October, 1912.] 



307 



RUBBER IN TRINIDAD. 



The Editor of the India Rxibber World is contributing a serial account 

 of Trinidad and its Rubber to his journal, from the second article of which 

 we cull the following notes. 



He refers to the beginning of things some thirty years ago when a few 

 rubber trees were planted in Port of Spain Botanic Garden, probably by 

 its late Superintendsnt, Mr. J. H. Hart. Later on followed Mr. J. B. 

 Carruthers with his Ceylon experience and a determination to develop a 

 rubber industry : but his career was cut short by a sudden and untimely 

 death. Now the work in this direction is being carried on by Mr. Free- 

 man, under Professor Carmody's direction. 



Castilloa would appear to be the most favoured rubber-producer, and 

 it is estimated that there must be considerably over halt a million trees. 

 The tree is said to be uneven in growth and irregular in production, but 

 there is a record of a tree 30 years old in the garden which gave nearly 

 5 lbs. in two tappings a month apart. The general experience, however, 

 is that Castilloa, though it will grow anywhere, only produces profitably 

 under the most favourable conditions. 



Of Funtumia some 20 to 30 thousand trees have been planted, but the 

 yield has not proved satisfactory. 



Hevea Brasiliensis is represented by about 100,000 trees, and the 

 scientific officers of the Depaitment are giving their attention to the 

 technical questions connected with the profitable cultivation of this 

 rubber. 



The present system of tapping Castilloa consists in placing an 

 enamelled cloth apron round the base of the trees to catch the latex 

 which is liberated by horizontal incisions made with a 2-inch chisel and 

 mallet about a foot apart up to 30 feet from the ground. 



The funtumia is tapped according to the herring-bone system. 

 Hevea is first smoothed down with a spoke-shave and then tapped by the 

 full or half herring-bone method. Newey's secure knife and Sculfer's 

 tapping tool are in use, and the rubber is cured by smoking, dried ants' 

 nests being employed as fuel. 



Fifteen 13-year old Para rubber trees at the Experiment Station were 

 tapped from July to December, 1911, Tneir girth varied from 20f to 36$ 

 inches, and the produce from slightly over a lb. to 6j lbs. 



Six trees of the Hevea confusa type, of the same age, were tapped in 

 the same manner and for the same time. Their girth varied from 3J| to 

 3O5 inches, and the produce from | lb. to H lbs. 



It was Mr. Hart who tried Castilloa as an annual cr op ; it was found, 

 though, that the rubber was of inferior quality and that only 8 or 10-year- 

 old trees can be depended upon to furnish good rubber. The produce of 

 young trees is resinous and sticky and no chemical process has been 

 devised which will improve the quality, In the case of Funtumia, trees 

 4 2 years old produced rubber of excellent quality, and the latex, which 

 was easily and immediately coagulable by heat, was found to contain 

 50% by weight of solid rubber, 



