Dec. 1, 1900.] 
THE TKOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
415 
THE NILGIKI GAME -ASSOCIATION. 
ANOTHER CONSIGNMENT OF TROUT OVA. 
(From a Correspondent.) 
Gotacamuud, Nov. 4.— A meeting, after a lapse 
of fully six months, was heH iu the District Col- 
lector's office on Friday. Besides the President, 
Mr. C J Weir, as Collector of the District, and Mr. 
G Hadfield, Deputy Conservator of Forests, who 
has undertaken the duties of Honorary Secretary 
of the Association, there were present Sir Fre- 
derick Price, Captain Beadnell, Messrs. Pascoe 
and Herbert Brown. 
A letter was submitted from Messrs. Andrews 
and Andrews, of the Surrey Trout Farm, express- 
ing their regret at the failure of the two last con- 
signments of trout ova, and offering to present 
the Association with 10,000 ova free of cost, provi- 
ded the Association would pay the necessary pack- 
ing and shipping charges, and suggesting that 
the consignment of ova be placed in charge 
of any of the members of the Association, who 
happened to be travelling back to India. The 
Honorai-y Secretary circulated a note with the 
above letter to the following elTect :— " After the 
sad experience of the last two consignments, it 
is inadvisable to send for any more ova. Mr. 
Douglas may be asked if he could arrange with 
anybody in England to see to the careful packing 
of ova to ensure the safe arrival at Madras." It 
was resolved to thank Messrs. Andrews and An- 
drews for their liberal offer, and say that the As- 
sociation would communicate with them later on. 
The Honorary Secretary was asked to place him- 
self in communication with Mr. Douglas in this 
connection.— i/ad?'as Mail, Nov. 7. 
« : — 
TWO RUBBER- YIELDING TREES COM- 
PARED. 
Dr. Axel Preyer in the German ' Tropen- 
pflanzer makes a comparison between Ficus elas- 
tica Castilloa elastica grown for rubber side by 
side near Subang in Java. The plantation visi- 
ted by Dr. Preyer consists of 40 hectares (100 
acres) of Ficus dating from 1864, but exploited 
since 1881. On an average of seven years this 
plantation aged 35 years gives a mean yield of 
600 grammes of solid rubber per tree per year. 
The yield from year to" year however varies enor- 
mously. In 1899 tlie cotal production of the plan- 
tation was 3,060 kilogs.; in 1895 about 3,520 kilogs.; 
in 1896 aboutl,670kilogs.; 1897 about 3,270 kilogs. 
A kilogramme equals 2 l-51b. avoirdupois. At the 
same time there are astonishing variations be- 
tween the trees themselves ; from 100 grammes 
to 12 kilogs. The latter phenomenal yield was 
obtained one year, without apparent reason from 
a tree tapped exactly in the same manner 
as the others. For some years past CastiUoa 
has been put down, especially on the path bor- 
ders, in the cultivation of Liberian coffee. Judg- 
ing from the short experience of the planta- 
tion says Dr. Preyer, the mean production 
of Castilloa aged 8 years would be 200 grammes 
of solid rubber per tree per year ; at the same time 
there has appeared the exceptional yield of^ 
kilogs As there are 400 Castilloa trees to the 
hectare and only 125 Ficus, the yield for the for- 
mer at 200 grammes equals 80 kilogs. to the hectare 
and for the second at 600 grammes only 75 kilogs. ; 
therefore even at present despite the difference of 
age there is an advantage of 5k ilogs. in favour of 
CastiUoa. The rubber from the latter also fetches 
a higher price. In 1899 it was sold at Amster- 
dam at 5 20 florins per kilog. against 5 florins 
for Ficus rubber. Dr. Preyer however is of opinion 
that a plantation devoted to rubber on a large 
scale with European supervision would not prove 
remunerative even at present prices. Rubber 
seems to him to be an enterprise specially suited 
to be pursued as an accessory in other cultiva- 
tions where the general expenses are already 
provided for otlierwise.— Jwrfian Gardening aiid 
Planting, Nov. 1. 
THE EXPLOITATION OF RU'BBER 
RESOURCES. 
A Panama Rurber Plantation.— The rubber 
plantations of the Las Ca.icadas Plantation Co., 
Limited, which are situated at Las Cascadas, iu 
the district of Einperador, department of Panama, 
republic of Panama. This plantation lias been 
in existence since January, 1890, when the then 
proprietors planted 40,000 India-rubber cuttings, 
none of which has yet been tapped, and they have 
been adding to these year by year. They also 
have a large quantity of cofl'ee and cacao trees, 
the majority of which are now bearing. 
Develorment IN Bolivia.— The wealth of the 
rubber resources of Bolivia has been demonstrated 
fully, but they lemain closed to the world in 
large part because (1) of the sparse population 
and (2) lack of capital in that rejuiblic, but still 
more so because (3) of the lack of convenient means 
of transportation. Tiie only means of transporta- 
tion supplied by naiure is the outlet through the 
river Madeira into the Amazon, and this is ren- 
dered almost impassable by numerous cataracts. 
From a Bolivian source comes news of a French 
undertaking to build a railway connecting the 
headwaters of the river Acre with those of the 
Madre de Dios, the advantage of which will be 
that the whole navigable river system of Bolivia 
can then be connected to the Acre, which dis- 
charges into the Purus, and that into the Ainazou 
— thus giving Bolivia access to the Atlantic sea- 
board without reference to the Madeira. The Acre 
district now exports about 2,000 tons of rubber 
yearly. It is estimated that the opening of the 
region which the proposed railway would maka 
possible would soon increase this amount to 20,000 
tons yearly. 
CoNCEssiO' S for Gathering Rubber.— The 
government of Venezuela has granted to Senor 
Juan Ball 'Orso, of Maracaibo, a concession for 
exploiting India-rubber and other products on 15 
square leagues of government lands in the district 
of Coldn, state of Maracaibo, for a period of 
fifcy years. He agrees to pay 40 bolivars (=$772) 
for each 100 kilograms (=220 pounds) of Rubber 
exported ; also, to distribute seeds of the Pard 
rubber trees among the planters of that district. 
A concession covering 18,662 acres has been 
granted to Senor Alejandro Ortega Martinez, in 
the same state, on the same terms. Maximillian 
Doremberg has obtained a concession for the ex- 
ploitation of India-rubber, Chicle, and timber in 
the department of Palenque, state of Chiapas, 
Mexico, obligating himself to pay to the govern- 
ment $24 (silver) per ton of Rubber and $18 per 
ton of Chiole exported. 
Export Duties on Rubber in Peru.— A 
decree of the Peruvian government dated May 
23id provides that for rubber lands for which 
concessions are granted by the minister of puld'C 
works, a rental shall be paid of 2 soZs yici quintal, 
or practically II per 100 pounds, for all rubber 
extracted. In addiiion, an export duty is impo.sed 
of 5 cents per kilogram on Caucho and 1 cent (?) 
fine or Jebe rubber, there being 100 cents in the 
sol, worth 43'6 cents, gold, 
