Feb. 2, 1903.J 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTUIUST. 
523 
the same Banana flouvishes splendidly and ripens 
frnit. Windhoelt, is hitu.ited 1,650 metres above the 
sea. Near Okubanriya there is a tannery whera 
tanning matcriMl, ;h8 pounded rhizoiiies of HyclMora 
africana ? are exclur'ively used with the most satis- 
factory resnlt. The Hyduora grows there in qnantiiies 
already dimini:»hing on the roots of Acacia horridi. 
In Gibeon Niimaland, there ia another tannery, where 
Elephan orrhi^fa Bnrchelii only ia used. 
I have not found iu the Gardeners' C'Jironicle any 
articles about forestry in the inner purts of Cape 
Colony, the Transvaal and Orange Eiver Coh ny. 
Can jou not induce some experierced forester there to 
write a series of articles about forestry in those parts 
especially nbont Encalvptns planiinf;. It v;onld be 
indispensable to state the average rainfall, tempera- 
ture, &c. Ttjus the statements v/on)d serve as a guide 
for foresters in regions with s-im'lar climates, ia 
theie any book on this subject ? — DiNTER.— fTaj'ienf/'s' 
Chionicle. 
PLANTING RUBBBiR SSBD. 
2'o the Editor of The India Rubber .Jodhnai.. 
In mv last at tide I nromifed a iett< r explaining onr 
niethtd of '■ Planting Enbber-seed at Stake." For the 
best res- tt'ta the gi oui d !-ho-jld be v.ell burnt over ; all 
trees, a'ter felling, fhou'd be " well lopped"—/.?., the 
bi-anch-'s shiuld be cut from the trees so that they 
all 'ie flat on the grrnnd, bo as to ensure a fiist-ilasa 
burn ; evei-ylhiua ihat wili burn should be consumed, 
and only the lavg-st trnnlts of trees left. Theiem iy 
be quite a number of cedar as well as mahogany trees, 
and other hard woods rf val-.ie. Tiie fire does thr pe 
very little harm, and they may be sawed up later with 
a whip-saw, or if the owner can aff ird it a small saw- 
mill, either for sale or for building purposes, on the 
plantation. 
After the burning i=i over staking and lining is done, 
and snak'-s put in at whatever distance may be decided 
upon; ljut here let me give a word of caution. Put; in 
hard wood stakes that will not rot for at least two 
years, The^e stakes se>ve to shov/ the weeders whera 
the little plants are, and so ^ave them from being cut 
down with the weeds for at 'east the first and second 
weeding. Should the seed not eermin ite, there is the 
mark to show jost where the supply should be put. 
I put two or more seeds at each stake, always in 
front and rear — as the lines run. Never allow ihem to 
be put on the sides of the stake, as this wculd make a 
very crooked line but yon can Be«> that by planting 
seed in front and rear — while the plants will be a ft v/ 
inches nearer or further — thej will be in a straight 
line. I open thesidlthe winth of the hoe and about 
1 in. d- ep , two men can do tjiis woik to the best 
advantage, one in front opening the holes, the other 
closing after d opping the seed and coverins; them 
with the soil dug out by his partner, knocking the 
B'me back with bis foot. In this way they can plant 
about two acres a day. 
Some years this mode of planting rubber does well ; 
at other seasons it is a complete failni-e. Last year 
with us it wa-i a complete success. Thousands of onr 
trees planted f n July 4th 1901, measured 4 in. to 8 in. 
in circumference on October 15th this year, while a 
few raeasnred 12 in We have planted corn with our 
Blake-planted rubber this season, and have a very fine 
crop 1 ebould ^ay about forty bushels to the aero. 
Oar ruLber this year has been planted 9ft. by 9ft., 
with two rows of corn between. No doubt, it will be 
interesting to your readers to learn how the InHinns 
plant corn : They take a long s'nke say nbont (it., 
point it at one end, then stick it into the ground 
ab' ut 4 in., throw in three to four gi ains of corn mro 
eai h hole, and the corn ia pli ntf il. No eaith ia 
thiowu in. Onrs wa-; planted in thiii nianner. With 
the result that We yet abnut 40 bushels to tlie acre. 
No weeding is done after the corn is Bown tiil it is 
saved. When I first saw corn pUnted iu this manner 
I said, " What fools these mortals bo : " 
We have a gentleman with us now who saw one 
my letters in the India-rubber Journal when he was 
twenty-five days' journey up the Amazon River. While 
they have inoie rubber trees thv-r?, he says they are 
fast dying out from gieed in tapp^nu ; but for cultiva- 
ting rubber, he considers the i'^thmus of Tehaantepec 
far superior to the Upper Amazon country. 
I huve received quite a huge number of letters since 
writing these not-. s in the Journal about lands in 
Mexico for rubber and o' her tropical crops. To one 
and all 1 would say, " Cemo and see for you self." 
There a.re new railroads being opened up from Vera 
Cruz, South, down into tlio ve y heart of the Tropics, 
and land will be going up in price. I have none for 
sale; I am simply a planter. If intending purchasers 
cannot come themselves, get some of your country- 
men to do the inspecting for you. Good land near 
railroads can be had juit now in 1,000 acre lots at 21 p. 
to 25s. per r.ce, and much cheaper as you got away 
from tran jporta.tion facilities ; but remember, the 
purohase price is paid but once, while trans:.ortH,tion 
charges have to be paid as long as the property ia pro- 
ductive. I think we h-ve solved the question of the 
expenses in coffee cultivation on this plantation ; 
after this no more land will be cleared for coffee; all 
land will bo planted for ri.bber, and two year-i after, 
coffee will be planted under the rubber ; then while you 
are cultivating rabb-'r, v.'by, the coffee is cl- a 'ed for 
nothing, and, if ccff e will not pay in this way the 
sooi;er wo know it the better for all concerned. I see 
in some Ea,ft lud an papers tbafc coffee planters 
there a^e going to cultivate their coffee after the Brazil 
method. Tliey are to send a de!etra..tion out theie to 
lo k into the Brasd rao his opernrtdi in cnli ivatit d, to 
find on t hov/ they m ike coffee jay when it sells the 
lowest of any, and pay ju.-it ten times more for Irtb.inr 
th-an the E ist InJ^a planter. I wou'.d advice them to 
try rubber ^^hln■e they are not too high np, but I feel 
certaiu rubber will not pay at high aliiiuties. 
Where rubber is planteii by itself, after ihi-ee years it 
can be turned into a cattle pasture, and cattle-rearing 
pays well here in -South Mexieo ; bundiedsa-re shipped 
to Onba every month but no d' ubc. sugar-pla'^ting 
is one of the best paying industries on the isthmus, 
Mexico consumes more sugar than is made in the 
Republic and a veiy large import duty is imposed on 
all imports that come in competition with any, agri. 
cultural product that can bepioduced in the country. 
I wou'd like to see oilier tropical economical plants 
introduced such as nutmegs, cloves, cola, as all these 
cot.ld Ie cultivated with the rubber plant and, after 
the cost of planting is met the cultivating part — 
which is of cour-e the heavi.^st — v/mld hi- done aa the 
rubber is cleaned. I trmt to be able to call on the 
Editor after the middle of Liecember. 
James Mauneer, 
[Editorial N'.te. — Since writine this letter Ml Maunder 
has paid The India-ltuhber Journal a visit, bringing 
with him some extremely fine specimens. Particular- 
ly of interest were two 'amples of corn grown among 
the rubber which we have seldom seen anything to 
beat. By the time this has appeared in type Mr. 
Mi-under will have left the.se fhores. He i« extremely 
well iiifi rmed on lubber cultivation, takes a very 
great interest in everything concerning it and ia 
enthnsiaflic concerning the cettairty of the future 
anccess of rubber plantation.] — India-rubber Journal, 
Dec. 22. 
♦ 
THE TOBACCO AND PALM IN- 
DUSTRIES OP SOUTH CHINA. 
Theie are f> w object' more a'trHctive to the eye 
th'iitob ceo fields and palm groves in Uill hi om. 
Tliev flourish vt-ry hixniiatitly iu the rich soil of 
wbiih the delti of th,^ Caiitcni River is composed. No 
doubi, the vast cern fi. Ids of C n-'dn and tin- extensive 
fiuit onhaids of C.il o l ia are more magn ficeiit, but 
the dtep daik green of tobacco and palm fields are fall 
of beauty. 
