256 





"This scarcity has become so marked that the most remote 

 sections or districts are now being scoured and searched for the 

 plant, and what appears to be the last place where the shrub can 

 be found in any quantity, the Bolson de Mapimi district, is being 

 thoroughly gone over and the guayule gathered and delivered 

 under contract to the Continental Rubber Company of Mexico. 



" This district, which lies between the Sierra Mojada and Torreon, 

 is practically the last remaining district where there is guayule in 

 any considerable quantity, all the other sections having been 

 pretty well cleaned up and the remainder of the 400,000 tons has 

 long since been purchased by the various extracting companies at 

 prices ranging from $25 to $75 per ton (£2 10s. to £7 10s.). 



" The purchases at the lower prices were made before the land- 

 owners realized the value of the shrub, or entertained the 



slightest suspicion that the plant would not reproduce itself in a 

 very short time. 



" On account of the extremely slow-growing habits of the shrub 

 this has been found to be improbable, and it is a practical certainty 

 that with the consumption of the existing supply of 400,000 tons 

 above mentioned, the guayule industry will go into decay. 



" It had been hoped that experiments would be made by parties 

 interested in the production, planting of seed and joining it with 

 some kindred plant to accelerate its growth so that a wait of but 

 four or five years would be necessary for the plant to obtain the 

 proper size for extraction. This could be effected by grafting the 

 guayule upon some kindred plant the roots of which would 

 rurmsh the guayule tops with a greater flow of sap and con- 

 sequently a more rapid growth than its own roots would furnish. 



"Whether this can be successfully done or not remains to be 

 seen, and has never, so far as I know, been attempted. 



„"[' 1 , thi8 p^ing, however, is the only hope for the future of the 



fhZr*-}!!!?^!' a ? 1% \ S said the °P iaion of eminent botanists in 

 It * ed s . tete J has been that the P lant « of two feet in height 

 now being extracted have required seventy years for their growth. 



nerimJr/wM , re P ort \ have been made that any of the ex- 

 nr o S „ 7 ? haVG , been tried hoId ^ an y encouragement or 

 Ur TimttZ eS l 0i re P rodu ^on, and it is more than likely 

 he en, Irf fllff i ? ** doscribe d be tried and found successful 

 guayu e £, 1*1^"?** ^ m eome when th * P r ^ent supply of 

 i&SSi,^ 6 ,!^ wil1 ^en be P turned tfsome 



of fibre or other similar uses. 



entJelv l^^fo? t & *?" -^ S ° 7 aried ' testing, and so 

 at :my time to S. e un * lrm g work of the chemist is likely 



will mak t ho d f,°7 r Pf abilities in some of these plants that 



" Ul gUa > ule ind ^T appear of trifling significance." 



I have etc., 



(Signed) Reginald Tower. 



