July, 1912.] 



71 



Correspondence. 



foreign exhibits, the appointment of 

 some one person in an advisory capacity 

 to assist in the installation of provincial 

 exhibits, and the <;onc:nued effort to 

 avoid duplication in the different exhibits 

 to further develop the idea of centraliza- 

 tion of the more important features. 



The Exposition of 1912 was so far in 

 advance of all previous efforts that it 



may well be considered as above 

 criticism. This does not mean, however, 

 that there is not still room for improve- 

 ment, and we fully believe that our next 

 Exposition will be such as to entirely 

 remove any lingering doubts that may 

 stil! exist as to the advisability of making 

 the biennial Philippine Midwinter Ex- 

 position a permanent institution. 



Correspondence. 







Tons. 



1914 



25-000 



»» 



1915 



23-000 





1916 



20-000 





1917 



15'OliO 





1018 



15 000 



»> 



1919 



20-000 



>> 



1920 



25-000 



' , 



The Editor is not responsible for the opinions of his Corr ondents. 



PLANTATION RUBBER ESTIMATES. 



Sorata, Bolivia, March, 30, 1912. 



Dear Sir, — After reading your article 

 Para versus Ceylon in the December ie sue, 

 I send you an extract of a report I wrote 

 last year, with estimates of production 

 from 1911 to 1920 for both Plantation 

 rubber and Amazon rubber. They are 

 probably no nearer the mark than any 

 other estimates, as we can say about the 

 production and price of rubber, what 

 Coleridge said about the law : — 



The reason for the figures of both 

 rubber arising and falling is explained in 

 the footnote, 



I have planted rubber and kept in 

 touch with the markets and all pertain- 

 ing to rubber for the last fifteen years : 

 and for the last five years have been ex- 

 ploiting rubber in the Amazon, yet I 

 see no reason to change the figures of 

 estimates made last year : unless it is to 

 increase plantation annually, up to 1919. 



Production. 

 Plantation Rubber. 



1911 

 1912 

 1913 

 1914 

 1915 

 1916 

 1917 

 1918 

 1919 

 1920 



10,000 

 15,000 

 19,000 

 30,000 

 50,000 

 70,009 

 90,000 

 100,000 

 120,000 

 100,000 



Tons. 



Production. 

 Amazon Rubber and Caucho. 



1911 32-000 Tons. 



1912 30-000 



1913 28«0C0 



The decrease in Plantation rubber of 

 all kinds is placed at the year 1920, on 

 accouDt of the drying up of plantation 

 trees due to being tapped at immature 

 age, before the latex bearing qualities of 

 the trees reach their full development. 

 From personal experience I find that 

 after a plantation tree has been tapped 

 for from five to six years in succession, 

 when the tapping is commenced at five 

 years old — that the latex yielding pro- 

 perties are dried up : and in the process 

 each successive year showing a poorer 

 quality of rubber. 



When the investing public find this 

 out there will be no more investors ' 

 cash available for plantation rubber 

 enterprises. Up to the year 1920 the 

 gradual yearly killing of the latex 

 yielding properties of the rubber tree, 

 by too early and continuous tapping, 

 will be replaced by the trees arriving at 

 the tapping age. 



This decline in plantation rubber will 

 take place no later than) 1920, with the 

 present methods of tapping in the east, 

 but, should any calamity overtake plant- 

 ation rubber, on account of diseases or 

 fungus that may attack it in its new 

 surroundings, aided by weakening its 

 powers of resistance by too early 

 tapping, the plantation supplies of 

 rubber would end abruptly. 



PLANTER & EXPLOITER. 



