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According to " The Mexican Investor " of March 23rd, 1907, it 



appears that during the year 1905 a factory in Germany, backed 



by large financial interests, for the extraction of rubber from 



Guayule, experienced its most profitable run. The shrub was 



bought, baled, and shipped by Mr. Oton Katterfeld, who traversed 



most of the territory where Guayule was known to grow, and who 



secured many thousand tons at prices that look ridiculously low 



at the present time. This German enterprise was kept very quiet, 



and must have made much money until in September the Mexican 



Government put an export duty of 15 pesos a ton on the shrub 



which, with the freight rates, made further shipments unpro- 

 fitable. 



The following article, from the pen of Dr. P. Olsson-Seffer, 

 Director of the Zacualpa Botanical Station and Rubber Laboratory 

 in the Republic of Mexico, which appeared in a recent number of 

 " The Mexican Investor," sums up the present position and pros- 

 pects of the Guayule industry. 



" The supply of Guayule has been greatly over-estimated, 

 principally because of the confusing of Guayule with another 

 species of the same genus, Parthenium incanum, H. B. K., which 

 is far more abundant and grows all through the Guayule territory. 

 This has been estimated to as much as 28,000 square miles, but it 

 must be remembered that the patches of Guayule are far apart 

 and one can travel over miles in the Guayule country without 

 seeing a single specimen. The general estimates of Guayule on 

 the acre is from 400 to 700 pounds, taking an average for large 

 areas. This is undoubtedly too high an average. By actual count 

 in very favourable localities I have become convinced that even 

 under the best conditions not more than 1,500 pounds can be 

 obtained per acre from the Guayule patches, and these constitute 

 less than one-tenth of the total area of the territory, where the 

 plant occurs. That my estimate in this regard is upheld by 

 others who have investigated the matter and expressed an 

 unbiased opinion is shown by the following lines, translated from 

 an article by Dr. R. Endlich, in Der Tropenpftanzer , 1905, pp. 233- 

 247. The author says in part : — 



" ' The supply of the Guayule is very unevenly distributed in 

 the territory the plant occupies. In most places the plants are 

 isolated, growing sometimes in large and often in small numbers 

 among the other plants. At rare intervals small patches are found 

 where it is predominating in the chaparral flora. 



" ' It is very difficult to make an estimate of the average supply 

 Per hectare, both on account of the uneven distribution of the 

 Plant and because of the difference in size of individual specimens. 

 In favourable territory I have on several occasions counted thirty 

 to forty plants on an area of 100 square meters, which would mean 

 a total supply of 3,000 to 4,000 Guayule plants per hectare (= Vp 

 per acre). The differences in size and weight are so great that ; In 

 places where the plants are small and grow close together ten 

 plants have a weight of only one kilogram (=21 lbs.), while m 

 the best territories some of the trees weigh as much as 3 kilograms 

 each. The average weight will probably not exceed oOO grams 

 (IrV lb.) per plant. 



