J64 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[February i, 1910. 



he has charge of all the interests referred to, including the coffee 

 estates of the Hidalgo Plantation and Commercial Co. 



The area planted on "La Zacualpa" is somewhat over 10,000 

 acres; on "La Zacualpa II," 4,800 acres, and on "Juilapa," 3,500 

 acres — making a total area under rubber of 18,300 acres. On 

 "Los Tocayos" preliminary work is as yet only being done; 5,000 

 acres are to be planted to rubber, and it is intended to make a 

 start on the same early this year. 



The oldest planting of the company on "La Zacualpa," con- 

 sisting of a few thousand trees, was made in shade, which, at 

 the time, was generally supposed to be the natural requirement 

 of Castilloa. This shade is now being gradually removed. There 

 are also several thousand trees 20 years old, which were set 

 out by the original owner of the land, Senor Jose Maria Pelaez. 

 These latter form a fine forest of umbrageous growth, with a 

 perfectly clean "floor," over which are scattered countless volun- 

 teer seedlings. As much as 2 pounds 11 ounces of dry rubber 

 have been taken from a single one of these trees at one tapping, 

 the average yield of one tapping being about I pound. 



The entire plantation is laid out in rectangular blocks, 350 

 meters on each side (or 39J4 acres in area), destined ultimately 

 to contain 300 trees to the acre, in accordance with the company's 

 share obligations. The dividing avenues are 7 meters in width, 

 and afford easy access to every part of the estate. The ground 

 is not specially staked for planting, as is customary on the isthmus 

 of Tehuantepec, but, as soon as practicable after the burning, 

 small hills are made, 6 feet apart, for the reception of the seed, 

 small lines being spaced at 12 feet. These hills are prepared a 

 week or two before the planting is commenced, to allow the proc- 

 ess of soil assimilation to take place. The making of these hills is 

 rendered necessary by the presence, all over the district, of a layer 

 of volcanic ash (from the eruption of Santa Maria in Guate- 

 mala in the year 1902), from two to four inches deep, which, 

 assuming, when wet, a semi-impermeable consistency, would 

 hinder, or even entirely prevent, germination of the seed, if left 

 undisturbed. Some record plantings have been made at "La 

 Zacualpa," as much as 3,600 acres having been cleared and planted 

 in one season. 



The question of seed selection has been carefully studied, and 

 the result of observations made goes to show that the seed from 

 trees between three and four years old produce the best — that is 

 tii say, the quickest — growth ; and. since rapid development of tree 



RUBBER MILL AT "LA ZACUALPA" PLANTATION. 



trunk implies increased thickness of bark, so this, in turn, tends 

 to augment to a corresponding degree the formation of lacti- 

 ferous cells — which is the ultimate desideratum. 



With so vast an area planted as at "La Zacualpa," there are 

 many thousands of trees always ready for tapping, so that this 

 operation continues all the year round, except during a few weeks 

 in the height of the dry season, when the latex does not run 

 freely. The rubber is collected at night, the cooler temperature 

 aiding its flow. The men go out at 2 A. M., and generally get through 

 their task by sunrise. An expert tapper will get 5 gallons of 

 latex, or about 8 pounds of dry rubber. The older trees are be- 

 ing tapped three times a year, although regard is had more to 

 size than age in the selection of trees to be tapped. The yield 

 per tree per tapping for the year 1908, averaged 2.5 ounces — this 

 figure including trees ranging in age from four to eight years. 



The tapping tool used was designed at "La Zacualpa," em- 

 bodying a simple device for regulating the depth of the incision 

 and an additional blade for cutting the cambium. Experiments 

 were made with numerous forms of tapping tools employed in 

 Ceylon and Malaya for Hevea trees, but none was found suitable 

 for Castilloa. The greatest possible care is exercised in keeping 

 the knives sharp, so that the cuts made may be clean and free 

 from any tearing effect. The edge is given to the blade on an 

 oilstone, and no files are permitted to be used. A light tele- 

 scopic ladder is used for tapping the trees at heights beyond a 

 man's reach when standing on the ground. 



"La Zacualpa" has a very complete installation for handling 

 its rubber, comprising the following plant : 20 H.p. boiler and en- 

 gine, driving saw and planer in lumber mill and line shafting; 

 24 wood and 16 cement coagulating tanks, and two cement waste 

 tanks ; 3-roller creping machine ; 'hydraulic press, making four 

 25-pound blocks of rubber at one time, and capable of exerting 

 a pressure of 2 tons per square inch and a total maximum pres- 

 sure of 128 tons; two wooden presses, each of a capacity of 

 300 pounds of rubber, and one of a capacity of 100 pounds; cen- 

 trifugal machine, running at 6,000 revolutions per minute, driven 

 by a 3 H.p. gasoline engine, capable of turning out 4,000 pounds 

 of rubber per hour; complete water supply system, and hydraulic 

 ram for raising water to two large cylindrical storage towers. 

 The mill building also includes a drying room holding 40,000 

 pounds of rubber. 



The latex, which is brought in from the field in big specially 

 made zinc cans, is first passed 

 through a double sieve of different 

 sized meshes, to free it from me- 

 chanical impurities and all foreign 

 substances ; then mixed with clean 

 water in the proportion of I to 3. 

 After being allowed to stand for four 

 hours, this water, containing the 

 mother liquor from the latex, is run 

 off into a waste tank, for subse- 

 quent treatment in the centrifugal, 

 and fresh water let in. The next 

 clay the latex is washed again, and 

 the juice of the "jamole" vine (Ipo- 

 maa bona nox) added, undergoing a 

 final washing when coagulation 

 occurs. The mass is then removed 

 from the tanks and cut up into pieces 

 of suitable size for running through 

 the creping machine; rinsed in clean 

 water and sent to the drying room. 

 All of the rubber is prepared in 

 crepe form and pressed into blocks 

 of 100 pounds each for shipment, the 

 packing boxes being made on the 

 plate of native lumber. 



