THE PRINCIPAL RUBBER DISTRICTS 



i 



of scrub, and rubber seedlings planted under the thick 

 shade of the bigger trees ; but the growth is abnormally 

 backward owing to lack of air and light, and the develop- 

 ment in twenty years under such conditions no more 

 than equals that attained in one quarter of the time by 

 systematic cultivation on plantations in Ceylon or 

 Malaya. 



The rubber-trees in this section of the Amazon Valley 

 are worked on the estrada system, but in much more 

 irregular fashion than prevails elsewhere in Brazil. 

 Where the land is comparatively dry, paths are cut 

 through the jungle from tree to tree to enable the col- 

 lectors to carry out tapping operations and gather the 

 latex ; but it happens frequently that in districts subject 

 to tidal influence passage on foot is impossible, and re- 

 course to canoes is necessary to enable the daily round 

 to be made. In these circumstances the total number 

 of trees alloted to each estrada is dependent on the exist- 

 ing facilities of access, and it varies according to local 

 conditions so much so, indeed, is this the case that the 

 term estrada may apply to any number from fifty to 

 two hundred. Practically no supervision over the col- 

 lectors is attempted in regard to methods of tapping or 

 preparation of the rubber, and consequently the product 

 is of poorer and more uneven quality than that from 

 the other rubber-producing districts in the Amazon 

 territory'. This section, comprising the islands of the 

 delta and the lands of the adjacent waterways, has been 

 exploited for a much longer period than the districts of 

 the upper rivers, and the output now shows signs of a 

 steady diminution in the immediate future, although it 

 is provided with a fairly abundant local resident popula- 



