190 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



(March 1, 1911. 



Along the River Bank. 



the state burdens. The policy of the government has never been 

 to embarass the planters; on the contrary it has helped in many 

 enterprises, even going so far as to loan money at a low rate ol 

 interest to many of the planters whose estates suffered through 

 disease. 



Speaking of Crown lands and tlie wilds, one at once remembers 

 the bush negroes. They were once servants, perhaps slaves, who 

 had gone into the hinterland and made little settlements where 

 they live by hunting, fishing and as little farming as possible. 

 In some respects they have lapsed into savagery. They speak 

 a mixture of Dutch and Indian, a language of their own which 

 is analagous perhaps to the pigeon English of the Chinese. They 

 are tractable and friendly if treated well and are sometimes used 

 by planters with excellent results. They are very honest and 

 while they often borrow, a debt with them is a sacred obligation. 

 Incidents are cited where a man has traveled miles to town with 

 a little money accumulated penny by penny for a long time to 

 pay a debt contracted by his grandfather years before. 



I think it was Jenman who estimated that many of the mature 

 balata trees that he saw in the Guianas were at least 400 years 

 old. Whether he hit it within a century or so does not matter. 

 Certain it is that the tree is of slow growth, and as an ordinary 

 planting proposition is not to be considered for a moment. The 

 tree which is locally known as the "bully" or "boela," is botanic- 

 ally the Mimuso/'s globosa. It is found in French, Dutch, and 

 British Guiana, in Venezuela and indeed in various parts of 

 Brazil. It is very common in the Guianas, growing on sandy 

 reefs that run in all directions through the lower country, and 

 also along the margins of streams in tlic uplands. 



The beginning of gathering is the exploration party that 

 locates the trees. This consists of 8 or 10 men at 60 cents a 



Balata Boat. 



day, under a foreman at 80 cents a day, who go out into the 

 bush in September, October and November, and stay for weeks 

 at a time, until they have located a section where the trees are 

 thick enough to make gathering worth while. A report is made 

 to the government concerning the location and the right to gather 

 balata is obtained. The laws are very strict concerning tapping 

 and destruction of the tree or over tapping is expressly pro- 

 hibited. Only one-half of the bark area is tapped in one year, 

 and that area is rarely tapped again. The reason is that the bark 

 grows over the wounds in irregular forms, making it almost im- 

 possible to secure a surface that can be bled in a satisfactory 

 manner. 



The gathering or tapping begins in January. Bush negroes 

 are not used in this work, nor are the coolies. The laborers 

 are invariably town negroes who have been contracted for before 

 the holidays. They have also secured advances of money of 

 which they invariably spend every cent in Christmas and New 

 Year's festivities. It is quite a task to round up these contract 

 laborers and very often the police are forced to lend a hand 

 in getting the expedition started. The food supply which the 

 foreman looks after consists of flour, split peas, molasses, salt, 

 fish, beef and pork, tobacco and matches, while each man carries 

 caliihashcs, a S-gallon tin can, a cutlass and a queer tin canister 

 for a trunk. They go by boat up one of the many rivers which 

 may take a week or two to the place they have picked out for 

 the central camp. Here 25 or 30 men make their headquarters. 

 As soon as the shelters are built, and they are erected very 

 quickly, the tanks for coagulating are made. They are built on 

 log foundation, the bottom being about 3 feet from the ground, 

 and are shallow wooden pans 10 to 12 feet long and 6 to 8 

 inches deep. They are made from lioards split from palm tree 



Borders of a Balata I-'orest. 



Bi'SH Negro V'illace. 



