136 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December 1. 1911. 



RUBBER AND BALATA IN BRITISH GUIANA. 



(By Our Special Correspondent.) 



ON October 12, Professor Harrison, Director of Science and 

 Agriculture, and members of the Board of Agriculture, 

 paid a visit of inspection to the experimental fields in the Botanic 

 Gardens, Georgetown. The most interesting part of the whole 

 inspection (probably because of its novelty to the majority of 

 the party), was the demonstration of the germination of Para 

 rubber seeds at different stages. Fifty-four thousand seeds had 

 arrived from Singapore that morning, packed in tin boxes in 

 charcoal, in 5 per cent, of water. The boxes were sewn in 

 canvas and the professor pointed out sundry lids, which had 



David Young Rubber Estate (British Guiana), Limited. 



simply been slipped on — not soldered; the latter expedient being 

 likely to make the seeds get lost and rot. After being taken 

 from the boxes, the seeds were placed close together in care- 

 fully prepared beds, composed of cocoanut fiber, charcoal and 

 other light stuffs. A few of the seeds had already started 

 germination. 



Another stage in the process of cultivation was then shown, 

 the seeds, which had arrived a fortnight previously, having 

 sprouted. Those which came from Singapore gave an exception- 

 ally good germination — between 70 and 80 per cent. ; but those 

 from Ceylon showed a miserably poor return — about 5 per cent, 

 out of the 29,000 planted. 



In the nursery, on highly manured beds, Hevea Brasiliensis 

 and Mamhot Gladozni were making poor progress, the soil being 

 too heavy and too rich. The Sapium Jenmani variety, however, 

 was doing rather better. Robusta coffee, which is very popular 

 in Java, where it is interplanted with rubber, was making excel- 

 lent progress. 



Heavy rice fields extending back of the gardens, besides rub- 

 ber trees of several varieties, were also inspected. Originally 

 the varieties planted were Hevea Brasiliensis, Mamhot Glaziovii, 

 Sapium Jenmani, Ficus elastica and Castilloa elastica. The two 

 last-named varieties had died away to unfavorable conditions, 

 and the other varieties had had but a precarious existence. The 

 oldest Hevea was planted in December, 1907, but the soil being 

 heavy, it had not made satisfactory progress. The tree was in 

 the flowering stage. To overcome the soil-weight difficulty in 

 Heveas, an experiment is being tried in the field — vertical fork- 

 ing. Only a few of the Manihot variety had survived, and a five- 

 year-old Sapium was disappointing. 



Messrs. Boyle & Co. have received from their balata grants in 

 the interior, from September 25 to October 21, 86,829 pounds 

 of balata, on which they have paid royalty amounting to Sl,736.58. 



Mr. W. J. Smyth, manager of Demarara Rubber Co., Limited, 

 lias despatched a balata prospecting expedition of 23 men, under 

 a well-known bushman, to the company's points out at Rema and 

 Quitaro rivers, where the grants arc reported to be very rich. 



Work among David Young Estates, Limited, the pioneer rub- 

 ber plantation in the colony, has been shut down. The reason 

 given for the collapse of the company's shares is that a certain 

 English syndicate (which held three-fifths of the shares) has 

 "come a cropper," with the result that no working capital is avail- 

 able. It is stated, however, on good authority, that a new com- 

 pany is being formed in London, to take over the property and 

 provide abundant working capital. Present prospecting work on 

 the concessions around the plantation, has revealed the existence 

 of a large quantity of indigenous Sapium Jenmani rubber trees. 

 So far, the yield from the cultivated Sapiums which have been 

 tapped has proved disappointing. The Hevea Brasiliensis trees 

 have made splendid progress. 



One of the problems which confront those who cultivate Hevea 

 Brasiliensis m the colony is the possible danger of the cross 

 fertilization of Para rubber trees with local native Heveas. Such 

 hybridization would become apparent in the second generation, 

 i. e., seed from hybrids, which might appear for practical pur- 

 poses. Brasiliensis, might and probably would give seeds produc- 

 ing hybrids of confusa, and Brasiliensis. The planter, therefore, 

 should destroy every tree of indigenous Hevea varieties which 

 may be found growing on any land to be planted with Para 

 rubber. This is the view, I understand, of the Department of 

 Science and Agriculture. 



At a meeting of the Board of Agriculture, Georgetown, on 

 October 24, Professor Harrison, Director of Science and Agri- 

 culture, gave an official report of experiments, which his depart- 

 ment had been carrying on for the past few years, with indigenous 

 Sapium Jenmani rubber trees of the colony. 



The experiments included five tapping periods, which showed 

 following results : 



1. September, 1908 8.33 oz. per tree. 



2. October, 1909 5.16 " " 



3. March, 1910 L89" " 



4. August, 1910 1.93 " " 



5. November, 1910 LOS" " 



Thus during a period of two years the yield of dry rubber 

 from mature Sapium Jenmani trees of various sizes, from 30 to 

 92 inches in girth, at 3 feet from the ground (the majority being 

 between 40 and 70 inches in circumference), was 18.39 oz. per 

 tree. 



Six trees, which had been practically run dry by previous tap- 

 pings, were selected during the 1910 trials, for the purpose of 

 further experiment, when a diminished yield was obtained. The 

 repeated tapping of Sapium trees had resulted in the gradual 

 deterioration of quality ; the rubber yielded on the first tapping 

 being of excellent quality, while in subsequent tappings it became 

 more and more sticky, until the latex failed to coagulate at all. 

 The proportion of rubber in the latex varied from about 18 per 

 cent, in 1908, to 15 per cent, in 1910 for trees tapped for the 

 first time; while that yielded by trees which had been subjected 

 to tapping during the several periods contained about 11 per 

 cent. Other interesting points of detail were likewise brought 

 forward by Professor Harrison. 



Several losses through accidental causes have lately been in- 

 curred by balata companies. These include the loss of 5,(XX) lbs. 

 by M. Bugle & Co., owing to a boat disaster at Waraputa Falls, 

 and more recently that of 1,3(X) lbs. belonging to the Consolidated! 

 Rubber and Balata Estates, Ltd., which were sunk in the Coren- 

 tyne River. 



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