and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— Oct., 1910. 371 



if the cactus were planted all over the barren 

 wastes of India, in four years' time the wealth 

 of the country would be increased by the magni- 

 ficent sum of 5,198 crores of rupees. In addi- 

 tion to this there are by-products, such as 

 colouring matter for jellies and cactus leaves 

 for hungry cattle. It would seem to be oven 

 more profitable than rubber ! We wonder when 

 the " cactus boom " will come. 



''THE CHOICE OF RUBBER PLANTS." 



Important Belgian Information. 



Nothing demonstrates more precisely the ex- 

 perimental nature of rubber-planting generally 

 than the gradual discovery by the planters of 

 the Belgian Congo that not one of the indigenous 

 trees or vines of Africa is worth propagation 

 when compared with the Hevea and Manihot of 

 Brazil, or even with the Ficuselastica of theEast, 



The " Financier " has been fortunate enough 

 to secure advance proofs of an article by M. R. 

 Kindt, Chef des Cultures du Jar din Colonial de 

 Laeken, which will appear in the " Bulletin de 

 J'Association des Planteurs de Caoutchouc,"' of 

 Antwerp. M. Kindt is practically the Director of 

 Agriculture in the Belgian Congo, and the sub- 

 ject of the article is the choice of rubber plants 

 recommended in the past and now for that region. 



" Now that fifteen years' experience has been 

 gained," he says, " one wonders why the plan- 

 ting of vines and even of Funtumia elastica 

 could have beeu thought of for a moment. But 

 rubber trees were very imperfectly known both 

 botanically and economically fifteen years ago. 

 The fine results obtained today in the Indies 

 from the Hevea brasiliensis were not expected 

 when it was tried ; nor was it expected that 

 the Manihot Glaziovii, so much prized at first, 

 would be quickly neglected." 



With reference to the choice of rubber plants 

 in the Congo, he says that in 1895 indigenous 

 trees and vines were chosen irrespective of 

 species or district— for the reasons that largo 

 quantities of rubber had been secured from them 

 but it was difficult to know the useful from the 

 useless, and that the natives were unfriendly 

 and uncommunicative. Meantime exotic plants 

 were studied ; in 1893 Manihot Glaziovii was 

 growing at Boma, and its seeds were widely 

 distributed in 1894. Ficus elastica was planted 

 at Boma in 1894, Hevea brasiliensis in 1896. The 

 esteem in which tho red rubber from Kasai was 

 held induced extensive cultivation of the Lan- 

 dolphia Owariensis ; it was found, however, 

 that the value was not in the plant but in the 

 method of collection in Kasai, and the effect of 

 the dry season on the consistency of the latex. 

 The plant in the equatorial district did badly 

 and its propagation was discouraged. 



In 19U3 knowledge had advanced a stage, and 

 plants then recommended for propagation were 

 the Funtumia elastica, the Hevea brasiliensis, 

 the Ficus elastica, and the Manihot Glaziovii. 

 In 1909 vines were relegated to the lowest pos- 

 ition, and the order of priority for the rubber- 

 bearing trees was Funtumia elastica, Hevea 

 brasilientis, Manihot Glaziovii, Ficus elastica, 

 native Ficus, Castilloa elastica, and Castil- 



loa Tunu. Of this list, the Funtumia elastica 

 is the only native Belgian Congo species which 

 still attracts attention, and according to the 

 latest news it should be definitely excluded from 

 the series of trees to be propagated--just like 

 the vines. Its chief merit consisted in its normal 

 development and good yield after long droughts. 

 But the Hevea brasiliensis and the Manihot 

 Glaziovii are much more vigorous and less ex- 

 acting as to soil and climate than the Funtumia 

 elastica. The Manihot Glaziovii is recommended 

 for places where the dry season lasts from four 

 to six months, or where the ground is too dry for 

 the Hevea. Its yield is neither insignificant nor 

 fabulous, and its rubber may be classed imme- 

 diately after that of the Hevea. Three new varie- 

 ties of Manihot have been discovered, the Mani- 

 hot dichotoma (Manicoba de jequie) being the 

 best of them. Tho last tests made in the Belgian 

 Congo in the extraction of latex from the Ficus 

 elastica and the Castilloa elastica and also the 

 Castilloa Tunu do not yet admit of judgment 

 being pronounced on these exotic plants. 



It will thus be seen that experiment has by 

 degrees excluded every indigenous African rub- 

 ber tree from the Congo planter's list.— Rubber 

 World, Sep. 1. 



RUBBER PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL. 



NO DECREASE OF SUPPLIES. 



The Rio correspondent of the Economist 

 sends some useful information with regard to 

 the position of rubber production in Brazil. 

 "During the past few months," he writes under 

 date 4th August, "several 



DISCOVERIES OP VIRGIN RUBBER FORESTS HAVE 

 BEEN REPORTED IN THE AMAZON STATES 



the latest being one of great importance, 

 situated on the left margin of the Gurupy 

 River in the State of Para. Tapping in these 

 new districts has been put in hand vigorously, 

 and, according to telegraphic advices, from 

 60,00ii to 70,000 kilos, of rubber have been ex- 

 tracted already. In the last few weeks rubber 

 has decreased considerably in value. In Manaos 

 and Para this is attributed to the American 

 'bear' campaign, and it is further said that 

 American speculators* are using all their in- 

 fluence to force prices down in London. The 

 Northern markets are therefore somewhat de- 

 pressed, business being very limited in view of 

 the heavy drop in prices. The stock of rubber 

 in Para on 31st July amounted to 887 tons, which 

 shows an increase of 346 tons on the month. 

 During the first six months of the current year 

 22,075,340 kilos, of rubber were exported to 

 Europe and North America:— 



Kilos. 



Para to Europe ... 7,233,288 



Para to North America .. 3,570,923 



Manaos and Itacoatiara to Europe .. 5,959,503 

 Manaos and Itacoatiara to North 



America . . 4,147,404 



Iquitoa to Europe ... 1,094,305 



Iquitos to North America .. 69,917 



Total 



22,075,340 



The total clearances from Brazil to Europe 

 during the half-year thus amount to 14,287,096 

 kilos., and to North America to 7,788,244 kilo». 



