194 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



at New Lands and they are certainly not 

 as healthy locking. This is the home of the 

 Castilloa, and it grows wild in the woods but 

 from what I have seen of it in Ceylon, the Malay 

 States, etc., I should decidedly say that it does 

 best in Trinidad, if New Lands Rubber be 

 taken as a sample." 



Slack Estate Management in Java.— On an 

 estate in Asahan, Delhi, which is managed by 

 a company domiciled in Germany, serious com- 

 plications have arisen. The outlay on the spot 

 has, of late increased so alarmingly that the 

 directors sent out two delegates to inquire 

 what had brought on this untoward result. 

 Commenting on this incident, the Deli Courant 

 calls attention to the lack of control over certain 

 estate managers who are left free to charge 

 the property with outlay which should be 

 placed to their personal account. This is done 

 mostly from carelessness rather than out of set 

 purpose. So loose is the system that the 

 auditing of estate books is seldom given thought, 

 though stricter control would check mismanage- 

 ment, lavish outlay, and uncalled-for expendi- 

 ture.— Straits Times, Jan. 20. 



Queensland. — Though still in the experimen- 

 tal stage, is making progress. Six varieties of 

 rubber-producing plants now under cultivation 

 are admittedly likely to be of use to the country, 

 and are growing well. As yet only four have attain- 

 ed maturity. The Ceara rubber has only been 

 spasmodically tapped. While under ten years 

 of age or so, experiments have been unsatis- 

 factory ; but as they increase in years, the flow 

 of latex seems to increase, and to flow for a 

 longer period after the bark is cut. On the Ram- 

 bong trees experiments have indicated that, 

 with cultivation, a size may be attained rend- 

 ering it both possible and worth while to com- 

 mence tapping operations at nine years or so 

 of age, and possibly earlier. The large trees 

 growing in Queensland are some 16 years of 

 age, and will give as much as 5 lb. of dry rub- 

 ber per annum. Tapping operations are sys- 

 tematically carried out on the small plantations 

 of Para rubber trees, which are now eight years 

 old, in the Government Tropical Nursery in 

 Kamerunga. — L & C Express, Jan. 1. 



St. Lucia.— Rubber plants (Castilloa, Hevea 

 and Funtumia) have been raised in considerable 

 number at St. Lucia Botanic Station, and some 

 estates have made experimental plantings. In 



1906- 7, the number of rubber plants distributed 

 from the station was 18,167, of which, however, 

 only some 7,0CO were planted in the island. In 



1907- 8, the total number sent out fell to 7,438, of 

 which only about -2,000 were distributed locally, 

 and the Curator states that at present there is 

 practically no demand for rubber plants at St. 

 Lucia. The plantings already made will continue 

 to be kept under observation and experiment, and 

 a good stock of plants still exists at the Station. 

 A consignment of ten packages of seeds of 

 " Hevea brasiliensis," comprising a total of 

 2,059, was received from Ceylon in the past year. 

 The seeds were packed in charcoal dust, and 

 were altogether about two months in transit. 

 Of the seeds received, 947, or about 46 per cent., 

 germinated. Observations on the condition of 



the packages on arrival indicate that the best 

 results were obtained from the seeds in those tins 

 in which, on arrival, the charcoal dust was dry. 

 The Curator, in his latest Annual Report, 

 expresses the opinion that Castilloa rubber trees 

 will thrive exceedingly well in St. Lucia, if due 

 consideration is given to the selection of suitable 

 soil and locality.— W.I. Agricultural News,Dec.l2. 



Rubber Prices in London During 1908.— We 

 are indebted to Messrs. Baxendale and Devitt 

 for the following figures, shewing the average 

 price per lb. in London during the past year 

 of fine plantation Para rubber : — 



January— June. July— December. 





s. d. 





8. 



d. 



January 



- 3 6>, 



July 



- 4 



i; 



February 



■ 3 3 



August 



- 4 



i 



March 



- 3 5J 



September 



4 



2 



April 



- 3 6 



October 



■ i 



i 



May 



• 3 Hi 



November 



6 





June 



• 4 1 



December 





4 



Average per lb. 



- 3 7i 



A verage 



• 4 





s.d. 



Mean Average for 1908 = 4.1& per lb. 

 Mean Average for 1907 = 5.1;} per lb. 



The lowest price realised in public auction 

 was 3s. per lb. on February 21st and March 

 6th ; and the highest, 5s. lOd. per lb. on 

 November 13th. 



World's Supply in 1908.— London, Jan. 5. — 

 The receiptsof rubber for December were 3,300 

 tons and the visible supply 3,288 tons against 3, 722 

 at thesame date last years the world's supply in 

 and the estimated consumption 67,000 tons. 

 1908 was 55,800 ton. the average price for planta- 

 tion rubber was 4s. l|d.— Malay Mail. 



S. Nigeria. — Rubber is an important item in 

 the export trade of Southern Nigeria, and it is 

 consequently interesting to note that the planting 

 of rubber trees by the natives has been steadily 

 encouraged by the Forestry Department, and that 

 in some districts the plants are doing very well, 

 and give good promise for the future. According 

 to Mr. Birtwistle, the Government Commercial 

 Agent, it is now generally realised that not until 

 the rubber trees are owned by individuals, who 

 will see that they are duly protected, can this 

 industry in Nigeria be looked upon as one of a 

 permanently-progressive nature. Thousands of 

 trees in the forests, which are practically a "no 

 man's land," are destroyed each year by over- 

 tapping, and, although every effort is made by 

 the Forestry Department to regulate the gather- 

 ing and to prevent indiscriminate bleeding, the 

 task in so large a country and amidst dense 

 forests is an extremely difficult one. Incidentally 

 it may be observed that a decade ago the ex- 

 ports of rubber from one province alone averaged 

 over five million pounds weight per annum. — 

 E& C Mail, Jan. 1. 



Singapore Rubber Factory.— The Neder- 

 landsche Gutta-Percha Maatschappij (Nether- 

 lands Gutta-Percha Company) report for the 

 business year 1907 a deficit of 101,661*15^ florins, 

 which, added to the former deficit, brought the 

 total to 249,358-57^ florins. The deficit for 1907 

 includes 13,001 *32j florins written off for de- 

 preciation. 



