508 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



Hevea In British Guiana. 



NEWS from the biggest and potentially the best Hevca planta- 

 tion in British Guiana is sure to be interesting, not alone 

 to ihe American projectors but to all users of crude 

 rubber. 



For various reasons it has been felt that the Far East was 

 alone adaptable for Hcvea planting.- Indeed, when some six 

 years ago a great tract of land up the Mazaruni River was 

 acquired and clearing begun, many experts were honestly doubt- 

 ful about the ultimate success of the project. It, however, was 

 not abandoned. On the contrary, under the intelligent manage- 

 ment of a man well versed in tropical planting, land was cleared. 

 seed brought in from the Malay states, and more than a thousand 

 acres successfully installed. 



Three-Vear-Old Heve.' 



\Vi 



;teri> 



The illustrations herewith give glimpses of most satisfactory 

 accomplishment. The growth of the trees has been fully equal 

 to that in any part of the world. There are no more diseases, 

 leaf or root, the rainfall is ideal, and the land is so situated that 

 high winds are unknown. Last, and most important, labor is 

 cheap and abundant. Incidentally, very comfortable administra- 

 tion buildings have been erected. So comfortable are they and 

 so delisfhtful is the climate on the Mazaruni River that Colonel 



Motor Ro.-\d ox the Pl.\nt.-\tiox. 



and Mrs. Roosevelt, who visited British Guiana this winter, made 

 their whole stay at "The Hills," which is the headquarters of the 

 Bartica Agricultural States plantation. 



Regarding the plantation's progress, an extract from a letter 

 written by George B. Withers, the manager, is of interest. 



As you know, I bought some glass cups for tapping purposes 

 last December, and expected them here just after I returned in 

 January, and I waited and waited, but they did not come, so I 

 started to tap 312 trees, as tliat was all the cups I had, and for 

 ten weeks I have been tapping that number, we have had the 



1 \\\-\i \R-()I1) llh\h\- 



usual dry weather, but they have been running well all the time. 

 Then, as 1 heard last week of somebody who had some of the 

 latest earthenware cups for sale I bought 1,000, which arrived 

 here two days ago, and by the very same boat that brought these 

 up to me, I had a letter from town saying the glass cups had 

 arrived there at last; however, they will all come in handy soon. 

 Tlie results of the tapping as far as I have been able to weigh 

 so far. are as follows : Each 14 days' product is kept separately 



Taitin-g Imve-Veak-i * ' 



and weighed as soon as dry. and as the weather has been very 

 dry, we have now got weighed up the first four fortnights. 

 The follow-ng is the result from 312 five-year-old trees : 

 Biscuits Scrap, etc. Total 



Lbs. Ozs. Drs! Lbs. Ozs. Drs. Lbs. Ozs. Drs. Days. Ins. 



First 14 days 16 10 8 4 IS 12 21 10 4 8 .79 



Second 14 davs 33 5 12 5 9 3 38 14 15 10 2.52 



Third 14 days 34 8 6 5 12 40 5 4 9 2.59 



Fourth 14 days 28 14 12 6 15 14 35 14 10 5 2.57 



112 15 8 23 14 9 136 14 1 32 8.47 



At the above rate this would give an average of 3 pounds, 

 4 ounces, 4 drams per tree for the year, which we certainly ought 

 to improve on considerably, and the above tapping in the first 

 fortnight includes all the very first cuts, from which, as you know, 

 much is not given in the way of latex. Also this tapping has 

 been done during the very worst time of the year that we have 

 in regard to rainfall so that I hope, and expect that we shall 

 average for the year a good deal more than the above would aver- 

 age, and this for five-year-old trees, I think you will agree is 

 very good indeed. 



