426 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTUEIST. [Dec. 1, 1899. 
RUBBER CULTIVATION IN GUATEMALA 
According to the views of Senor Horta, who has 
recently issued a pamphlet on ''Rubber in Guatemala," 
the climate most appropriate for the growth of the 
rubber tree is that ot the Tierra Calieute. or hot 
coast lands, at an altitude not exceeding 1.500 ft., 
and the trees should not be planted in the sun, 
although the contrary opinion is held, and has been 
expressed by some authorities. Senor Horta gives aa 
his reasons for this opinion : (1) The nature of the 
rubber tree ; (2) experiments made in Guatemala ; (3) 
the fact that by planting in the shade there is 
complete security and a satisfactory result. Ex- 
periments in Guatemala have shown that rubber 
plantations in the open do not develop nor give 
a profitable yield, and planters have suff' red serious 
loss on this account, not only in this country, but 
also in Tabasco, Chiapas (in Mexico), and in British 
Honduras. By planting in the shade it will always be an 
easy matter, if special conditions of the soil so require 
to remove superfluous shelter. Under these circum- 
stances it is not necessary to consider the manner of 
cultivation suggested by some persons, namely, that 
of planting rubber in the sun and using the trees 
as tihade for coffee or cacao. This mode has been 
tried and, has given very unsatisfactory results, not 
only in Guatemala, but also in Tabasco and 
British Honduras; in som=) cases it was necessary 
to destroy the rubber tree aud substitute others giving 
better shade, and in other cases the entire plantation 
had to be abandoned. It is a mistake to cultivate 
together such plants as coffee and rubber, which 
require distinct climatic conditions, soil, and atmos- 
phere; the result invariably is that neither acquires 
a proper development. The yield of rubber trees 
has been estimated by some agriculturists as high 
as 3 lb. yearly from the sixth year ; yenor Horta 
does not consider that trees should be tapped before 
their ninth year, and says thit, according to his 
personal experience, 1 lb. of rubber, say 2| lb. to 3 
lb. of milk, is a good annual yield. According to 
him, the milk may be extracted twice each year, 
during the rainy season, about two months after 
its commencement, and again towards its close ; tlie 
most propitious time being when the tree has drop- 
ped its leaves, and w'aen the sap is most abundant 
and most active. He adds that, if agriculturists would 
devote themselves to giving great attention to the 
study of the nature and conditions of life of the 
rubber trees, to the progress of its sap, to the 
stimulants aud fertilisers that might be advantageous 
,to it, it is probable that this yield might be 
greatly increased. 
SPRUCE GUM IN RAMIE, U.S.A. 
The gathering of spruce gum as a side issue of 
lumbering during the less active months in Maine 
hss grown to be quite a large industry. The crop 
for the past year was the largest on record aud the 
last consignment of six tons was delivered late in 
August, bringing the total for the year to nearly 
thirty tons, valued at about $63,000. The process 
of collecting the material has many inteiesting 
features. Daring the wintor, when the snow in the 
woods is not too deep, a ' hunter " goes from camp 
to camp picking out good-looking trees that have a 
supply of gum clinging to the bark. He makes a 
note of each tree, making it by cutting into the 
. bark with his axe. In the spring, when the snow 
has melted he leads a party of pickers over the same 
territory, and they clean the trees of the gum that 
has accumulated. The instrument used for picking 
purposes is of fine surgeon's steel, tempered to such 
a degree that it can be bent to almost any shape 
and not bark. This is necessary, for on many of 
the trees the gum is hanging to the bark in such a 
manner that to attempt to remove it with anything 
but a crooked blade would be useless. 
The gum as it is scraped from the tree is taken 
in a large basket to the nearest lumber camp and 
left for the coming of tho "chaser," whose duty it 
18 to see that the gum ia delivered to the "boss" 
who has sent the expedition out. When the gum 
arrives at the latter place it is spread on a carpet 
and the whole neighborhood takes a hand in sorting 
the good from the bad, the lightcolored from the 
dark. Then it i8"blowed," a huge bellows not 
unlike those used in a blacksmith shop being used 
for the purposa. The gum is then ready to be 
bagged and sent to the city dealer, who in turn 
disposes of most of it to chewing gum manufacturers. 
— New York Manufacturer. 
Ceylon Land and Produce Company 
(Limited).— Ou page 422 we give the re) 
port for the year ended June 30th, which 
states that the amount at credit of profit and 
loss account is £11,979, which, with £321 
brought forward, leaves £12,300 to be distri- 
buted. In July an interim dividend of per 
cent on the ordinary shares aud three per cent 
on the preference shares was paid, and the 
directors now propose to pay the balance of 
the fixed cumulative dividend on the pre- 
ference shares, making six per cent for the 
year, and 1\ per cent on the ordinary shares, 
niaking 1.5 per cent for the year, and in ad- 
dition, a bonus of five per cent on the ordi- 
nary shares— all tax free. It is also proposed 
to transfer £4,0(X) from profit and loss account 
to reserve fund, increasing it to £17,500, and 
carry forward £1,533, subject to the directoi-s' 
remuneration for the year under review, and 
to the payment of income-tax, &c. The 
directors have decided to issue the balance 
of the six per cent cumulative preference 
capital— viz., 2,150 shares of £5, which are 
offered at a premium of 12s 6d per share to 
the preference shareholders, \^'e congratu- 
late all concerned upon the result of the 
years' working. 
Ceylon Tea in Russia.— It will be good 
news to planters to learn that the Rus- 
sian firms in Colombo have been confer- 
ring with English firms doing business with 
Russia in Ceylon tea, with a view to a 
meeting in the early futui'e at which it is 
hoped some arrangement may be reached 
whereby the scope of such business may be 
generally enlarged. The meeting, we under- 
stand, will most likely be held at the 
Bristol Hotel on November 27th, though the 
date has not actually been fixed. The ground 
for such a meeting is, we understand, the 
impossibility of supplying the Russian 
market direct with sufficient Ceylon tea at the 
present time : further orders from Russia 
would be forthcoming were it possible for the 
lociil firms to guarantee larger regular ship- 
ments from Ceylon. The only way to enlarge 
the scope of the business, therefore, would be 
to have more teas put up for auction in 
Colombo. If Russian firms in Russia increase 
their orders, while the same quantities are 
put up here week after week, prices may 
rise by reason of the increased competition 
among buyers ; and this would in turn check 
the Russian orders from home undesirable. 
Hence the anxiety to obtain larger local de- 
liveries ; and, following up our remarks of 
last evening, we must urge the local exporter 
to cultivate the local market with more 
vigour than hitherto. Prices need not go 
down, but a lai'ger capture of the Russian 
taste will be in store for Ceylon teas, if 
the deliveries in Colombo are considerably 
increased. 
