66 THE WHOLE ART OF RUBBER-GROWING 



once planted out. In this way nearly 6000 plants 

 were obtained for distribution in other parts of the 

 island. 



The behaviour of the Manihot Glaziovii under 

 cultivation in the West Indies was originally 

 so satisfactory that it is astonishing planters did 

 not take the trouble to test its capabilities over a 

 wider area than was actually the case. Operations 

 seem to have been principally confined to the various 

 experimental gardens, although in Dominica several 

 hundred acres were put down to Ceara and prospered 

 abundantly. 



Both Mr. Esme Howard and Dr. Biffen, who had 

 travelled extensively throughout Brazil and Mexico 

 examining the habits of the different rubber plants 

 on behalf of the British authorities, strongly urged 

 the widest possible cultivation of the Manihot in the 

 West Indies. 



In Ceara itself they purchased many thousands 

 of the seeds of the tree solely for distribution 

 among the planters in these possessions. They 

 had seen the plant growing well on hillsides on poor 

 soil 3600 feet above sea-level, and flourishing under 

 a singularly wide range of conditions, which included 

 desert plains where the rainfall was less than 

 50 inches and the vegetation scorched up for the 

 greater part of the year, and also on mountains like 

 Monte Alegre, where the rainfall is over 100 inches 

 and the temperature falls below 6o° F. at night. 

 Although supplementary to the labours of Messrs. 

 Cross and Wickham, the observations of these 

 distinguished botanists were not in vain, for it is 



