nS 



THE FORESTER. 



May, 



Many interesting experiments in rubber 

 cultivation have been tried throughout the 

 world, but in Central America at least, no 

 experiments of the past can be called 

 decided successes. There are, however, 

 some under way at the present time, that 

 bid fair to yield better results than their 

 predecessors. 



Realizing' the uncertaintv of making a 

 paving proposition out of a rubber planta- 

 tion alone, most of the experiments have 

 been made in connection with banana or 

 cacao plantations. Of these the former 

 would appear to offer the best chance of 

 success because, it is invariably the case 

 that where in nature you find the most 

 luxuriant growth of Castilloa trees, there 

 is the place to lay out your " bananal " 

 with assured success. Of course the ban- 



his attempt to get the most possible gum 

 from the tree at one cutting, usually suc- 

 ceeds in killing it outright, or ruining it 

 for a future yield. 



On a banana plantation near Jimenez, 

 Santa Clara Province, some experiments 

 have been made that promise to give good 

 results. In this case the cultivator has 

 placed beds of young rubber trees planted 

 about a foot apart in the most favorable 

 places. When these attain a height of 

 from eight to fifteen inches they are trans- 

 planted and scattered among the bananas 

 at generous intervals and with the idea in 

 mind to give them conditions as nearly 

 like nature as possible. As many of their 

 roots are very near the surface it is impos- 

 sible to plough around them and thus keep 

 them free from the weeds which sap their 



SHOWING METHOD OF CUTTING CASTILLOA. GUM AL- 

 LOWED TO COAGULATE ON THE TREE. 



ana will grow (often profitably) in land 

 unsuited to rubber, yet as a rule most of 

 the great plantations have been reclaimed 

 from land once thickly covered with trees 

 of the latter variety, that have fallen prey 

 to the ravages of the rubber thief, who in 



energy. This, however, is not a serious 

 problem, as the shade afforded by the 

 bananas, which is so necessary to the com- 

 mercial condition of the rubber tree, serves 

 effectually to suppress all of the less toler- 

 ant kinds of vegetation. It is found an 



