42 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[October 1, 1913. 



RUBBER PLANTING IN COCHIN-CHINA. 



By Our Kcaular Correspondent. 

 A CCORDING to the report of the Japanese consul at Saigon, 

 ■** there are 12.900 hectares (31,863 acres) devoted to rubber 

 planting in the east and north-cast districts of Cochin-China, the 

 southern part of Annam and the Kep section of Cambodia, the 

 number of llevea trees planted on this acreage being 4,005,011. 

 While this territory was at one time considered suited only to 

 the cultivation of rice, the results which have attended the plant- 

 ing of the Hevea tree have shown its suitability for rubber pro- 

 duction, tho still regarded as slightly behind cither Sumatra, Java 

 or the Malay peninsula in this respect. 



:V HISTORY OF RUBBER PLANTING. 



The introduction of the Hcvea tree into Cochin-China was 

 started by Mr. Belland, who came here from Ceylon, setting 

 out 15.000 trees. This experiment is said to have netted Mr. 

 Belland a profit of 100,000 francs in the year following the first 

 tapping. This was followed by the formation in 1907 of the 

 Societc Agricole de Susannah, and the establishment of a rubber 

 plantation along the line of the Indo-China Transcendental Rail- 

 way, a similar enterprise, known as the Societe des Hevea de 

 Xa-trach, also being formed in 1908. Both of these enterprises 

 have met with success. The French government has since been 

 experimenting in rubber cultivation at the Ong-Yem Agricultural 

 Test Bureau. Planting so far has not been conducted on a large 

 scale, as in the Malay peninsula, no large stock companies having 

 yet been formed, and the number of trees owned by each in- 

 dividual company ranging from lO.(XX) to 50,000. 



l'L.\NT.\TION DISTRICTS, SOIL .WD CLIM.\TE. 

 The districts now under cultivation for rubber are Baria, Bien 

 Hoa and Thudan Mot in Cochin-China ; Guin Hon in Annam. 

 and the more elevated parts of Kampot in Cambodia. The soil 

 of these districts varies, from the red-brown soil of volcanic 

 origin found in the Bien Hoa and Thudan Mot localities in which 

 the French plantations above mentioned are located, to the gray 

 soil on the estate of Mr. Belland. The temperature is about the 

 same as that of the Malay states, and the year is divided into 

 two seasons of about equal length, the rainy season — during which 

 rain falls daily — and a dry season, when rain falls only two or 

 three times a month. The Hevea sheds its leaves in the dry 

 season, these falling gradually and new leaves budding at the 

 same time. The spread of rubber diseases such as have been 

 very injurious to the Malay rubber trees, is supposed to be 

 checked by this Ary season. 



QUALITY. 



Plantation rubber from Ong-Yem Agricultural Test Bureau 



was exhibited at the Second International Rubber Exhibition in 



London and on analysis was pronounced to be of superior grade. 



ranking seventh in the crude rubber competition of the world. 



PLANTING. 

 The method and style of planting in these districts is similar 

 to that employed in the Malay states, varying according to soil 

 and climate. Seeds are now imported directly from Ceylon (the 

 initial importation by Mr. Belland having come by way of Singa- 

 pore), thus avoiding the introduction of diseases such as are 

 known in Malaya. The preparation of soil is carried on during 

 October to May, in the dry season, and planting is commenced 

 with the beginning of the rainy period and ended about Sep- 

 tember. Cultivation is accomplished by means of horse, ox, 

 and, in some cases, steam-driven cultivators. 



TAPPING AND YIELD. 

 The whole herring-bone system of tapping is employed, and 

 is stopped during January and February. The recorded yield 

 varies from 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) from a seven years' tree of 

 the Societe Agricole de Suzamiah, to 2 kilograms from ten-year 

 trees planted by Belland and also in the Bien district. 



WAGES. 

 The wages of coolies in these districts are from 25 to 30 per 

 cent, lower than in the Malay peninsula, and planters are at 

 present experiencing no difficulty in securing suthcient help of 

 this class, while with the completion of the Indo-China Trans- 

 cendental Railway now being laid through Annam and Cochin- 

 China, a still further supply will no doubt be easily available. 

 Beside the coolies, it is also possible to secure the help of a half- 

 barbarous native class known as "Moy." Their average wage 

 is from 30 to 40 centimes a day for males, and 20 to 30 centimes 

 a day for females, depending upon whether or not their food 

 supply is included. 



CULTIVATED AREA. 

 The area under rubber cultivation in Cochin-China is given 

 in the following table, representing an approximate investment 

 of over 30,000,000 francs : 



Cultivated area Hevea trees 



Districts. Hectare. planted. 



Baria 1,097 350,632 



Bien Hoa 4.361 1,064,000 



Giadinh 2,763 1,054,012 



Tayninh 1.306 431,000 



Thudan Mot 1,472 631,000 



lie di plu-quoc 373 93,367 



.•\nnam et Cambodge 28 81,000 



Other districts 1,000 300,000 



Total 12,900 4,005,011 



NEW RUBBER COMPANIES IN JAPAN. 



The Kamenofuchi Rubber Works, established July, 1913, at 

 Fukae — between Kobe and Osaka — will manufacture rubber tires 

 as well as surgical and electrical rubber goods. Mr. Kameno- 

 fuchi, the head of this concern, was formerly connected with The 

 Alenken Rubber Works at Osaka. 



The Naigai Rubber Co., established in .August, 1913, at Suga- 

 warantori, Kobe, with a capital of $60,000, has as its purpose the 

 manufacture of "The Prince Tire" and all other rubber goods, 

 for domestic consumption and for export to China, the Malay 

 states and other districts. The principal machinery for its plant 

 has already been ordered, from David Bridge & Co., Limited, of 

 England, and the crude rubber used by the company is to be 

 imported from London. The manager of this enterprise is 

 Mr. T. Ide, formerly connected with the Teat Co., Limited, of 

 Kobe ; its representative is Mr. J. Enami, and the expert is Mr. 

 W. A. Wep, an Englishman. 



Mr. \3. Inokuchi. employed for some time past by the Sugii 

 Rubber Works, but retired from that connection in July, 1913, 

 when this concern became known as The Chiyoda Rubber Co., 

 Limited (capital $300,000), has become associated with the Kobe 

 Rubber Manufacturing Co. at Kobe, it being his intention to 

 familiarize himself with the foreign methods of rubber manu- 

 facture — which he believes he can do more readily in this way, 

 from the English experts employed by this concern, than by going 

 abroad. Mr. Inokuchi is a Bachelor of Engineering of the Tokio 

 Imperial L''niversity. 



ENTRIES FOR THE BATAVIA EXHIBITION CLOSE NOVEMBER FIRST. 



As already announced, an International Rubber Exposition 

 will be held at Batavia, Java, September 8, 9 and 10, 1914, Ap- 

 plications for space, stating the area required, must be addressed 

 to the General Secretary of the Congress and Exposition, not later 

 than November 1, 1913. The Dutch East Indian Government 

 will admit, free of duty, all articles destined for the exhibition, 

 which will cover, in addition to the rubber industry as practised 

 in various countries, the different methods of cultivating rubber 

 and preparing the product, with a special division devoted to 

 rubber obtained from wild sources. 



