November, 1910.] 



389 



Saps and Exudations, 



after the orchid collector Rand whom 

 New Englanders will remember and 

 regret. A very thrifty specimen of this 

 is in the gardens, but it gives no latex. 

 It is this eminent botanist's opinion that 

 many other Heveas will be discovered, 

 and he is ever on the outlook for them. 



Nor is this attention concentrated upon 

 the trees that produce fine Para rubber. 

 The Sapiums, which are most plentiful 

 throughout the Amazon country, are 

 known to him equally well, and he has 

 gathered ten varieties into the garden 

 for observations. One or two species, 

 however, give a good grade of rubber, 

 and were labour plenty they would be 

 well worth exploitation. 



I had many samples of balata from the 

 Amazon region and took occasion to ask 

 him of the Mimusops in the Brazils. 

 Just as much at home on that topic as on 

 Hevea, he named a dozen varieties and 

 told of sections where the trees are 

 abundant, although the gum is not 

 gathered or valued at present in Brazil. 



The learned Doctor has worked for 

 many years in Brazil, often times I fear 

 without the appreciation that his energy 

 aud industry has deserved. At last, 

 however, both the government and the 

 world at large seem to be awakening to 

 to his value. What he has long wished 

 for, an experiment station, has been 

 established about 150 kilometers from 

 the city, situated on the railroad 

 that runs down to Braganca, and he is 

 much encouraged. By the by, he has 

 invented a tapping tool that looked 

 pretty good to me. I went out to the 

 gardens at day break and saw him 

 " herringbone" some Hevea brasiliensis 

 trees with it. It is interesting to note 

 that they gave exactly the same product 

 for their size as Hevea trees in the Far 

 East. 



The rubber known as "caucho" had 

 been on the market years before the 

 tree th at produces it was identified 

 botanically. For a long time it was 

 claimed that it was an Hevea product. 

 In 1898, however, Dr. Huber visited the 

 Ucayali river and after much searching, 

 was able to find a few caucho trees. 

 The difficulty in finding them was due to 

 the fact that those that remained were 

 growing in the dense forests far removed 

 from the waterways, It will be re- 

 membered that the tree is cut down 

 in every instance to secure the rubber ; 

 hence its scarcity. At the time of his 

 visit it was not blossoming or fruiting, 

 and only leaves and twigs could be 

 secured, that these proved it to be a 

 Castilloa. Dr. Huber and the Italian 

 botanist Dr. Buscalioni agreed that it 



must be the Castilloa elastica, and it 

 was not until some years later that it 

 was identified as a different species, 

 Castilloa Ulei. 



To those who ar<3 interested in the 

 sources of rubber, caucho was for a 

 long time thought of as existing only on 

 the upper waters of the Amazon, not- 

 ably in Peru, Dr. Huber and his col- 

 leagues, however, found it in practi- 

 cally the whole region of the lower 

 Amazon, the Tuombetas, Tapa jos, Xingu, 

 and Tocantins rivers. Indeed, it is 

 becoming evident that where Heveas 

 flourish Castilloa grows equally well, 

 and the reverse is also tiue. During the 

 year 1909 the state of Para shipped 

 nearly 1,000 tons of caucho. 



Alleged Perils on the Amazon. 

 I dislike exceedingly to confess it, but 

 I got badly frightened in Para and came 

 very near taking boat back toBarbadoes 

 and sending the usual excuses to friends 

 in Manaos, such as important cables, 

 "business complications," or the like. 

 It came about this way. The friendly 

 Americans and English resident there 

 are delighted to receive and entertain 

 fellow countrymen. Many of their 

 visitors, however, are woefully unfitted 

 for tropical life and make ideal "fever 

 food." Others pay no attention to 

 cautions, but go out and hunt for fever, 

 and find it. Then resident friends are 

 obliged to answer frantic cables, furnish 

 physicians and nurses, and stand the 

 brunt of all the worry. Oftentimes, too, 

 they supply the funds necessary for 

 cure or decent interment. They are 

 perfectly willing to do this— that is the 

 former— aud their kindness and generos- 

 ity is spontaneous and without limit, 

 but the strain tells. 



If they are somewhat fearful for a 

 visiting friend in Para, they are doubly 

 so for one who goes to Manaos. When, 

 therefore, one after another showed me 

 cables and letters full of fever stories 

 from the upriver rubber centre it began 

 to make an impression, and I found 

 myself formulating reasons for dodging. 

 But if one will only dose oneself with 

 a sufficiency of forebodings, a reaction 

 is sure to come, and courage returns. 

 This was my case. And of a sudden I 

 lound myself determined to discover 

 what Manaos would do to me. Further 

 than that came the belief that with 

 common sense and care I should prob- 

 ably get through all right. They were 

 exceedingly nice, those friends of mine, 

 when I rendered my decision. One, with 

 a whimsical smile, said : " Its sure to be 

 interesting anyhow. Say your prayers! 

 and trust in Cascara," 



