356 THE BOOK OF USEFUL PLANTS 



part of the supply, and need more than the market 

 can furnish. The price keeps step with the de- 

 mand. The cultivation of rubber in plantations 

 has been started, in order that rubber production 

 may be put on a scientific basis, and the yield 

 increased. 



Legal restrictions now prevent the abusive 

 treatment of the forests of rubber trees. They 

 may not be cut down, as formerly permitted, and 

 tapping must be done at stated intervals, to let the 

 trees recuperate from the exhaustion they suffer. 

 At present the simple natives, who do the work of 

 gathering crude rubber, are under the control of 

 syndicates which have concessions from the 

 countries in which the trees grow. The work is 

 hard and the pay small, at best; but cruel treat- 

 ment, even atrocities, have been committed by 

 overseers, to extort more wealth for the company. 

 The African, Peruvian, and Central American 

 forests have been the scenes of such abuses. 

 Investigations that have given publicity to the 

 facts will doubtless soon lead to their correction. 



Between the native, who gets scant pay for 

 crude rubber, and the consumer, who pays an 

 extravagant price for one tire for his automobile, 

 and but half of that rubber, there is a tremendous 

 profit for the maker and the seller. No wonder 



