86 CENTRAL AMERICAN RUBBER TREE. 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATES. 



Plate I. Frontispiece. Planted Castilla trees about fourteen years old at La Zacualpa 

 plantation, Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico. The scarred trunks show that they 

 have been tapped many times by the native method. The trees average about 

 a foot in diameter and stand about twelve feet apart in the rows. They were 

 planted in alternation with cacao, but this has mostly disappeared. 



Plate II. The original -engraving of Castilla elastica, somewhat reduced. The stami- 

 nate flowers are much longer than those shown in Plates V and VI and the fruits 

 are in much looser and more spherical clusters than those of Plate VII. 



Plate III. Tip of branch of Castilla from Panzos, eastern Guatemala. Each leaf is 

 covered when young by a large ribbed hairy scale. The young leaves appear 

 much more hairy before they expand. (Natural size. ) 



Plate IV. Staminate flowers and leaf base of Castilla from Panzos, eastern Guate- 

 mala. The scales are larger and less numerous than in Plate V, especially along 

 the margins. The hairs of the branches are shorter and finer. (Natural size.) 



Plate V. Staminate flowers and tip of leafy branch of Castilla from La Zacualpa 

 plantation, Chiapas, Mexico. (Natural size.) 



Plate VI, Pistillate and staminate flowers of Castilla from La Zacualpa, Chiapas, 

 Mexico. Pistillate flowers at the left, the staminate at the right. The curved 

 stigmas show in the middle of the pistillate clusters. At the side of each pistil- 

 late flower there may be one or two small staminate flowers quite different from 

 those borne on branches which have staminate flowers only. (Natural size.) 



Plate VII. Clusters of ripe fruit, La Zacualpa, Chiapas, Mexico. The fruits are 

 fleshy and of a rather reddish-orange color. (Natural size.) 



Plate VIII. Planted Castilla tree 18 months old at La Zacualpa, Chiapas, Mexico. 

 Grown without shade. 



Plate IX. Castilla^ tree about 25 meters high, planted as a fence stake, Tapachula, 

 Mexico. Said to be capable of yielding 25 pounds of rubber. 



Plate X. Young Castilla tree, showing self-pruned temporary branches, La Zacu- 

 alpa, Chiapas, Mexico. 



Plate XL Bases of self-pruned temporary branches of Castilla, La Zacualpa, Chiapas, 

 Mexico. The one on the left shows an unusual character in being branched 

 near the base. (Natural size.) 



Plate XII. Five large Castilla trees standing together, La Zacualpa, Chiapas, 

 Mexico. These trees are a part of the plantation shown in the frontispiece, 

 and are nearly as large as trees standing apart. 



Plate XIII. Yearling Castilla tree planted six months in the open, Panzos, Guate- 

 mala. 



Plate XIV Yearling Castilla tree at Panzos, Guatemala, of the same age as that 

 shown in Plate XIII, but standing in the shade and showing retarded growth. 



Plate XV. Thinly shaded Castilla plantation, trees 18 months old. La Zacualpa, 

 Chiapas, Mexico. 



Plate XVI. Native method of tapping Castilla tree, La Zacualpa, Chiapas, Mexico. 



Plate XVII. Native method of coagulating latex. Fig. 1. — Spreading latex on 

 Calathpea leaf, a leaf already coated shown at the right, lying in the sun to 

 coagulate the rubber. Fig. 2. — Pressing the two coated leaves together, to unite 

 the two sheets of rubber. Fig. 3. — Pulling the leaf away from the rubber. Fig. 

 4. — The finished sample of rubber, marked by the veins of the leaf. 



Plate XVIII. Fig. 1. — Sample of rubber coagulated in a bowl by juice of the moon- 

 vine. Fig. 2. — Branches bearing clusters of ripe fruit. Fig. 3. — Base of tree 

 severely injured by careless tapping, but making new growth and showing the 

 persistent vitality of the rubber trees of this region. 



