In order to explain this I have to mention that it is estimated 

 that this area under rubber represents at least ;^6,ooo,ooo, that 

 are nominally invested in rubber plantations. A considerable part 

 of this money has never reached Mexico, but has been squandered 

 by promoters in America. A very large amount has also been 

 lost through the ignorance of many so-called planters and planta- 

 tion managers. 



Rubber Cultivation in the Experimental Stage. 



While I am willing to admit that rubber culture has passed 

 the experimental stage so far as the possibility of producing rubber 

 is concerned, it cannot be denied that in regard to proper agricul- 

 tural methods this industry is still in its undeveloped childhood. 



It has been clearly demonstrated in the progress of many 

 agricultural industries, that very little advance is made before the 

 persons concerned have learned to appreciate the value of co- 

 operation for the purpose of comparing their individual experiences 

 and to take advantage of knowledge gained by previous experi- 

 ments. Among the rubber planters and plantation managers in 

 Mexico and Central America there is no co-operation whatever. 

 Everyone is satisfied that he has employed the right methods of 

 planting, although in most cases he started in without any previous 

 experience. The correct methods are by no means ascertained 

 beyond any question of doubt at present. But if a person visits a 

 great number of plantations in different districts or countries, he 

 cannot fail to observe some of the advantages or disadvantages of 

 the various methods employed. 



We may be able to advance certain theories regarding plant- 

 ing operations, we know that the rubber tree under certain 

 conditions will grow well, we may be able to extract and prepare 

 a certain amount of rubber from the trees, but we cannot yet say 

 which method of growing rubber will give the largest possible 

 return, we do not know whether the most rapid grower is the best 

 producer, and in regard to the manner of obtaining the rubber we 

 still remain on a very primitive footing. 



The experimental era of rubber culture, instead of being short 

 and inexpensive, is growing too long for these modern times and 

 it has certainly been unnecessarily costly. Where the experiments 

 should have been conducted on a small scale by persons specially 

 prepared to do this kind of work, the whole Castilla planting 

 industry has been one colossal experiment, in which millions of 

 money have been staked on the integrity, possible intelligence, and 

 probable good fortune of men, who in many instances have lacked 

 every experience of tropical planting, and in some cases had not 

 even been in the tropics before undertaking the management of a 

 plantation. Millions have thus been literally thrown away, com- 

 panies have gone bankrupt, and plantations have been abandoned. 

 Those that have survived up to the present time will in due 

 course become a success, at least in the majority of cases. 

 Exaggeration has been the keynote in the promoter's circulars, 

 and inexperience the cause of most failures. 



