124 AGRICULTURE IN THE TROPICS [PT. II 



This increase will continue for some years yet, the output 

 almost doubling itself year by year. A conservative estimate 

 of the output of plantation rubber indicates that it will be 

 about 100,000 tons in 1915, and at least twice as much in 

 1920, whereas the largest output of wild rubber from any 

 one country, that of Brazil, is about 45,000 tons a year. It 

 is probable that before very long the area under rubber will 

 be 1,500,000 acres. 



In the earlier and highly profitable days of rubber planting, 

 much injury was done to the trees by excessive tapping in 

 spirals, half spirals, and in other ways, but gradually opinion 

 has come round to the view that to tap about one-quarter of 

 the tree in any one year is sufficient, and there seems little 

 reason to anticipate the destruction of the trees by excessive 

 tapping. 



With the enormous growth of the plantation industry, 

 combined with the fact that the plantation rubber is of uniform 

 good quality, and perfectly clean, while also produced at a very 

 low cost, it is obvious that a tremendous competition is springing 

 up for the countries which produce the wild rubber, and already 

 Brazil, the most important of these, has had to begin to set her 

 house in order. The cost of placing the wild rubber of Brazil 

 on the market is undoubtedly ahead of that of plantation 

 rubber, and the great problem is how to reduce it. It may be 

 divided into three main heads, export duties, freight and dock 

 charges, and actual cost of collection. The export duties are 

 being gradually reduced from their present figure of 20 % ad 

 valorem; freight costs are being reduced by opening up the 

 Amazon valley with railroads and in other ways. To reduce 

 the cost of collection is the most serious problem. Attempts 

 have been made to introduce the rational eastern systems 

 of tapping in place of the destructive machadinho, or hatchet, 

 which is at present employed. The possibility of success in 

 this direction lies in the fact that they appear to give more 

 rubber, and perhaps do less harm 1 ; the difficulty lies in the 



1 Some tapping of this kind recently carried out has resulted in great injury 

 by disease. It is evident that a careful experimental investigation is first 

 required. 



