THE PRINCIPAL RUBBER DISTRICTS 33 



carrying out the works. During this period a steady 

 demand existed for many different kinds of produce to 

 provision this large labour force, and high prices were 

 paid for all supplies of fresh food brought to Porto 

 Velho or San Antonio. Under these conditions a 

 limited number of settlers were induced to cultivate, 

 land and raise crops of fruit and vegetables, subse- 

 quently planting rubber-trees on the cleared spaces. 

 With the completion of the railway, the demand for 

 fresh provisions has rapidly decreased, and what prom- 

 ised to become a profitable industry has now been 

 abandoned for all practical purposes, and left very little 

 permanent impression behind it. 



On the properties adjoining the River Madeira, and 

 to a less extent on those situated on the Purus and 

 Jurua, the planting of a limited number of rubber-trees 

 has been a general practice, extending over a period of 

 some fifteen years past. As a rule the clearings made 

 for growing mandioca and other food products have 

 been utilized for this purpose, but in only very rare 

 cases has any subsequent cultivation been attempted. 

 The initial growth of the young trees has been retarded 

 by rank vegetation, and those that have survived are 

 stunted in appearance owing to all natural development 

 having been checked by thick scrub. Trees of fifteen 

 years of age are no bigger in girth and height than 

 those of six years old found in the average plantation 

 of Ceylon or the Malay Peninsula. These conditions 

 are largely due to the high wages paid to daily labourers, 

 and to the inefficiency of supervision when they are 

 employed. For an approximate estimate of the plant- 

 ing enterprise in this section, it is safe to say that more 

 3 



