398 fnfcia*1Rul)ber Culture in dDejfco. 



the upper Amazon, the Madeira, and Purus rivers, is the most valuable, but it is due, 

 perhaps, to the fact that the particular kind of fuel used to smoke the rubber is more 

 abundant, or, perhaps, because in that region the rubber is sent only after the rising of 

 the rivers ; and for that reason reaches the market in a drier condition. I doubt whether 

 there is much difference in its intrinsic quality. 



" I must say, however, that there are various kinds of trees that produce rubber, 

 or substances very much like it, but more or less inferior to each other in elasticity, and 

 which are not in great demand on the market when they arrive in large quantities. It 

 has not, as yet, been positively determined if the difference results from the intrinsic 

 qualities or from a distinct care taken in the preparation. Of that kind is the rubber 

 called Rio Prieto. I also have received some rubber from Venezuela by way of the 

 Orinoco. I believe that the tree possesses sufficient vitality to develop itself in climates 

 of very changeable temperatures, from a tropical to a temperate one. 



" 12. The rubber-tree has no value in Brazil ; anybody can go into the forests of the 

 public domain, select and clear a plot of ground, which he can claim afterward as his 

 own, provided he does not abandon it beyond a certain time. It must not be supposed, 

 however, that the prospector for rubber obtains his plot without trouble : the forest is 

 dense, the jungles are very thick, and the trees do not grow close to each other as in 

 our oak or pine forests, but are scattered, and difficult of access, until paths are made 

 to reach them. The transportation of laborers and provisions to the place, must be 

 considered as another expense for the exploitation. 



" I cannot tell how much the rubber costs to the producer. This must depend 

 upon the wages of the workmen, the price of their provisions (flour of manioc being 

 the principal article), and other circumstances. About six or eight years ago, it was 

 said, but I do not know if it was true, that the producer was repaid at a price from 

 12,000 to 14,000 reis the arroba. Since then the cost of living in Para is much 

 higher ; the price of rubber rose to 48,000 reis the arroba, and went down to 22,000 

 during the last three years. I believe, though I may be mistaken, that the producer 

 would receive a good price for his rubber, at the rate of 20,000 reis ($10) the arroba. 



" I see no reason to think that the production is decreasing. The majority of the 

 trees are not injured, at least not seriously, by the extraction of rubber made from 

 them. The forests, at all events, will remain inexhaustible for many years to come. 

 New plantations are being formed gradually as the old ones are exhausted ; and I 

 believe that the closer relations between Bolivia and the valley of the Amazon will 

 furnish to Brazil the only element it needed until now to increase its facilities of produc- 

 tion. In treating this question, many thoughts that are as speculative as practical, 

 arise in one's mind ; but the time is wanting to develop them, and the subject proba- 

 bly may not interest you. I am, sir, 



" Your obedient servant, 



(Signed) " JAMES B. BOND." 



VIII. 

 DATA ON THE RUBBER OF ASSAM, IN ASIA. 



In the latest edition of his Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and 

 Mines, Dr. Andrew Ure gives much important information regarding 

 the rubber of Assam, a province of India, tributary to Great Britain, 

 situated beyond Grafes in the valley of the river Brahmapootra between 

 25 45' and 28 15' latitude north, and 90 35' and 96 50' longitude 



