r 
.Ocr. 1, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
■257 
the hill there is little difiSonlty in moving on the 
material, as bnllock carta can always be obtained in 
the plains. It is the portion of the jonrney into the 
forest which the cartmen dread and will not under- 
take in the bad weather. It was at one time feared 
that damage might be done to the ropeway by wild 
elephants, as the hauling rope is qaite close to the 
ground in many places ; but, though they are often 
on the line, do damage has been done hitherto. 
COTTON IN THE WEST INDIES, 
In an article on Cotton Cultivation, The Agri- 
cultural News says, of ihe West Indian Islands : 
We have confidence that those who are now taking 
up cotton planting in these Colonies, are prepared 
to do all they can to make this season's planting a 
success. They have been plentifully supplied with 
seed of all the principal kinds of cotton suitable 
for cultivation in the West Indies. The seed was 
tested beforehand and it has germinated satisfac- 
torily. The larger areas are naturally planted with 
Sea Island cotton; This is likely to suit the 
climatic conditions of the West Indies better than 
any other. Indeed, the original stock is claimed 
to have be^n obtained from these islands. Accord- 
ing to Brooks : — ' The Sea Island cotton plant has 
a larger and more vigorous growth than Upland 
cotton. It withstands the vicissitudes of the heat 
and cold better, and it is less subject to disease ; 
the so-called blight and rusD do not affect it as 
readily as they do the Upland cotton, nor does 
it shed its flowers and boils to anything like the 
same extent. The early growth ot the Sea Island 
is so vigorous, that it maintains itself in fields 
infe-^ted with Bermuda and nut grass, as the 
Upland could not. The leaves are larger, smoother, 
and of a brighter green than Upland, and the 
flowers are larger, handsomer, and of a more golden 
yellow. But the bolls are smaller, and instead of 
being five-lobed are usually only three lobed.' 
As regards details of cultivation it is recommen- 
ded, in addition to other operations, to ' mould up' 
the plants when about 6 to 10 inches higii. This 
will add to their stability and prevent injury from 
strong winds. On very exposed fields a head-row 
of Guinea corn might be planted to shelter the 
cotton plants. Finally we would repeat what we 
have already endeavoured to impress upon the 
planters, viz, that they should keep a watchful 
eye for insect and fungoid pests. 
KUBBER CROP OF THE LOWER AMAZON. 
In a review of rubber statistics from Manaos 
for the calendar year 1902, in the June number 
ot this Journal, we estimated the rubber product 
ot the state of Para for that peiiod at 10,832^ 
tons. This estimate is practically confirmed by 
some details since supplied to the India Rubber 
World by a leading house in Para which permits 
the following comparison to be made of the arrivals 
at Para during two whole crop seasons, and eleven 
months of the last season, as distinguished between 
produce of Para state and of the Upriver regions. 
The figures indicate metrical tons and include. 
Caucho : 
Para state. Upriver. Total. 
Crop year 1900-01 ... 9,238 18,372 27,610 
Crop year 1901-02 ... 10,420 19,662 80,000 
July-May 1902-03 (U months) 10,489 17,823 28,090 
The first interest in these figures is in their 
showing of the sustained production of rubber 
on the lower Amazon. In spite of this re^don 
having been longest worked, and presumably iiuire 
closely worked than any other in South A nierica, 
the fact reiniins' that the volume of receipts from 
Para state is now larger than ever before. It is 
true that, by the extension of rubber gathering 
into the state of Araazonas, up the river, and 
into Bolivia and Peru, the produce of Para is now 
greatly exceeded by that from the new fields, but 
not because of any decline in the Para output. 
The figures credited to Para do include nowadays 
some rubber collected in the state of Matto 
Grosso, and arriving via the river Tapajoz, but this 
is estimated by our correspondent not to exceed 
50 to 100 tons in a year. Another point of 
interest is the increasing production in Para state 
of Caucho, which formerly was obtained only 
upstream. The entries of Para Caucho increased 
from 66 tons in 1900-01, and 82 tons in 1901 02 to 
322 tons [=708,400 pounds] in the first eleven 
months of the crop year just closed. 
Following are some figures from other sources, 
stating the total entries of rubber (and Caucho) 
at Para for several crop years, and the 
amount of the same produced in the state of 
Para, showing the production of that state to have 
increased steadily. [The (a) indicates q'lantiiies 
on which export duties were collected in certain 
years —practically the same thing as amounts 
arrived]; 
Total. Para. Total. Para. 
18S9-90 15,300 4,644a, 1894-93 19,430 8,210a 
1890- 91 16,8.)0 7.304«, 1895-93 21,020 8,708a 
1891- 92 18 440 6.474o, 1896-97 22,320 9,576 
1892- 93 18,990 8.241a 1897-98 22,250 8,919 
1893- 94 19,710 8,049a 1898-99 25,370 9,839 
It is of course an encouraging factj if it be 
proved that the //eyea ruboer species are capable 
of such treatment that they may be kept produc- 
tive indefinitely. It would appear, from the above 
figures, to be a mistaken idea that rubber gatherers 
have constantly gone further up the Amazon 
because the eariier rubber fields are become 
exhausted. They go up-river to meet a steadily 
increasing demand for rubber. New rubber fields 
are undoubtedly richer in yield at first, and new 
settlements afi'ord for awhile the possibility of 
larger profits in bartering merchandise to native 
rubber gatherers, but there appears to be still 
enough profit possible in the lower Amazon region 
to keep up the rate of production, and to enlarge 
it year by year. — India Rubber World. 
RUBBER OUTPUT OF BRAZIL. 
The Brazilian rubber crop season of 1902-03 closed 
June 30 under very satisfactory conditions. hiSti- 
mates and preparations are now being made for 
the new season just begun. The crop of 1901-02 
was the largest ever produced — 29,998 tons. The 
crop of the season just closed was ^9,890, a decrease 
of only 108 tons, or less than 1 per cent. Never 
before has so much enthusiasm been shown in 
the trade, and never before have so many men 
been employed in the business. Thousands of 
labourers are pouring into the forests of the 
interior, and thousands more will follow. New 
rubber fields will be opened and old ones worked 
with improved methods and larger forces. Busi. 
uess in Fara is steadily improving.— .Brarfsi/'eeds, 
