386 Unbia*1Rubber Culture in jflDejico. 



advantageous for that culture; provided, always, that the plantations 

 are established in the low lands, in a damp climate, and, whenever 

 possible, near the seashore or the banks of rivers. The temperature 

 of the localities in Soconusco where the rubber-tree most abounds is 

 from twenty-eight to thirty degrees Centigrade, or from eighty-three to 

 eighty-seven degrees Fahrenheit. In all cases it would be well to form 

 the plantation in places where the wild trees grow most abundantly, as 

 their presence is the best evidence that the land and climate are favor- 

 able to their development. 



Dr. Ure states that the Asiatic rubber, or Ficus elastica, is found at 

 a very high altitude above the level of the sea. 



This tree has, besides, the great advantage of requiring but little 

 labor for its cultivation, which makes its exploitation possible, even on 

 a large scale, in Mexican coasts, which are generally not populous. 



2. HOW TO FORM A PLANTATION OF RUBBER-TREES. 



In regard to the best method of forming a plantation it must be 

 observed that the rubber-tree not being very delicate, economy of 

 time and money are the first things to be considered. If the land 

 selected be forest land, the first thing to be done is to clear it, should 

 it be thought preferable to have the plantation exposed to the sun ; 

 but should the shade be deemed best, the trees already standing will 

 furnish the best and cheapest protection. The soil having been pre- 

 pared, the planting can begin by sowing the seeds in convenient places, 

 or by transplanting young plants from the nursery or from the forest 

 itself. Sowing the seeds would undoubtedly be the best plan, but it 

 would also be the most expensive and the slowest; the most expen- 

 sive because it would involve the cost of a double planting, the first in 

 laying out the nursery, and the second in transplanting the young 

 plants from the nursery to the plantation; the slowest, because the 

 time that might be saved by planting saplings would thus be lost. 



The method to be adopted will, therefore, depend upon circum- 

 stances. Where there are trees already somewhat grown it is prefer- 

 able to transplant these, because it saves time ; where there are large 

 trees, cuttings may be used, and where there are none of either and 

 only seeds can be obtained, the last must be used. It is not necessary 

 that they should be sown in the nursery, as the plant is not delicate 

 and requires no special care, like coffee and some others regarding 

 which experience shows that it is an economy to plant them in the 

 nursery. 



On the i6th of September of the present year (1872), being at Tapa- 

 chula, I made an experiment with Don Sebastian Escobar, a well-known 

 practical agriculturist, thoroughly acquainted with the nature of these 

 lands and enthusiastic in the matter of agricultural progress. We 



