Makch 1, 1912.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



289 



NOTES FROM BRITISH GUIANA. 



By Our Regular Correspondent. 



THE Administration reports of the Department of Science and 

 Agriculture for 1910-11, which have just been issued, 

 contain much valuable information relating to the progress of 

 the rubber industry in the colony, and the results of experiments 

 with different varieties of rubber at the various experimental 

 stations. The returns published in the report of the Board of 

 Agriculture by the Subsidiary Products Committee show that 

 the acreage under rubber at the close of the linancial year 

 1910-11 was only 1,470, the figures for previous years having 

 been 416 acres in 1907-08, 556 acres in 1908-09 and 995 acres 

 in 1909-10. Although these figures lead to the impression that 

 the companies which have introduced capital into the colony have 

 mainly concentrated their attention upon the indigenous product, 

 balata. they bespeak a certain amount of progress, even if small. 

 As a matter of fact, it is possible that there is a margin of error 

 in these figures. No less than 200,000 young plants of the 

 Hevea Brasilieiisis variety alone have been distributed from the 

 Botanic Gardens during the last few years, exclusive of the 

 distributions of Scipium Jenmanii plants, and it is stated by the 

 committee that these alone would suffice to plant 2,000 acres, 

 while stumps and seeds have been imported into the colony in 

 verj- large numbers by private planters. The lands being planted 

 in rubber, now chiefly Para rubber, the committee goes on to 

 state, consist largely of newly-empoldered land in the north- 

 western district of the colony, and of forest-covered Crown 

 lands on the islands along the lower reaches of the Essequebo 

 river and in the vicinity of Bartica. 



SEEDS FROM SINGAPORE .\ND PERAK.— AN INTERESTING 

 RESULT. 



Mr. F. A. Stockdale, assistant director of science and agri- 

 culture, in reporting upon the w'ork of the Botanic Gardens, 

 mentions a somewhat curious circumstance. From 55,176 seeds 

 imported from the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, 38,754 plants 

 were raised, a rate of germination of 70.2 per cent., slightly 

 lower than that usually obtained from the seeds of those gardens. 

 From 200,666 seeds obtained from Perak, however, only 3,900 

 plants were raised, although in each case the seeds were sown 

 within 24 hours of receipt in the colony. Mr. Stockdale is some- 

 what at a loss to account for the success of the seeds from the 

 one place and of the almost complete failure of those from the 

 other, but draws attention to the fact that whereas Perak packed 

 600 seeds into a tin which was hermetically sealed, Singapore 

 packed only 600 seeds to a tin that was not tightly closed, from 

 which facts he recommends that not more than 500-600 seeds 

 should be packed in a tin and that the tins should not be 

 hermetically sealed. It is interesting to observe also that the 

 Perak seeds gave every indication that the weather was wet at 

 the time they were packed. 



It is a sign of the increasing practical interest that is being 

 taken in rubber cultivation in the colony that the work in con- 

 nection with the raising of rubber plants has so increased that 

 the Nursery has had to be extended and that seven leaf-covered 

 houses have been built to provide accommodation for from 

 45,000 to 50,000 plants. 



THE SCIENTIFIC WORK. 



Reporting upon the work of scientific investigation Mr. Stock- 

 dale says that a careful examination of the Hevea Confusa and 

 Hevea Brasiliensis in the field revealed the fact that whereas the 

 latter shows distinct longitudinal grooves on the older bark near 

 the level of the ground, the bark of the Hevea Confusa is 

 perfectly smooth except for irregularly scattered tentacles raised 

 in the form of minute prickles. It is, therefore, easy to dis- 

 tinguish with certainty in the field the difference between these 

 plants. 



While Hevea Confusa is said to be the most widely dis- 



tributed of the local Heveas, it gives a product that is weak, 

 plastic and more or less unworkable. A smooth bark raised 

 from an imported seed did not appear to yield as satisfactorily 

 as trees with the back grooved longitudinally, while a Hevea, 

 hitherto unknown by the authorities, has been sent from the 

 Potaro district, which gives a more satisfactory product than 

 recently obtained from other indigenous Heveas, but it is weak 

 and somewhat plastic. A species of Sapium sent from the 

 Boerasirii-Bonasika district, and also found in the northwest 

 district, has been stated by the authorities at Kew to be a new 

 one. It differs from Sapium Jenmanii in the inflorescence, and 

 gives a rubber of satisfactory quality. Other new species have 

 been reported which appear to be intermediate between the two. 

 Professor J. B. Harrison, Director of Science and Agriculture, 

 reports upon the work done at the Experimental Stations. At 

 the Issorova Station in the northwestern district of the colony 

 on the Aruka River, experiments were continued with Hevea 

 Brasiliensis, Sapium Jenmanii, Castilloa Elasiica and Funtumia 

 Elastica. The last two w^ere more or less failures, and while 

 the trials have shown that only Para rubber and Sapium have 

 done well, they have also revealed the conditions under which 

 they will grow well. The trials have shown that both Para and 

 Sapium require exposure to the sun and satisfactory drainage 

 to enable them to flourish. Of trees planted in belts, only those 

 in the center have grown satisfactorily, shaded trees having 

 made irregular and slow growth. "Both Para and Sapium 

 rubbers," says the director, "planted on well-drained, empoldered 

 land, where, during the earlier years of their growth the rubber 

 plants were kept free from weeds by the cultivation of provision 

 crops, such as cassava, tannias. bananas, etc , have grown 

 satisfactorily, and the growth of the former compares favorably 

 w-ith that reported from elsewhere, but the rate of growth during 

 1910-11^ was not so rapid as in preceding years, due doubtless 

 to the excessive rainfall." It is pointed out that the lateritic hill 

 slopes are not proving as suitable for the growth of Para rubber 

 as the lower lands have done, but that better drainage in later 

 years may lead to better results. 



F.^ILURE OF SAPIUM ON THE DEMERARA RIVER. 

 At Plantation Christianburg, on the Demerara River, only Para 

 rubber has shown any promise. The CastiUoas, Maniholt and 

 Funlumia have practically proved to be of no value, while the 

 growth of Sapium has been very unsatisfactory. An extension 

 of the experiments to the low hill slopes with both Para and 

 Sapium has led to a more satisfactory growth of the latter. As 

 many as 26 acres are being experimented with at this station. 



INTERESTING EXPERIMENTS WITH BAL.'iTA. 

 Very similar results were recorded from Onderneeming School 

 Farm, Essequebo, Hevea trees making satisfactory growth, 

 Sapium fair growth, Castilloa Elastica proving a failure, and 

 Funtumia Elastica maWng little progress. Some interesting 

 experiments were conducted with balata at this station. Some 

 trees were planted and appeared to be growing well. 



TAPPING EXPERIMENTS WITH SAPIUM.— DISAPPOINTING 

 RESULTS. 



I sent some particulars a little while ago of the tapping ex- 

 periments at the Bousika Sapium reserve. A much more 

 elaborate report appears now from the Director of Science and 

 Agricuhure. A series of eight deductions are drawn from the 

 experiments on these trees. They are as follows: 1. The trees 

 yield latex very freely when first tapped and produce rubber of 

 very high quality, not subject to "tackiness." 2. The yields 

 of latex, and consequently of rubber, rapidly fall off during 

 successive periods of tapping. The rubber obtained from later 

 tappings is very subject to the development of "tackiness," and 

 this tendency increases with successive tapping periods. 3. Some, 

 if not all, of the trees, when exhausted by excessive tapping 

 periods, yield latex from which coagulated rubber is not obtain- 



