10 PARA RUBBER. 



rest. The lower-lying forests (Vargem or Igapo) are exposed to 

 yearly floods and have a distinct character, differing from those on 

 the higher lands. 



There are two chief seasons , a dry and a wet. The driest months 

 are July, August, and September, when the river-level is also lowest. 

 The rains begin in October and last till March, and then decrease ; 

 the rain is not however continuous : there are showers with clear 

 intervals. The rivers rise till in January they overflow into the 

 forest ; their highest level is reached in March or April and then 

 they fall, leaving the woods dry again. In the lower course of the 

 Amazon itself the water reaches its highest level in June, and this 

 level is often 45 to 60 feet above the lowest. The annual rainfall 

 is usually between 80 and 120 inches, and the mean temperature 

 between 76° and 81° F. There are a great many kinds of trees 

 in the forests, and in a distance of 100 yards one may only find one 

 or two rubber trees." 



Para Rubber Trees in Brazil. 



It has been pointed out by Wickham that the true forests of 

 the Para rubber trees lie back on the highlands, and those commonly 

 seen by travellers along the river side are scattered, poor in growth, 

 and do not give one a fair idea of the conditions under which a good 

 growth of the Hevea tree is obtained. The Hevea trees found in 

 these forests attain a circumference of 10 to 12 feet in the bole, a 

 considerable difference to the 6- to-7 foot trees recorded by Cross. 



The foregoing accounts of the climatic conditions in the native 

 home of Hevea brasiliensis should be closely studied by persons 

 who intend to cultivate this product. The rainfall of 80 to 120 

 inches and temperature of 75° to 81° F., though characteristic of the 

 forests where this species grows luxuriantly, should not, however, be 

 accepted as strictly defining the limits under which Para rubber can 

 be cultivated. But even if the adaptability of the tree were insigni- 

 ficant, it is obvious that in the tropics there are many areas which 

 might reasonably be expected to give good results with this species 

 of rubber. Already the cultivation has aroused considerable interest 

 in Africa, Fiji, Java, Queensland, Seychelles, Borneo, Samoa, 

 Sumatra, and in many of these areas where the climatic factors are 

 approximately similar to those of the Amazon, the industry pro- 

 mises to become as important as in the Straits, Ceylon, and India. 



Climate in Ceylon. 



The combination of rainfall, temperature, and elevation required 

 for the profitable cultivation of Para rubber eliminates many parts 

 of the tropics for this species. In Ceylon, India, and the Straits 

 the large tracts of land in the hilly districts cannot be included in 

 the Para zone on account of low temperatures or unfavourable 

 moisture conditions. In Ceylon an elevation of 2,000 feet in 

 the Central Province, and 3,000 feet in the Uva Province, is 



