388 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[April 1, 1914. 



BELGIAN ENGINEER VISITS GERMAN EAST AFRICA. 



During the years 1912 ami 1913 M. Paul Jansscns, engineer, 

 attached to the Belgian Department of Agriculture, visited Ger- 

 man Kast Africa and reported that the plantations of Manihjt 

 Chzioini in that region had been developed in a remarkable 

 manner. He gives the annexed details : 



Exports of 



r Acres ^ I Trees < rubber. 



Planted. In bearing. Planted. In bearing. Tons. 



1908 9.7 



1909 29,665 5,372 11,868,4«) 1,924,454 218 



1910 40,530 9,360 14,425,.S26 3.497.367 414 



1911 63,710 21,416 20,293,709 8,544,662 685 



1912 856 



The report states that the total German imports of rul)ber 

 amounted in 1912 to 20,586 tons. It further adds that the Manihot 

 requires only a small rainfall, being capable of standing protracted 

 seasons of drought. It is admitted that a yearly rainfall exceed- 

 ing 39 inches, while increasing the quantity of latex materially 

 reduces the production of rubber. The tree is satisfied with a 

 relatively poor soil, provided the latter is deep and, above all, 

 permeable : the best soil lieing covered with thick brush or small 

 forests. While Manihot flourishes up to 5,000 feet above sea level 

 the most suitable elevation appears to be about 1,650 feet. 

 Marshy or humid soils should always be avoided, a preference 

 lieing given to locations on a slope from which water easily 

 Hows. 



M. Janssens' rei)nrt Hkcwise deals with tapping, coagulation, 

 <lrying and packing, as well as various insect and other pests 

 causing trouble in rubber cultivation. 



RUBBER IN BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 



Exports of rubber from British East .Africa are reported as 

 follows for the year 1912-13: 



Tons. Value. 



Wild rubber 53 $76,260 



Plantation rubber 24 36,445 



Total 77 $112,705 



The whole of the plantation rubber went to Great Britain, 

 while of the wild rubber 25 tons went to England, 13 tons to 

 Zanzibar and 15 tons to Germany. 



PROPOSED SALE OF RUBBER SEEDS. 



During ,\ugust and .September next, the Agricultural Depart- 

 ment of Southern Nigeria will offer 400,000 Para rubber seeds 

 for sale. The price is 20s. ($4.86) per 1.000 exclusive of freight 

 charges. The seeds will be specially selected by the Agricul- 

 tural Department from trees under their control. Applications 

 should be addressed to the assistant director at Ibadan and the 

 .superintendent of agriculture at Calabar. 



KAMERUN RUBBER EXPORTS. 



German statistics show the rubber exports from Kamerun to 

 have been: 1908—1.214 tons; 1909—1.518 tons: 1910—1.962 tons; 

 1911—2,708 tons; 1912—2,811 tons. In tlie last named year about 

 90 per cent, of the quantity went to Germany and the bulk of the 

 remainder to England. 



NOTES FROM THE COTTON TRADE. 



.'\ report by a reputable brokerage firm of Madras on the rub- 

 ber industry of Southern India— confined chiefly to Travancore 

 and Cochin — placed the number of important plantations in that 

 section in 1912 at 23, with a planted area of 36,606 acres, and a 

 reserve of 34.791 acres. It also estimated the output for that 

 year— no definite details of w^hich are available— at 931.500 pounds. 



THE 1913 COTTON CROP. 



pKi ).\1 recent statistical indications, the American cotton crop of 



!''13, 13,677,000 bales, will rank as the most valuable ever 



grown in this country. The lint represented $850,570,500, and the 



seed and linters $125,000,000, making a total value of $975,570,000. 



MILL CONSTRUCTION SLOW. 



Witli reference to the restricted erection of cotton mills in 

 1913, it has been remarked that the object of operating a factory 

 is not to make cloth but to sell it. Unless there is a probability 

 of selling their product there is no inducement to build mills. 

 This explanation is given of the fact that 62^ per cent, of the 

 total American crop is exported and intended to refute the argu- 

 ment that as long as a single bale is exported, there is room 

 for it to ])e worked up at home. 



MANUFACTURED COTTON IMPORTS. 



Total uu|)ort!. of manufactured cotton goods have remained 

 about the same during the last three calendar years: 1911 — 

 $65,804,994; 1912— $67,978,226 ; 1913— $65,359,542. In 1913 laces, 

 etc., represented about 55 per cent., wearing apparel 11 per cent., 

 and cotton cloths 15 per cent. 



ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF SEA ISLAND COTTON. 



In a lecture at Glasgow, Professor John A. Todd stated tliat 

 in the event of the boll weevil destroying the .American crop of 

 Sea Island cotton, the W'cst Indies and Egypt were the only two 

 parts of the world capable of supplying the deficiency. 



EXPORTS OF UNMANUFACTURED COTTON. 



According to official returns, exports of unmanufactured cot- 

 ton for the calendar year 1913 represented 8,609,488 bales, value 

 $575,488,090. The amounts for previous years were: 1911 — 

 8,607,401 bales, value $517,053,575: 1912—10,694.472 bales, value 

 $623,077,439. 



MANUFACTUEEIj COTTON EXPORTS. 



Manufactured exports for 1913 represented a total of $55,- 

 536,267; as compared with $45,686,591 for 1911 and $52,450,888 

 for 1912. Of tliese amounts in 1913 cotton cloths represented 

 about 60 per cent., waste cotton 9 per cent., wearing apparel 20 

 per cent. 



THE CHILEAN TEXTILE TRADE. 



Chile being a direct gainer by the Panama Canal in its trade 

 with the United States, it is of interest to note that the textile 

 imports of that country represented in 1911 about 9'/2 million dol- 

 lars, and in 1912 10 million. Of the latter amount cotton formed 

 about 50 per cent, and wool 27J/2 per cent. 



Of the entire textile imports, the United Kingdom supplies 

 aliout 40 per cent., Germany 30 per cent, and the United States 

 3 per cent. There is thus con.sequently a .good opening for the 

 expansion of trade in cotton goods with Chile by the United 

 States. In 1912 it reached about $800,000. according to Wash- 

 ington statistics. 



ABOLITION or WASTES IN COTTON MANUFACTURING. 



The application of chemistry to tinshing cotton goods has led 

 to the abolition of many forms of waste through skill in combin- 

 in.g chemical equivalents. 



FIVE LARGEST COTTON STATES. 



A report of the comparative ginnings in various states of the 

 crop of 1913 to January 16 included: Texas, 3,718,725 bales; 

 Georgia, 2,316,304 bales; Alabama, 1,475,642 bales; South Caro- 

 lina, 1,369,434 bales; Mississippi, 1,176,626 bales. 



The ginnings of Sea Island cotton to above date included: 

 Florida, 25,356 bales; Georgia. 42,650 bales. 



