236 THE RUBBER INDUSTRY 



lands already under cultivation. In 1909, when abnormal 

 prices for rubber were realized, large sums were sub- 

 scribed for opening up estates in Sumatra, and forest 

 lands, as well as old estates, were cleared and planted, 

 until from an area of 38,000 acres in 1908 the cultiva- 

 tion in 1913 has reached 237,000 acres. 



On the majority of the older estates in Sumatra the 

 rubber has been grown amongst other cultivations, and 

 many of the younger plantations are now planted with 

 Robusta coffee as a catch crop. There is not the 

 smallest doubt that the Para trees planted amongst 

 Liberian coffee have suffered severely in the past as 

 regards development, and in some cases this damage is 

 permanent. For the first two years the shade of the 

 Liberian coffee shuts out light and air from the young 

 trees, and the detrimental result is everywhere seen in 

 the uneven growth, plantations of five and six years old 

 often not tapping more than 50 per cent, of the trees. 

 Another product ^equally harmful is rice of the dry 

 land variety, which is frequently grown ; it only stands 

 to reason that a crop yielding 1,500 pounds of grain 

 and a large amount of straw to the acre must be harm- 

 ful to a plantation of young trees. Tobacco also has 

 been tried as a catch crop, but is universally condemned. 

 Robusta coffee, apparently, is the only product that can 

 be grown in conjunction with Para rubber without any 

 serious prejudicial effect, so far as present experience 

 goes. It certainly retards the growth to some slight 

 extent ; but the rubber-trees are not shut out from air and 

 sun, and amazing returns of 10 and 12, and even 15 hun- 

 dredweights to the acre are harvested when the bushes 

 are two and a half to three years of age. At the present 



