426 
THE tkOPiCAL AGRlCtJLTtJRISt. [Dec. i. 1893. 
THE RUBBER PLANTS OF INDIA. 
By Consul-Geneual Mekuitt, or Cai^cutta. 
, Caoutchouc— ' aoutchouc, or India-Rubljer. is the 
thickened iiiillty sap obtained from at least six genera 
of plyjits belonging to three widely different natural 
prders, Landolphia and Willougiibcia, to Apocj uacea: ; 
' astilloaand Ficus, to Urticacea; ; Hevea and Mani- 
hot, to EuphorbiaceiB. Wlien the bark of plants 
boutainiug this substance is cut, the milk exudes and 
in time hardens on exposure to the air. In the 
plant tiss ;e caoutchouc is found to circulate in 
•ertaiu vein-like veisels distributed throu_'liout the 
. middle, or more rarely the inner layer of bark. It 
is highly elastic, lighter than water, has neither 
taste nor einell ; and that derived from the I'tcim 
Jaatica, the principal rubber producing tree of India, 
gOnsists ofS7-2 parts of carbon and l'i.8 of hydr geu. 
KuBDEii Plants ok India. — Tliere are a great variety 
of caoutcliouc-yieldiug plants indigenous to India, 
and both time and money have been spent in experi- 
menting with worthless milky shrubs and climbers. 
Much lias been written advocating the cultivation 
of rubber-producing v nes, yet no lasting interest has 
been created in these troubleeome creeper ■•. and little 
has been done in the way of procuring caoutchouc from 
them either in a wild or a culti ated fta'e. Kxperi- 
ments have been made in many parts of this country 
with exotic plants. Grossly exaggera ed statements 
were given out at first in regard to the facility of 
production and res ilting profits, causing for a short 
time great activity, follov\ed, however by a widespread 
disappointment. People who never think of a per- 
manent home in a country cannot be expected to 
make investments on which they must wait fifty 
years for a realisation. The effort to profitably intro- 
duce foreign rubber plants in Northern India has 
been a comple e failure, and the product from the 
private plantations of the South is not likely to 
have any appreciable effect on exjjorts for many years. 
The present report, therefore, will be confined to 
indigenous plants, and a-, but little rubber is derived 
from Southern India, and that principally from 
neglected wines, and as the article of Indian com- 
merce is procured from Northern India, and almost 
exclusively from the /Vims ataslica, a few lines con- 
taining information acquired by conversation with 
intelligent practical men in regard to this tree, ought 
to be worth pages of suppositious obtained from 
oontradictory authors about plants that up to this 
time have proved of little value. 
THE FICUS ELASTICA. 
Habitat — The Fiais elaxtica is found in the damp 
forests at the base of the Sikkin Himalaya, in 
Assam, Cbittagong, and Burma, and probably east- 
ward in the unexplored region beyond. It is a large 
evergreen tree, usually epiphytic in its young stage, 
but finally or originally rooting in the ground, and 
sending down banyan-like aerial stems to take hold 
and find nourishment i ] the soil. It requires an 
exceedingly damp atmosphere to do we!l. and, there- 
fore, thrives best at the foot of the mountains or 
on the mountains themselves up to an elevation of 
2,000 feet. Among forest trees it is easily first, for 
no other ai proaches it in dimension and grandeur. 
Gkow-th. — The seed germinating ofti-u on the sum- 
mit of a lofty tree, whither it has been carried by a 
bird, sends down its fir-reaching roots, and from 
tbe top of these grow horizon: al branches and a 
dark green done of leafy boughs. In time, the foster- 
stem hav ng b.en overshadowed and destroyed, a 
hundred pillar-like trunks hold possession. 
Rubber Gathemng. — The trees when not under 
the immediate supervision of the forest consei-vators 
are tapped in the most c relcss manner. In the 
lower portions, and in the long aerip.1 roots, diagonal 
cuts penetrating tj the woo i are made from ti to 
18 iuche5 long, and in an elliptical form, si as to be 
about; 3 inches across tbe centre, and the sap allowed 
to run into funnel shaped leaves or boles in the 
ground. It is only recessary to see the tree to ap- 
preciate the fearful risk encountered by the gum 
ptherevS) who hy »o weans coafiae their operatioas 
to the base, but climb as high ae the roots extend, 
and higher still along the horizontal branches, chop- 
ping with their dhaws at intervals of every few inches 
makiog at the same time a foothold and"a plae«froui 
w ich the sap exudes. There must be two ascents, 
thy first to tap the tree, and the second, a day or 
two after, to collect t' e gum that has forme'1 The 
tears w» ich gather lielow the wonnds. when pulled 
off, brmg With them all th<- exuded gum. and fmu 
when moulded together, a sticky ball. 
DESTBicTivii GATHcia.vo— The quantity collected 
at one cutting seldom exceids 8 to 10 pounds Of 
course winter and spring are the only seaeou» m 
which the gather ng is practicable, for the summer 
rains would wash away the tears before thty had 
t.me to solidify. It is stated however, that the 
sap flows most freely during the rainy teasou. This 
damaging v\ay of tapping soon makes itself apparent 
in large cankers and rotted off buttiesttB. The 
wonderfully deep green foliage loses its luxuriance, and 
de d roots and blasted branches testify to the feailul 
wrongs inflicted on the tree. However, it is when 
the wild tribes, with the customary improvidence of 
savages, attack the valuable rubber forests, cutting 
and slashing in the most outrageous manner, that 
the wholesale destruction begins. They saeh all 
parts of the trees within reic ■, often felling them 
so as to render the operation of tapping more con- 
venient. Scarcely anything can be more disheartcuinv 
than the sight of hundreds of n.agnifieent trees lyiii" 
bleeding on the ground, their roots, trunks and 
topinosi branches covered with sickening gashes ' Not 
infrequently these roving Vandals set fire to f.' rests 
so tliai tender shrubs may spring up on wlijch their 
flocks may feed. More often, along th^ banks of 
rivers and their swollen tributaries, they cut awav 
the timber, so valuable while living, and float it dowu 
to be sold for the commonest of purposes. 
Phesi KVATioN.-It is a pleasure, however to be 
able to sav, that the statement one frequently meets 
that no effort is being made for the pre-erv.ition of 
rubber trees is incorrect. Nothing is more interest- 
ing to observe than the untiring efforts of the 
British Government f r the conservation of the 
forests and for the care of /.tcw»«/a«(if« plantations 
i he immediate .ffect of the extension of EnRlish 
rule of course, is the widespread devastation of forests 
since the people just beyond the limit of restraint 
collect for the new market the caootchouc in their 
destructive way : I ut once under the will of the 
new ruler their wasteful natures are curbed and 
their ruinous practices, to a great extent, stopped 
The protection of areas witli naturally grown ruober 
trees on them is exceedingly difficnlt, on account of 
the well-: igh inaccessible localities where these trees 
grow, and because of the unequal way in which 
they are scattered over vast regions. Piubber is so 
vrry portable, ils removal not being confined to roads 
or rivers, as with timber, that depredations on tbe 
forest preserves are of frequent occurrence Vigi- 
lance never ceases, however, and new districts sure 
constantly added to be watched over by the olEcials 
of the forest departmen". 
In the single province of Bengal, ll.-ltks square 
miles are under the control of these officers One 
^■w,nn' 'Vl'^'T' T^t'^'^ ^'''^ to contain 
■l.i.OOO rubber tress, many of ihem more than lOii 
feet high. 
Legitimate GAiHERiNG.-The legitimate collection 
of rubber m the timber reserves is conducted under 
regid restrictions. Fresh cuts are made only in 
February, March, and April, and the inea are allowed 
to rest for too years between each tapping The 
cuts begin about 4 feet from the ground on the 
main stem alone, and are not less than 2 feet apart 
and penetrate the bark only. ' 
A European house adopted the plan of running' 
the milk into wooden bins 6 feet square, partially 
filled with water on whi h the rubber floats after 
a time. While the caoutchouc is still a liquid it 
is removed and boUed over a slow fire in iron pans 
4 by 6 feet and 2 feet deep, two parts of water 
ai;e added, and the whole is stirred constantly 
When coagulated tbe rubber \% temoYed with irojj 
