Gumx, Resins. 



230 



[Sept. 1906. 



inferior to that obtained from this section, especially in the Tuxpam district. The 

 latter gum commands a higher price in the United States, to which it is almost 

 exclusively shipped. 



Zapote trees thrive best on high, rolling land, and although trees are found 

 on the lowlands, they are inferior in both sap and wood. Continuous tapping does 

 not appear to have a seriously detrimental effect, provided the incisions are not 

 too deep. Trees are known to have been tapped for 25 years, but after that time 

 produced only from half pound to two pounds of sap. If allowed to rest five or six 

 years they will produce from three to five pounds. The average height of the trees is 

 about 30 feet. Zapotes are exceedingly slow in growth, and require from 40 to 50 

 years to attain full height. 



The chicle season opens early in September, though the yield at this period 

 is limited, and, owing to still copious rains, the chicleros (labourers) are retarded 

 in their work ; but this is to a great extent a benefit, as rains are favourable to 

 an abundant flow of sap, provided the rainy season is not prolonged beyond October, 

 in which case sap would contain a larger proportion of water, and the loss in 

 condensation would be heavy and the product inferior. New trees will produce 

 from 15 to 25 pounds of sap, according to size. In order to produce 25 pounds a 

 tree would have to square about 2 feet and be from 25 to 30 feet high. 



The process of extracting the sap is extremely primitive. Open V shaped 

 incisions are made in the tree trunks, permitting the sap to flow in a continuous 

 stream. At the foot of each tree a palm or other appropriate leaf is fastened, which 

 acts as a leader or gutter from which the chicle drips into the receptacle placed to 

 receive it. The sap as it flows into the incisions is beautifully white, has the consis- 

 tency of light cream, but as it runs down it gradually becomes more viscous, until, as 

 it drips into the receiving receptacle, it is of the density of heavy treacle. It is very 

 adhesive, and is extensively employed for repairing broken articles and fastening 

 leather tips to billiard cues. When the receptacle is filled it is emptied into a large 

 iron kettle mounted on a temporary stone foundation, with a small opening for 

 wood, the fuel used in the boiling process to evaporate the water, which amounts 

 to about 25 per cent, of the sap. As the boiling progresses the chicle thickens, and 

 when it has reached the proper consistency it is allowed to settle until a trifle more 

 than lukewarm, when it is kneaded to extract more of the water content, and 

 is then shaped by hand into rough, uneven loaves weighing 5 to 30 pounds. If 

 carefully cooked it is of a whitish gray shade ; if carelessly handled and improperly 

 boiled it is a dirty dark gray. When prepared with extra care it is of a light 

 pinkish colour. Much deception is practiced by the chicleros, who, in order to 

 increase the weight, insert stones, bark, sand, or wood in the boiling chicle before 

 it is formed into loaves. The sap freshly extracted will weigh about 7 to 8 

 pounds to the gallon. 



Prices in this market range from $8 to $15 Mexican currency [15s. lOd. to 

 29s. lOd.J per 25 pounds ; last season the average was about $14 [26s. 9d.] per 25 

 pounds. 



If a good worker, a chiclero can obtain from 50 to 75 pounds of chicle a 

 week, for which he receives 20 cents Mexican [4^d.] a pound. As a rule, 

 arrangements to extract the chicle are made with capataces (contractors), who 

 have charge of the men. They receive about 40 cents Mexican [9M.J per pound, 

 and from this price they must feed and pay their employees. —India Rubber 

 World. 



[This tree, the Sapodilla plum, is cultivated to some extent in Ceylon for 

 its fruit. The latex does not yield rubber, but a substance more like that which 

 dries from jak milk. There is a considerable industry in it in America for making 

 little statuettes, and other purposes.— Ed. | 



