264 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March 1. !91. 



tions in British Guiana. They showed the worlv done at ,the 

 various experiment stations and also the nicthpds of extracting 

 and coagulating balata. 



A very interesting and infcirniing feature of the Conference 

 was the rubber demonstration at the St. Clair ICxperimcnt Sta- 

 tion, which is close to the city. The delegates were sliovvn how 



Reside.n'ce of Trinid.\d's Governor. Port of Siwi.n'. 



to tap Para rubber trees and how coagulation was effected, to- 

 gether with methods of tapping Castilloas. All of the rubber ap- 

 paratus at the laboratory was on exhibition, including many types 

 of tappiiig tools, coagulating appliances, apparatus for smol<ing, 

 et cetera. All of these were explained by ,'\. E. Collens, F. C. S.. 

 analyst and chemical demonstrator. 



jNIuch of the success of the Conference was due to the re- 

 markable organizing ability of its president, Dr. Francis Watts, 

 the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture for the West Indies, 

 and to Professor P. Carmody, Director of Agriculture for Trini- 

 dad and Tobago, together with their very able and scholarly staff. 

 The part of the president's address devoted to rubber was 

 as follows: 



Interest m rubl)er has lieen steadily maintained in the 

 West Indies during recent years, and considerable 

 progress is being made. As far as observations go, the 

 rubber boom of 1909 appears to have exercised but little 

 disturbing influence on the work in the West Indies. 

 This is perhaps due in no small degree to the steadying 

 influence of the local Departments of Agriculture, which, 

 being in close touch with planters and well informed as 

 to local conditions, tended to discourage wild specula- 

 tions, to the permanent good of the various colonies. 

 Work in the West Indies has included chiefly the in- 



Very considerable efforts have already been made by 

 the various Departments of .\grryii1ture to assist in the 

 importation of ruliber seeds, principally of Hevea. This 

 is shown by the figures, for sonic of the sinaller islands, 

 given in the following table: 



Rubber Seeds Imported, 1910. 



Dominica 98,200 St. Vincent 10,000 



Antigua 2,500 St. Lucia 10,000 



Grenada 75,000 



Much interest has been evoked liy the machine invented 

 by Mr. Smith, of Tobago, for the rapid preparation of 

 rubber from CastUloa latex. It is anticipated that an op- 

 ])ortunity will be afforded to members of the Conference 

 liir seeing this machine in operation, and for obtaining 

 the latest information concerning it and its application. 

 It is interesting to note that British Guiana is export- 

 ing rubber to the value of some $7,000 a year, and that 

 Tobago has begun to make commercial shipments. 



Reference should be made to the export of balata from 

 British Guiana. This is an old industry in this Colony, 

 and is dependent upon the exploitation of the native for- 

 ests, the work of collecting being carried on under Gov- 

 ernment regulations intended to prevent destruction or 

 waste of the forests. The importance and growth of the 

 industry may be judged from the following ligures relat- 

 ing to the exports : . ... 



1905-6 :....z/a/Hc $40,311 1908-9 t'o/mc $98,128 



1906-7 50.106 1909-10 95,507 



l'«7-8 - 76.778 1910-1 1 139,623 



The Oil Fields, Trinid.\d 



troduction of rubber plants of various kinds and the ex- 

 tension of the areas under cultivation. It may be ob- 

 served that there is now a tendency to pay more atten- 

 tion to 1IC7-C0 and less to Ciistilhiu than was formerly 

 the case. 



Agricultur.\l Laboratory, Trinidad. 



The recent International Rubber Exhibition lias af- 

 forded 'several West Indian colonics opportunities both 

 for bringing" to public notice the facilities tliat they offer 

 for rubiier culti\'ation, and for gathering mucli valuable 

 information to guide the efforts of those concerned in 

 the developments that must take place in the West Indian 

 rubber growing. At the Exhibition, British Guiana, 

 Trinidad and Tobago were prominently represented, 

 creating favorable impressions that should materialize in 

 increased activity in rubber growing. The exhibits from 

 the other West Indian colonies — Dominica and St. 

 Lucia — were on a smaller scale. 

 Trinidad's beautiful capital hospitably opened her doors wide 

 to the visiting scientists; and in the pauses between the sessions 

 arranged luncheons, dinners, drives and excursions in great num- 

 ber. The most notable excursion was that given by "Trinidad's 

 Rockefeller," the Honorable Mr. Cochrane, who chartered the 

 Royal Mail steamship "Balantia" and took a party of 125 to the 

 oil fields. It was an all-day trip and he entertained them most 

 lavishly from dawn until dark. 



At the close of the Conference the delegates took part in the 

 great Agricultural Exhibition which was then formally opened by 

 the Governor of Trinidad. 



Below is given a list of those who attended the conference and 

 the societies or bodies which they represented : 



List of Delegates Who ."Xttended the Conference. 

 Dr. Francis Watts, c.m.g., d.sc, f.i.c, f.c.s.. Imperial Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture for the West Indies, President. 

 BRITISH DELEG.VTES. 

 A. W. Hill, M.A., F.L.S., Assistant Director and representative of 

 the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 



Guy A. K. Marshall. Scientific Secretary and representative of 

 the Committee of Entomological Research. 



