289 



Mexican, and that the Guayule lands of one man, Salvador 

 Madero, in the State of Coahuila, are worth over $40,000,000 

 Mexican. ' ' 



"These valuations may be, and probably are, exaggerated, due 

 to the mad speculation that has been taking place in Guayule and 

 which sent up the price per ton from $15 to £100 Mexican. That 

 these prices will continue appears improbable, but in the opinion 

 of those best qualified to judge, the Guayule industry in Mexico 

 will have a great future if the landowners are sensible and do not 

 ask exorbitant prices, and above all if they discover the secret of 

 the planting and cultivation of the shrub. 



"At present no one knows exactly how long it will take to raise 



Guayule shrubs, though the Department of Fomento is actively 



pursuing experiments to discover the best method of cultivating 

 them. 



" The price of Guayule actually depends on the price of rubber, 

 and if there were no other considerations to be taken into account 

 but the world's demand for rubber, the future of the Guayule 

 interests would be assured. The rubber market, however, is con- 

 trolled by the great American Companies, the Consolidated 

 Rubber Co., and the United States Rubber Co, The former 

 Company, which was organized last January, is supposed to 

 control the stock of various subsidiary Companies interested in 

 Guayule, 



* 



Experiments are being conducted with the Guayule plant with 

 a view to utilizing as fuel the refuse left over after the rubber has 

 been extracted. If these experiments are successful, there will be 

 a considerable reduction in the cost of manufacture. 



u 



# 



"The Northern part of. Mexico is not the only country where 

 Guayule grows. There are millions of acres in Texas covered 

 with the shrub, which has lately also been discovered in the 

 Philippines. 



" Extreme caution is necessary in dealing with this subject as the 

 supplanting of the usual rubber of commerce by the gum of 

 various herbs, vines, &c, has often led to rather wild speculations, 

 not borne out by later practical results." 



In the Foreign Office Report referred to by Mr. Max Miiller, ii 

 is stated under the heading of u Export Duties " that " the total 

 increase of about £7,000 under this heading is almost entirely due 

 to the duty which, in the present Budget Bill, is for the first time 

 to be imposed on Guayule, a form of Cactus extract which is no\v 

 used and exported in considerable quantities for mixing with 

 rubber." 



A memorandum on the Guayule prepared at the instance of 

 H.M. Envov Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Mexico, 

 by Mr. Vice'-Consul Kennedy, on information furnished to him by 



manager 



for the 



export of this rubber, was forwarded to Kew from the Foreign 

 Office, March 22nd, 1907, together with specimens of the plants ot 

 Guayule, determined as Parthenium argentatum, and ot the 

 Mariola, P. incanum, a species apt to be confused with Guayule. 



