125 



Saps and Exudations. 



material is always at hand. A product such as the milk of the rubber tree, which 

 changes its character in a very short time, in less than an hour, cannot be trans- 

 ported, say, to Mexico City or the United States for laboratory experiments. 



Experiments for the purpose of improving the quality of the rubber tree 

 can naturally be conducted only on the place where the trees grow. And the possi- 

 bilities of improvement of Castilloa by modern methods of plant-breeding are very 

 promising. The eminent plant experimenter, Luther Burbank, in a recent letter to 

 the writer says in regard to this matter : " I do not know of any other plant in the 

 world which promises better results." 



SOME PROBI EMS THAT NEED INVESTIGATING. 



Matters that are now puzzling the rubber planters would be taken up and 

 studied by the scientific experts, and the knowledge acquired would be of inestim- 

 able benefit to the planters. Such problems as the quality of soil best adapted to 

 rubber culture, methods of planting, amount of shade necessary, care of the plants 

 while growing, best mode of tapping, preservation of the trees after the tapping 

 operation, transportation of latex, coagulation methods, and a variety of other ques- 

 tions which are of the greatest practical importance would be taken up. 



These problems require immediate attention because the time is very near 

 when wholesale tapping is 'to be commenced, and it means a considerable loss to 

 the planters if these questions are not solved before that time. 



To handle the immense amount of latex which is produced, say from 

 several million trees on a single plantation, it is necessary to introduce machinery, 

 and for extracting and preparing the rubber on a large scale many different 

 devices have to be worked out. 



It is evident that the better quality of rubber a plantation can place on the 

 market the higher price will be obtained. The more rubber extracted from the 

 milk the greater the profit. At present several per cent, of rubber is lost in the 

 coagulation process, and where simply drying of the milk is employed, the product 

 is of inferior quality and commands only a low price. 



GOVERNMENT AID TO RUBBER PLANTERS. 



In some of the Central American countries the government has stepped 

 in and is in every way encouraging rubber planting, even by paying a bonus to 

 the planters. The Mexican government has so far not done anything toward 

 assisting the rubber planters of their country. The publications on rubber culture 

 published by that government are unreliable and more of the character of the 

 prospectuses issued by private companies, zealously avoiding anything that might 

 be interpreted as unfavourable, but not hesitating," to paint the future in the most 

 vivid colours. 



A very creditable position in this matter has been taken by the United 

 States Government. Although the rubber planting is done outside of U. S. 

 territory, the government has been investigating this industry in the interests of 

 the American investor. A few years ago a scientist of the Department of Agri- 

 culture was commissioned to study the matter and a report was issued. Recently 

 the late U. S. Consul General in Mexico City, the Hon. James R. Parsons, Jr., 

 who was devoting much time to this question, personally visited a number of 

 plantations in districts, and subsequently furnished the Washington Government 

 with exhaustive reports, only a few of which have so far been published. 



This official was also up to the time of his lamented death endeavoring 

 to show the government the necessity of sending an expert to Mexico to visit every 

 rubber plantation in the country and to supply the government with detailed 

 reports upon these plantations. The many disclosures of recent date of mis manage- 



