﻿NATURAL 
  RUBBER 
  — 
  COOK 
  409 
  

  

  in 
  natural 
  size 
  in 
  plate 
  18. 
  The 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  fruits 
  varies 
  from 
  oval 
  

   to 
  broadly 
  rounded, 
  or 
  the 
  base 
  may 
  be 
  flattened 
  like 
  a 
  tomato. 
  The 
  

   fruit 
  has 
  a 
  russet 
  surface, 
  with 
  white 
  or 
  slightly 
  pinkish 
  flesh, 
  much 
  

   resembling 
  a 
  high-grade 
  pear 
  in 
  color, 
  taste, 
  and 
  texture, 
  even 
  to 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  stone 
  cells. 
  The 
  texture 
  may 
  be 
  too 
  delicate 
  for 
  commer- 
  

   cial 
  handling 
  in 
  storage 
  and 
  shipment, 
  but 
  for 
  home 
  use 
  in 
  southern 
  

   Florida 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  tropical 
  countries, 
  the 
  sapodilla 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   finest 
  fruit 
  trees. 
  

  

  OUR 
  HOUSEHOLD 
  "RUBBER 
  PLANT" 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  tropical 
  rubber 
  trees 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  in 
  Europe 
  and 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  as 
  an 
  ornamental. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  familiar 
  "rubber 
  plant" 
  

   of 
  our 
  livingrooms, 
  conservatories, 
  and 
  hotel 
  lobbies, 
  with 
  its 
  bur- 
  

   nished 
  emerald 
  leaves. 
  The 
  house 
  plants 
  are 
  grown 
  from 
  cuttings 
  of 
  

   a 
  large 
  fig 
  tree, 
  Ficus 
  elastica, 
  frequently 
  referred 
  to 
  as 
  the 
  Assam 
  rub- 
  

   ber 
  tree 
  from 
  its 
  original 
  habitat 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  of 
  northern 
  India. 
  

  

  Growing 
  in 
  an 
  open 
  place, 
  the 
  tree 
  has 
  a 
  spreading 
  habit, 
  with 
  the 
  

   trunk 
  and 
  lower 
  branches 
  supported 
  by 
  many 
  buttress 
  roots, 
  like 
  the 
  

   banyan 
  fig 
  of 
  India. 
  A 
  thriving 
  tree 
  of 
  Ficus 
  elastica 
  in 
  Florida 
  is 
  

   shown 
  in 
  plate 
  19. 
  The 
  leaves 
  on 
  young 
  and 
  thrifty 
  trees 
  are 
  6 
  to 
  12 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  our 
  house-plant 
  cuttings, 
  while 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  

   fruiting 
  branches 
  are 
  only 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  inches 
  long, 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  natural 
  size 
  

   in 
  plate 
  20, 
  with 
  the 
  small 
  cylindrical 
  figs. 
  

  

  Under 
  natural 
  conditions 
  in 
  deep 
  forests 
  the 
  tree 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  "us- 
  

   ually 
  epiphytic, 
  throwing 
  down 
  numerous 
  aerial 
  roots 
  from 
  the 
  

   branches." 
  As 
  the 
  first 
  commercial 
  rubber 
  tree 
  to 
  be 
  discovered 
  in 
  

   the 
  East 
  Indies, 
  it 
  was 
  given 
  much 
  attention 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  

   years. 
  The 
  trees 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  were 
  exploited 
  and 
  mostly 
  extermi- 
  

   nated, 
  but 
  large 
  plantings 
  were 
  reported 
  in 
  several 
  districts. 
  The 
  

   results 
  were 
  reported 
  favorably 
  at 
  first, 
  until 
  the 
  plantations 
  of 
  Para 
  

   rubber 
  brought 
  prices 
  too 
  low. 
  The 
  latex 
  system 
  and 
  the 
  limitations 
  

   of 
  the 
  manual 
  tapping 
  method 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  Castilla, 
  and 
  

   the 
  use 
  of 
  mechanical 
  extraction 
  is 
  an 
  alternative 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  consid- 
  

   ered 
  in 
  the 
  future. 
  

  

  TWO 
  RUBBERS 
  IN 
  ONE 
  TREE 
  

  

  The 
  rubber 
  of 
  the 
  Assam 
  fig 
  tree 
  is 
  of 
  uneven 
  quality, 
  often 
  weak 
  

   and 
  sticky 
  in 
  young 
  trees, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  in 
  older 
  trees. 
  Even 
  in 
  rub- 
  

   ber 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  tree 
  perceptible 
  differences 
  may 
  be 
  found. 
  A 
  large 
  

   tree 
  in 
  Haiti 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  previous 
  year 
  had 
  furnished 
  a 
  sample 
  of 
  good 
  

   rubber 
  happened 
  to 
  be 
  heavily 
  manured 
  from 
  an 
  adjacent 
  barnyard. 
  

   On 
  that 
  side 
  the 
  trunk 
  thickened 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  produced 
  a 
  large, 
  heavy 
  

   branch, 
  out 
  of 
  proportion 
  with 
  the 
  previous 
  development. 
  Only 
  weak 
  

   and 
  sticky 
  rubber 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  latex 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  growth, 
  but 
  on 
  

  

  