53 



is cut down, dried, then soaked, and subsequently the caout- 

 chouc is beaten out. As however the whole plant is used, 

 and a plant 2-3 feet high takes about 12 years to grow, it 

 is not feasible that its cultivation could be made re- 

 munerative. 



It has been suggested to grow the plants from cuttings 

 or layers if this could be done (very doubtful) there would 

 be a saving of time, but even so, the cost of production 

 would be very high for so low grade a rubber, and failing 

 some means' of quick and successful reproduction the 

 present wild supply is reported to be approaching exhaus- 

 tion. 



Actinella Richardsonii (Colorado rubber) is also a 

 Composite resembling the "Guayule" plant and rubber, but 

 not so abundant. 



EuPHOKBIACEAE. 



Of the genus Hevea (Para rubber) there are said to be 

 14 lactiferous species, the most valuable being, H. brazil- 

 iensis. This genus has its headquarters in Brazil but ex- 

 tends to the adjoining territories of Bolivia, Peru, Vene- 

 zuela, and Guiana. It is the most abundant and best known 

 of all rubber yielding plants and its best prepared rubber 

 (fine hard Para) is the standard rubber on the market to- 

 day. 



With the development of manufactured rubber fears 

 were expressed of the probable exhaustion of wild sources 

 of supply, and the desirability of introducing the Brazilian 

 Para tree to British territory in the tropics — where the 

 natural conditions of climate followed that which obtained 

 in Brazil — was first given effect in 1872 when Sir Clements- 

 Markham obtained seeds for the Eoyal Gardens at Kew. 

 These were taken out in India, and in 1875 Mr. Wickham 

 was commissioned to obtain more seeds for the British 

 Indian government. Wickham brought to Kew Gardens 

 70,000 seeds and as the climate of India was not considered 

 satisfactory, about 1,900 seedling plants were sent to 

 Ceylon. About the same time Mr. Cross was sent to 8. 

 America for Para plants in case Wickham 's seeds failed. 

 jOross brought to Kew living plants, and also seeds of Ceara 

 rubber (Manihot Glaziovii) and Castilloa elastica. Cross ' 

 Para plants were distributed to Ceylon, Singapore, and the 

 West Indies. Under experimental cultivation — at the 

 Botanic Gardens of Ceylon and Singapore — the trees thriv- 

 ed, but very little progress had been made by planters until 

 the year 1899, when, owing to the collapse of coffee cul- 



