86 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[Decembkr I. igc7. 



The Progress of Rubber Planting. 



PROFITS OF AN ANTWERP COMPANY. 



THE annual report of the Federated Malay States Rubber 

 Co., Limited, for the year ended May 31, 1907, shows 

 profits of 173.980.35 francs [=$33,578.21, gold], against 

 74,003.16 francs in the preceding year. There were disbursed in 

 (h'vidends 122,500 francs [=$22,842.50], amounting to 9.8 per 

 cent, on 1,250,000 francs capital. Additions were made to the 

 reserve fund, provision made for directors' fees, and a balance 

 carried over of 15,643.65 francs. The rubber yield was 32,175 

 pounds, against 13,222^/2 pounds in the previous year. This rub- 

 ber was derived from 12,335 trees, or an average per tree of 

 about 2 2-3 pounds. Sales during the year amounted to 14,359 

 kilograms [:=3i,590 pounds], at an average gross price of 5J. 6d. 

 [=$i.33->4] per pound. The headquarters of the company are in 

 Antwerp, and the directorate includes some important members 

 of the crude rubliLT trade there. 



LANADRON RUBBER ESTATES, LIMITED. 



This company was registered in London October 4, 1907, with 

 £320,000 [^41,557,260] capital, to acquire the widely known and 

 successful Lanadron estate in Johore, Malay peninsula, owned 

 and under the management of the Messrs. Pears, of Pears' soap 

 fame, together with adjoining properties in which the Messrs. 

 Pears are interested. This estate has become particularly noted 

 from having been the first to produce "block" rubber on com- 

 mercial scale. "Lanadon block" has won not a few prizes, and 

 the average price obtained for it in London during the first eight 

 months of 1907 was about 5.y. 9]4d. [:=$i.40 1-3] per pound. The 

 amount of rubber harvested in . the first seven months of the 

 year was 55,828 pounds. By August 31 about 2746 acres had 

 been planted with Hcvca rubber, and it was intended to plant 

 600 acres more by the end of the year. The prospectus indicates 

 that the transfer of the estate was based upon the appraisal of 

 the rubber at different ages, running from iio [:=$48.66] per 

 acre for rubber under one year to £190 [:=$g24.63] per acre for 

 that 8'/> years old. The jungle land is valued at £3 per acre. 



TWO SHILLING PLANTING SHAKES. 



The il shares of The Vallambrosa Rubber Co., Limited, re- 

 ported on in The Indi.\ Rubber-World November i, 1907 (page 

 8), on account of the high market value attained — lately as high 

 £9 12,!. 6d. — have been divided into 2 shilling shares, in order to 

 facilitate transfers. The change was sanctioned at a special 

 meeting of shareholders at Glasgow on November 6. 



The il shares of The Selangor Rubber Co., Limited, have 

 similarly been divided into 2 shilling shares, a late London quota- 

 tion for which was 19 to 20 shillings each. 



•THUMB NAIL" PRUNING OF "CASTILLOA." 



In a report on the condition of Plantation "Rubio," dated 

 October 20, the management of The Telmantcpcc Rubber Culture 

 Co. say : "It is very noticeable that where we did thumbnail top- 

 ping this spring the trees [young Castilloa clastica rubber] are 

 growing stocky and thick. This is the result desired, and means 

 they will the more quickly reach a tappable circumference. They 

 are throwing out young, permanent branches, and therefore will 

 soon enjoy dn increased leaf surface, much to their advantage." 



A similar report was issued during the past month by The 

 Ohio Rubber Culture Co. CCanton, Ohio), whose Plantation 

 "Capoacan." in Mexico, is ncir "Rubio." 



MEXICAN PLANTING COMPANIES. 



Me.xican Mutual Planters' Association (Chicago) have begun 

 harvesting coffee on their "La Junta" plantation, in Mexico, and 

 announce that they are about to purchase machinery for handling 

 1,000,000 pounds per year. Their rubber plantation is stated to 

 cover 5 square miles, and to embrace 2,000.000 Caslilloa trees 

 from 2"/' to 6'/< years old, of which 350,000 are expected to be 



tappable within one or two years. The company's estimates of 

 profits are based upon a yield of 4 ounces per tree at 8 years, in- 

 creasing to 1 pound at 15 years. 



Isthmus Plantation of Mexico (Milwaukee), upon their organi- 

 zation, placed their property in Mexico in the hands of the Chi- 

 cago Title and Trust Co., in trust for the investors, until January 

 I, 1908. It is now arranged that the shareholders shall take over 

 the property on the date named, preliminary to which the share- 

 holders recently chose a what will be known as "The Share- 

 holders' Committee of Five," to perfect plans for the coming 

 transfer. The committee consists of William H. White, Charles 

 B. Weil, Louis A. Rabig, Joseph Leverman, and Oscar Kasten. 



The Mexican Culture Co. (Portland, Oregon) state that $200,- 

 000 has been expended in the development of their plantation in 

 Mexico, and they estimate their 5000 acres of land, of which 

 1256 are planted to rubber, to be worth tn-day from $400,000 to 

 $500,000. 



A MEXICAN EXPERIMENT STATION. 



A TROi'KAi- experiment station to be operated by the Mexican 

 government in Mexico is being discussed and undoubtedly will 

 take definite shape in the near future. The suggestion is to 

 have it located on the tierra calicntc and to devote particular 

 attention to rubber. That such a station would be of great ad- 

 vantage if properly administered is self evident. The Mexican 

 government may not be aware of it, but they have in their own 

 borders the man above all others who, if he could be secured, 

 would fill the position of curator well, and that individual is 

 Mr. James C. Harvey. No one else in the republic of Mexico 

 has spent as much time studying rubber as he has, and no 

 other man in the republic possesses to an equal degree the 

 respect and confidence of all of the other planters. Quietly 

 and unobstrusively for years Mr. Harvey has collected plants, 

 seeds and knowledge from botanical gardens all over the world, 

 and he would start with an equipment for such an office that 

 could hardly be excelled. 



CENTRAL AMERICA. 



The Posoltega Rubber Estates, Limited, registered in Lon- 

 don September 30, 1907, with £30,000 [=$145,995] capital, is 

 formed to acquire the Chiquimulapa rubber plantation, on the 

 west coast of Nicaragua, including 400 acres planted by Paul 

 R. Boyes, of Lytham, Lancashire, the recent owner, with 90,000 

 rubber (Castilloa clastica) trees, the oldest of which are 9 

 years. Mr. Boyes is a director in the company, and two other 

 members of the board are interested in rubber in the Far East. 

 Head office : Bloomfield House, 85, London wall, E. C, London. 



The Compania Belga de Centro- America (Sociedad Anonima), 

 of Guatemala city, advise The Indi.v Rubber World that they 

 own in Guatemala three rubber plantations, in addition to three 

 estates in the rubber belt of that estate, by which it is presumed 

 that the collection of native rubber is meant. 



The plantation in Nicaragua of The Cukra Co. of Toronto, 

 Limited, of which Gordon Waldron is the manager, and which 

 is devoted primarily to rubber, is producing bananas on a com- 

 mercial scale. The shipments during October amounted in value 

 to $1044.20, gold. 



JAMAICA. 



During the year ended March 31, 1907, the botanical gardens 

 sold to planters on the island 23,226 rubber plants, of different 

 species. Two consignments of Para rubber {Hcvca) seeds from 

 Singapore were received during the year, from which a consid- 

 erable number of plants rcsulttil. 



BRIEF MENTION. 



The Java Rubber Plantations, Limited, registered in London 

 October 2 with £35.000 [=$170,327.50] capital, acquires a pro- 



