320 THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



a bright blue. It is of considerable im- 

 portance as a center of cacao and rubber 

 growing, but is isolated and seldom vis- 

 ited. The usual means of communica- 

 tion with the outside world is to the 

 north instead of by the route over which 

 we came, but even in this direction it is 

 necessary to make a three or four days' 

 journey in a dug-out canoe from San 

 Juan Bautista in order to reach the town. 

 In early Spanish times Pichucalco was 

 connected with San Cristobal and the 

 other towns to the south by a paved road, 

 the remains of which can still be seen. 



The rubber plantations here are very 

 old, the trees having been first planted as 

 shade to cacao. In making experimental 

 tappings of a considerable number of 

 trees we were impressed with the great 

 difference of yield between apparently 

 identical trees that were growing side by 

 side, which proves conclusively that all 

 estimates of yield based on the tapping 

 of a small number of trees are entirely 

 worthless. At the finca Concepcion, about 

 three leagues from Pichucalco, we found 

 rubber trees measuring over 9 feet in 

 circumference at 5 feet from the ground. 

 These trees were estimated to be at least 

 50 years old. 



From experimental tappings it was es- 

 timated that the tree shown on page 316 

 should yield at least 12 pounds, and the 

 owner of the finca stated that about that 

 amount had been taken from this tree at 

 former tappings. The trees are tapped 

 to a great height, the "uleros" ascending 

 by means of climbers. 



Our experimental tappings at Coahuila 

 disclosed the important fact that the trees 

 do not recover from the effects of tap- 

 ping with anything like the rapidity that 

 has been supposed. An old tree perhaps 

 40 years of age was selected. It had 

 been tapped a number of times and al- 

 ways on the same side, the last tapping 

 having been made about a year before 

 our visit. Cuts were made with a 2-inch 

 chisel and it was found that on the side 

 which had been previously tapped hardly 

 a trace of latex could be secured, while 

 on the opposite side on clean bark the 

 flow was enormous, 80 cc. of latex being 



secured from a single 2-inch cut. With 

 cultivated trees the yield cannot be ex- 

 pected to keep up after the first two or 

 three tappings, even if these are deferred 

 until the trees are 10 or 12 years old. 



No plantation devoted exclusively to 

 the growing of rubber has yet proved 

 to be a commercial success, but the out- 

 put of cultivated rubber from southern 

 Mexico is rapidly increasing. 



The cacao at Coahuila produces the 

 largest pods that we have ever seen. 

 They are all of the white-seeded type ; 

 but, unlike most of the white-seeded 

 cacaos, the pods have very thick shells; 

 the seeds are large with an unusual 

 amount of pulp. 



The trees are well fruited and the pods 

 are for the most part borne close to the 

 ground. The crop is almost continuous 

 from November to June, although there 

 are three chief pickings. The seeds are 

 unfermented and sell for 50 cents, Mexi- 

 can, per pound at Pichucalco. 



As soon as the seeds are removed f rom 

 the pods they are washed by placing them 

 in shallow baskets partly submerged in 

 water and rubbing them against the bot- 

 tom and sides of the baskets, forcing the 

 pulp through the meshes. The seeds are 

 then sun-dried, the quicker the better, it 

 is thought. This unfermented product 

 would not command a high price in the 

 European or American markets, but it 

 is said that the Mexicans do not demand 

 a fermented bean. The price which they 

 get would seem to make suggestions for 

 improvement superfluous. 



From a few miles below Pichucalco to 

 within a few miles of San Juan Bautista 

 the banks of the river are almost con- 

 tinuous cacao plantations, a great part of 

 which is shaded with rubber. 



About 1,500 tons of cacao pass through 

 San Juan Bautista annually, valued at 

 about $1,250,000. In spite of the enor- 

 mous amount of cacao produced in Mex- 

 ico and an import duty of 30 cents per 

 kilo, cacao is still imported from Guaya- 

 quil. In the fine cacao lands above San 

 Juan Bautista the growing of this com- 

 modity is the most lucrative agricultural 

 operation with which we are familiar. 



