37 



possibilities of rubber culture in Western Bolivia is an extremely ad- 

 verse one, yet, I feel very sure that in a comparatively few years " rub- 

 ber hunting" will be almost as much a thing of the past as the Cinchona 

 bark hunting rs to-day. In saying this, I must except the Amazonian 

 rubber, for this tree if planted may not be safely bled for thirty years 

 at least, which fact would be an insuperable barrier to capitalists. The 

 tree which is now being bled in the foothills of Western Bolivia and 

 Peru is the Amazonian tree without the waters of the Amazon to in- 

 undate it. Consequently it produces only one quarter as much rubber 

 as it does when found in the swamps. 



Judging from its price, Para rubber is hardly any more valuable 

 than that of Panama and Central America, although they are worth, say, 

 75 cents and 50 cents a pound respectively in New York. 



From the Para price there must be subtracted (a) export duty, 14 

 cents ; (b) transportation to Manaos or Para, 2 cents ; (c) commissions,. 

 1 cent. To the Panama price must be added some 8 or ten cents which 

 is now deducted from its relative value on account of the water and 

 dirt it contains. The Panama tree will produce rubber in six years ac- 

 cording to present opinions, and experiments begun four years ago on 

 the Isthmus. The trees have grown well, and only 5 per cent, were 

 lost in transplanting. It appears to me that in view of the future 

 when rubber cultivation has become general, and the present inflated 

 prices have been reduced to a normal s«ale by systematic gathering and 

 a supply equal to the demand, any one thinking of starting a planta- 

 tion now should be especially careful to avoid the conditions which 

 now keep Para rubber at its tremendous price, viz., export duty, high 

 transportation charges, scarcity of labour, a multitude of commissions, 

 risks and fevers. The fevers are almost unavoidable as the rubber tree 

 requires a great deal of water, and when it grows in low, mucky, 

 swampy ground it gives the greatest production. 



But it will also grow and produce on the hill sides. This is true of 

 all rubber trees. The rubber tree of Panama is different from that of 

 the Amazon and its milk is not susceptible of being cured by smoke. 

 It may be congealed, however, in a few minutes with infinitely less ex- 

 penditure of time and labour, by the juice of a vine common in tropical 

 forests, or by soap ; and I feel sure that it will congeal without the ad- 

 dition of any chemical whatever. So that the gatherer of rubber on a 

 plantation could finish his labour by 9 o'clock in the morning (the 

 milk stops flowing shortly after sunrise) and could work on sugar ora 

 similar product during the rest of the day. Though I do not know 

 much about Jamaica, yet from what Mr. Grant tells me it seems well 

 adapted for rubber cultivation, and planters there would be hampered 

 by none of the unfavourable conditions under which Brazillian rubber 

 is produced. Whether Brazilian smoked rubber is indispensable to 

 manufactures or not, I do not know. If so there are still vast unex- 

 ploited regions of rubber for them to draw upon. At the same time- 

 Panama rubber will always have its value and its consumption, both 

 of which will be relatively increased as the rubber is brought to market 

 in cleaner condition. 



From what has been said it must be evident that the tree of Panama 

 is by far the most advantageous one to cultivate. Whether it grows 

 best from seeds or from slips is still a mooted question. 



