THE TEOPICAL 
AGRICULTtRiST. [Oct. 1, 1903. 
grown to command a good price, for tobacco 
consumers are becoming more fastidious and 
constantly demand better goods for their 
money. 
The author is of the opinion that the Philip- 
pine Islands can and should produce cigar- 
liller tobacco that is fully equal to the finest 
product of the famous Vuelta Abajo district 
of Cuba, and a cigar wrapper equal to Suma- 
tra tobacco. With careful attention to soil 
and climatic conditions, it is believed districis 
can be found that will raise tobacco similar 
in flavour and aroma to that grown in the 
best districts of Turkey. These resulis can 
only be obtained, however, by persistent, 
intelligent, well-directed efforts on the part 
of the planter, 
Philippine tobacco to-day does not occupy 
the position it should, and every planter or 
company engaged in its cultivation should 
strive to place it on the high standard it 
deserves. 
RUBBER PLANTATIONS IN MEXICO. 
EAPID GROWTH OF THli INDUbTHY, 
Rubber planting in Mexico is extending considerably, 
and there are a number of plantations, owned by 
companies or private individuals, gradually coming 
into bearing and which show that certain parts of 
Mexico are well adapted to rubber growing. 
Some of these plantations are of immense area 
as will be seen below, and though the majority 
are only partially planted, nurseries are in full swiug 
and planting out is goiog on rapidly. 
^3Iodern 3Iexico {September) gives some partioslars 
of the progress in Mexico rubber planting, from 
which the extensiveness of the industry can be 
realized. The question of labour seems as great a 
problem in Mexico as in Ceylon. Those estates 
however, which have a good name among the labouring 
class do not seem to have so much ditiioulty in this 
respect. " The most seiious problem which confronts 
agriculturists in Mexico is the obtaining and main- 
taining of desirable labour, but Vista Hermosa has 
no trouble in this respect (Vista Hermosa is an es- 
tate in which besides rubber, sugar and coffee are 
chiefly grown). A plentiful supply of the very best 
class of agricultural labourers is to be had in the 
adjoining mountains, and Vista Hermosa enjoys a 
reputation among them of possessing a healthy 
climate and of giving them good treatment and 
prompt pay for their work.' 
Regarding the rubber-growing industry in Mexico 
Col. J. B. Sanborn after visiting plantations there 
stated that " the question of the production of rubber 
from cultivated trees has been settled absolutely in 
the State of Chiapas and bordering on Tabasco 
at one or two points. The first producing plantation 
in this district was put in by Alexander Cordova 
from seventeen to twenty years ago. It is located 
between the towns of Teapa and Tacutalpa. The 
trees have been regularly tapped twice each year 
for about ten years. Cordova was a poor man when 
he started the plantation and owed a large amount 
of money. He has since cleared off his debts and 
is a man of means, all made out of rubber culture. 
The second plantation, so far as I have been able 
to learn, was started by the Moldanardo family 
thirteen years ago, and is called Santa Anna— is 
located near Tacotalpa and contains 14,000 trees. 
These trees have been tapped once each year for two 
or three years, and have yielded an average of one 
pound of rubber per tree. The above statement can 
be corroborated by any reliable authority in the city 
of San Juau Bautiata, When Dr. Abbott wrote me 
in April that the corn on the plantation was about a 
foot high, I expected t-j see a small patch probably 
th''ee feet high on my arrival. Jiidue of my sur- 
prise when I rode up to the top of Administration 
hill to look over a cornfield of about 700 acres already 
in tassel aud so high that a man on horseback is 
completely hidden from view. Some of the stalks 
are sixteen feet high ; they will all average over 
twelve feet. Already the stalks are down, some 
rubber planted and growing and the staking and 
planting is being gradually extended over the entire 
field. The young trees are up a few inches, and long 
before this letter reaches the printers the entire 
vast field of 700 acres and about 100 acres not now 
in corn will bo all planted in rubber. 
A CLEAR RUBBER GROVE. 
" All the clearing which has been done to date has 
been done in a thorough manner, every tree except 
the rubber and a few royal palms having been cut 
down aud burned. In this climate the dampness and 
worms make short work of stumps and fallen trees, 
and we may expect in about two years to have a 
grove of rubber practically as clean as a New England 
apple orchnrd. In making the clearings a consider- 
able number of fine mahogany t;:ees were discovered. 
These were cut down, squared and cut into long 
planks about two inches thick; the wood is being 
used in making chairs, tables, etc." 
That considerable care is taken with the better es- 
tates to have every thing done thoroughly well is seen 
la the following statement by a partner in one of the 
company-owned plantations, specially noteworthy is 
the care taken to prevent the ebtate labourers from 
spending their earnings in intoxicants: — " We own 
and operate our own transportation, regulate the prices 
paid to labor, build and maintain interior roads, 
establish a church and have our own fiesta dayf:, 
preventing the Inc*ians from going to distant towns 
and squandering their money, regulate the sale of 
aguardiente, and in many other ways improve co n 
ditions. The wisdom of our foresight in this direc 
tion has already been proven by the fact th a 
several different parties have already attempted to 
get a foot-hold near our location for operating resort'g 
where the natives could spend their money for rum. • 
RUBBER PLANTATIONS. 
The various estates cultivate a variety of crops 
besides rubber ; the chief being coffee, sugarcane, 
cacao, citrus fruits, bananas or plantains, corn, rico 
aud pines, while from some estates where transport 
conveniences exist an export trade with the United 
States is done in vegetables, tomatoes, peppers, etc., 
one company alone shipping over 9,U00 crates of 
green leaves during the winter of 1902-3. Cattle 
raising to a small extent ia also carried out on 
certain estates. Thus the Chicago Tropical Planters' 
Co. have an estate of 7,500 acres near Omeala, 
Vera Cruz, of which 2,500 acres are to be in coffee, 
500 in rubber with some 250,000 trees, and 4,000 acres 
under cattle fodder capable of sustaining 3,000 head 
CASTILLO A ELASTICA, 600 TO 900 PER ACRE. 
On Isebel Estate there are 12,000 rubber trees, 
3 years old; 5,000 rubber trees, o years old; 10,000 
rubber trees, 4 to 5 years old ; 5,000 rubber trees, 
6 to 4 years old; 8,000 rubber trees, 2 years old i 
155,000 rubber trees 1 year old. Ou this estate 
661' to 900 Castilloa Elastica per acre are planted, 
and this is not considered too many. Some 100,000 
acres of land are owned by the Mexican Coffee 
and Rubber Growers' Asjociation varying in eleva- 
tion from 700 to 3,000 feet, the average being 
about 2,000 feet. The surface, generally speaking, 
comprises rolling hills aud stretches of valley 
and fine table lands, by gradual rise extending 
back to the main ridge, reaching its highest ele- 
vation on the western boundary. These hillsides 
afford the finest soil and drainge for the cultivation 
of rubber and cofiee, while the table lands and 
valleys will produce everything grown in that (country 
The hills are nearly all gradual and easy slojies, a,ai 
