]x. Timehri. 



" It is very desirable that all these rubber trees should be carefully 

 '•' and exhaustively investigated in order to find out their true value. It 

 " is probable that it may be found profitable to establish natural plantations 

 " in districts where the best rubber trees are already found. This could 

 " be done with little difficulty, and it offers the best means of immedi- 

 " ately extending the area under rubber trees in different parts of the 

 " colony. Where plants are plentiful it would only be necessary to clear 

 " away some of the other vegetation, and allow the rubber trees more 

 " light and air, also thinning them out when too crowded. Where the con- 

 " ditions are favourable, and the plants only sparsely found, wild seed- 

 " lings might be transplanted or fresh seeds " dibbled in " at intervals to 

 " fill the vacant places. The cost of this plan would not be considerable 

 " as the trees would require little attention after they are well started." 



Possibly by an oversight the planting of the true Para rubber 

 (Hevea brasiliensis) was not suggested in the report as likely to be a 

 promising arboricultural venture although Sir Daniel Morris had men- 

 tioned to me the desirability of experimental plantings of it. As a result 

 of the above-quoted recommendations the latices of a considerable num- 

 ber of varieties of native trees were examined during 1897 and the 

 immediately succeeding years, and were found either not to contain 

 rubber but solely resins, or the rubber found was not in sufficiently large 

 proportions to render its separation commercially feasible, or else the 

 rubber obtained was so " tacky " as not to be of commercial value. With 

 the exception of planting at Onderneeming some Para rubber trees 

 obtained from Triuidad soon after Sir Alexander Swettenham assumed 

 the Government of the colony in 1902, practically no steps were taken in 

 connection with Para rubber-planting until 1904 when after much difficulty 

 small supplies of Para rubber seeds were imported by the Department 

 under my charge. 



The following shows with approximate accuracy the areas under 

 Para rubber in the colony at successive four-yearly intervals : — 



1897-98 ... ... about 30 trees. 



1902 ... ••• 2 acrea. 



1906 ... ••• 16 „ 



1910 ... ... 1,240 „ 



1914 ... ... 4,700 „ 



1917 ... •■• 5,200 „ 



During the period from the earlier extension of plantings of Para 

 rubber that is from 1910, to date it has been found that on suitable land the 

 j/rowth of Para rubber is not less rapid than it is in the East, while recent 

 trials indicate that a yield of dry rubber per tree as good as that obtained 

 on'the best Eastern plantations can be obtained. The cost of collection 

 and preparation of the rubber indicates that a reasonable profit can be 

 expected with the market value in London of the product at 2s. per lb. The 

 relatively good health of the labour- force, the low cast of supervision on 



