March 1908.] 



201 



Saps and Exudations. 



Examining the books of the rubber 

 districts of Serra do Lagoa and Serra 

 Nova, I found that a worker gets 1 to 3 

 kg. a day, and on the average 10 k, g. a 

 week, whilst a very keen worker may 

 collect as much as 20 k. g. I must repeat 

 that very few Seringueiros continue 

 steadily at work; the majority often 

 stop work for weeks or months together. 



This yield of Manitoba rubber does 

 not compare favourably with the 

 amounts obtained by the Seringaes of 

 the Amazon Valley ; on the other hand 

 the incidental expenses are less. Both 

 in Piauhy and in Bahia the cost of liviug 

 is much cheaper than in the region of 

 the Amazon Valley, where it often 

 reaches a very high figure. 



In Piauhy and Bahia the rubber 

 thickets lie in the mountains, widely 

 separated as a rule from the villages. 

 The Seringueiros therefore erect special 

 ranchos— primitive refuge huts in which 

 they live during the rubber collecting 

 season, either alone or with their fami- 

 lies. Food, and sometimes water as well, 

 have often to be brought from a con- 

 siderable distance. 



Sometimes the Seringueiro lays out a 

 small garden with vegetables, and he 

 may obtain some part of his require- 

 ments by hunting. 



My time being limited, I was only able 

 to investigate in a hurried way the 

 method of obtaining rubber from Mani- 

 hot heptaphylla in the mountains on 

 the right bank of the Rio Sao Francisco. 

 It agrees in the main with that for 

 Manihot piauhyensis, and is only rather 

 less fully deveioped- Nor was I able to 

 obtain any definite figures with regard 

 to its productiveness. The Government 

 Secretary, whose authority may be 

 relied on, assured me that a good Mani- 

 toba tree on the Sao Francisco produces 

 1 k. g. a year, an estimate which agrees 

 very well with my observations in 

 Piauyh. I have observed less destruction 

 among the wild thickets of this species of 

 Manicoba, than was the case with M, 

 dichotoma ; still this tree too, unless spe- 

 cial rules of procedure are followed, is 

 likely to die out in the course of years. 

 The Planting op Manicoba. 



Since it is obvious that the production 

 of rubber from the wild thickets will 

 become greatly reduced within a measur- 

 able time, it will be necessary, if this 

 highly profitable product is to be pre- 

 served, to undertake the cultivation of 

 suitable rubber plants. 



For this purpose the Mangabeira (Han- 

 cornia) is excluded on account of its very 

 slow growth which does not allow of 

 tapping until an age of 20 years is 

 reached. 



Soon after the exploitation of wild 

 manihot species for rubber was begun in 

 Bahia, plantations were also started. 



Plantations of Manicoba species have 

 now existed on the Rio Sao Francisco 

 for some time, and rubber from these 

 has already been placed upon the market. 

 I had the good fortune to see a number 

 of fields of Manihot piauhy ensis, which 

 were mostly in excellent condition. The 

 first was the property of Mr. .Toad Rodri- 

 guez de Souza in the neighbourhood of 

 Remanso, in which there were 20,000 

 planted trees of 1 to 3 years old. The 

 small trees, planted 2x2 metres, 

 branched close to the ground and looked 

 very healthy aud of a rich dark green 

 colour, a few specimens of Manihot 

 glaziovii and M. dichotoma and a few 

 rows of M, heptaphylla had also been 

 planted for experiment. The latter 

 showed a considerably greater increase 

 in height, and the crown also spread 

 further. They were three years old and 

 4 to 5 m, height, whereas trees of Mani- 

 hot piauhyensis of the same age were 

 only 3 or i metres. It was proposed to 

 tap these trees for the first time in the 

 present year — 1907. Another smaller 

 plantation but of older trees was seen 

 in the same neighbourhood, 



In addition to these I have examined 

 larger plantations at Jatobasinho near 

 the boundary of Piauhy and at Serra 

 Nova in the same State ; these were in 

 a flourishing condition. 



Only a single plantation of Manihot 

 heptaphylla was shown me in the Serra 

 do Sao tgnazio. And I have hurriedly 

 examined a few near Villa Nova in the 

 course of my journey. These planta- 

 tions, too, were well kept and in good 

 condition. 



The beginnings of cultivation of the 

 two manihot species of the Rio Sao 

 Francisco has come about in a similar 

 way to that of Manihot dichotoma, 

 except that a sandy soil is preferred for 

 it though one which is not too sterile. 

 Clearing the undergrowth leads to diffi- 

 culties only for the first year, afterwards 

 the tops of the small trees meet and 

 interchain, and of themselves prevent 

 the growth of other plants. 



Tapping for the first time is best 

 carried out after three years from the 

 date of planting, as soon as the trees are 

 mature and when the rainfall has begun 

 to fall off, that is to say about January, 

 The attempt is made to get suitable 

 labourers, who can be allowed to work 

 in accord, this being the only way in 

 which anything can be carried out here. 

 In Piauhy it is found necessary to allow 

 the labourers in payment one-third of 

 the rubber after it has been gathered 



