256 EXPERIENCES IN COLOMBIA 



Quibdo, by the way, on the river Atrato, in western Colombia, is 

 a town of some commercial importance in that region, as well as a 

 political center, being the residence of the prefect of one of the provinces. 

 The term, "the Choco," mentioned by Mr. Granger, is a legacy 

 from the former days, when a province existed by that name, derived 

 from an ancient Indian race called the Chocos. The region referred to 

 now, however, forms a portion of the present department of Cauca. 

 Mr. Granger's information follows: 



"Thirty years ago the production of wild rubber in the Choco 

 amounted to several million pounds per year. The trees were cut down 

 and bled to the branches. As the wild Castilloa here runs a free latex, 

 it is gathered in kerosene cans, or holes in the ground, and is brought to 

 market in solid cakes. Owing to the destruction of the trees, the 



SUGAR MILL. 



output steadily fell off and the cakes became adulterated by earth and 

 non-elastic saps mixed in to make weight, until the business became 

 pretty well discredited, and relatively nonimportant. Then attention 

 began to be called to small balls of rolled strips, chaza (pronounced 

 chassa), brought in by Indians and occasional negroes, which were 

 taken from cultivated trees by cutting the bark with machetes at inter- 

 vals of a few inches, as far as a man could reach. The cultivated trees 

 are called 'borroso' as they give a thick latex which runs but a short 

 distance down the trunk, and is gathered, when dry, by tearing off the 

 strips and rolling them into balls, or packing in boxes in which case they 

 dry in the form of the receptacle. 



"Practically all traveling in the Choco is done by water, and soon 



