-ell worth while. An official 

 from the Experiment Station took us out to see plots planted to 

 Hei'ca. Castilloa and }tIanibot on flat undrained ground. The 

 experiment was designed to show to owners of abandoned sugar 

 estates that rubber must have a certain amount of drainage. 

 Many of them need such instruction, for obsessed by the belief 

 that the Hevea Brasiliensis if it had legs would wade out into the 

 water and stand kneedeep if possible, they have planted in the 

 drains and naturally the trees have died. These experimental 

 plantings do not look healthy and no one expected they would. 

 On the other hand down near the administration building are 

 Castilloas. Sal<ium and Hez-eas from one to ten years' old with 

 about four feet of drainage that are equal to any to be found 

 anywhere. The department is doing everything it can to stimu- 

 late the interest of planters in rubber. It has imported seed 

 and thousands of young Hei'eas are growing in Government 

 nurseries, which are sold at cost to the planters. In addition 

 to this, in order that the small farmers may be possessed of a 

 few rubber trees, they have them displayed in the general market 

 where the common people come daily. The result is that scores, 

 who feel themselves too humble to visit the gardens, and if 

 there would never dare to suggest a purchase, carry home one 



Bro.\d C.^N.\L i.v Georgetown Filled with "Victori.\ Regia." 



I had a very pleasant hour and a half with him on the occa- 

 sion of my first visit, and he showed himself fully alive to the 

 importance of rubber culture. He had many samples of rubber 

 from Sapiuin, Castilloa and Hezea and much balata, including 

 the bastard balata, a product much like potto rubber. By the 

 way, a Georgetown man has a process for making this plastic, of 

 which he thinks a good deal. He is also interested in the pro- 

 duction of banana rubber, of which I saw a small sample in the 

 Georgetown MuseuuL It was about the consistence of reclaimed 

 mat stock, but a trifle stickier. 



The Governor was very busy governing while I was there, so 

 I did not break in upon him. He, however, was good enough to 

 write to a friend, saying that he had instructed the Depart- 

 ment of Lands and Mines and the Botanical Department to 

 present everything in the way of maps, books, photos and in- 

 formation that I might yearn for and they promptly and courte- 

 ously complied. 



Georgetown has one exhibit that no other city in the world 

 can boast. Through the middle of one of the broad streets 

 stretches for a mile or more a deep fresh-water canal. This 

 from bank to bank is crowded with the huge brown-green leaves 

 and fragrant pink blossoms of the I'ictoria Ri'gia. 



(TO BE CONTINUED.) 



