March 1, 1940J THE TROPICAL AGPaCULTURIST. 
631 
EUBBER CULTIVATION IN CEYLON. 
(To the Editor, Commercial Intelligence.) 
SlR,_Referring to the note of warning against 
investment in any of the new companies now being 
formed to extend the cultivation of rubber, appear- 
ing in your issue of the 13th inst., taken from the 
Ceylon Observer, let me say that, with other-, I 
am interested in property which adjoins the estate 
of the company especially referred to, that our land 
having been very favourably reported upon by 
reliable authorities in the island, we propose to 
plant up an extensive acreage with Paia rubber, 
but that the eflfect of the advice, given space to in 
your columns, has apparently already beeii to deter 
at least one intending subscriber to the capital 
required to opec upon. I mention the above merely 
to show the harm that may sometimes result to 
capitalist and proprietor alike by putting forward 
a mere expression of opinion, as the writer to the 
Ceylon Observer has done, even though, as in the 
present instance, it may ba unsupported by any 
figures or accompanying; statement of facts. Pos- 
sibly, in a future issue, "an old planter," Mr Cle- 
ments, may be prepared to make public the data 
upon which he has been induced to air in the Press 
pessimistic views of the future prospects of the rub- 
ber industry, now, so far asits attemptedcuitivation 
is concerned, only in infancy. The subject is one 
of vast and far-reaching public importance, and the 
representatives of a dozen different trades today 
will be supremely interested to hear from him how, 
seven or eight years hence, they may reasonably 
entertain the hope of seeing rubber of a quality equal 
to that of shipments now coming from Ceylon, at 
present selling at 4s. to 5'. per lb , down to as 
low as, say. Is. 6J. per lb. For to justify his 
advice such a lowering of price, I must venture to 
8agge.='t, is a logical necessity. The 
COST OF COLLECTING AND PUTTING THE RUBBER 
t, . ON THE MARKET FROM A CEYLON PROPERTY 
Sjs found to be at present about 9d. per lb., but 
''this, as was the experience with tea, will doubt- 
'~lsss gradually be reduced down to a considerably 
' lower figure, possibly to Id, or 6d. per lb as the 
cost of production. The cost of opening and 
planting an acre including expenditure to the 
sixth year, may be, allowing liberally, stated at 
£15 per acre. The average yield from matured 
trees may fairly be placed at 200 lb. per acre. A 
profic of '9d. per lb. would, therefore, realise £7 
103., or, say, 50 per cent, on the capital outlay, 
even should the price for high qualities of rubber 
fall as low as Is. 6J. per lb. The consumption of 
rubber in the United States and Europe is given 
for 1897 in Fergusoii's hamlbook at 137,000,000 lb. 
The demand increases by vase strides, year by 
•■year, and at the present time exceeds, proLably 
" 200,000,000 lb. per annum. It is difficult to speak 
f accurately, and I say it uader correction that 
50,000 acres are the utmost extent of land in 
cultivation as yet, and likely to be in yield seven 
years hence. But taking this as a basis for 
calculation, the produce from estates then reachng 
maturity will, probably, not exceed one fortieh of 
the world's increased requirements at the time I 
further venture to submit that estate produce 
which ein he pat upon the market at a cost of less 
than Is. per lb. is in a sound position to dis- 
place its equivalent of rubber collected, 
say, in the Bolivian forests. In other 
words, that the supplies of rubber obtainable from 
natural sources will be interrupted, should the 
price of fine Para be allowed at any time to fall 
appreciably below 23 per lb, as at a less price than 
this the inducement to the native collectors to go 
into the forest would be insufficient. As for 
Belgian slavery at the Congo, surely it will hardly 
be tolerated for many years more ? If the present 
prices are maintained, a yield of 200 lb will 
realise from a Ceylon estate a profit of at least 3s 
per lb, or say, on a good property, £30 per acre per 
annum ; and such a desirable and well managed 
company as the one I have in mind, bids fair to 
become, in due course, upon the basis of a five 
years' purchase, worth to its fortunate shareholders 
£150 per acre, against a capital they may be 
called upon to outlay not exceeding £20 per acre. 
This much for the position of the industry as 
regards the produce of rubber gum from the trees. 
Mr Clements, in his advice to investors to pin their 
faith by preference to coconuts — sound one as that 
enterprise is— has evidently not yet heard of the 
prospects lihat may be before the planters of Para 
rubber in the commercial value of the seeds, of 
which the tree, I believe, is found to yield a heavy 
crop annually. In fact, it is hardly probable 
at the time of writing he will have heard 
that the subject is being investigated officially 
by experts, with— so far, it would seem — 
very encouraging results. One word in conclu- 
sion, as Mr Olsments would seem to suggest the 
prospect of a shortage occurring in the labour 
supply available in Ceylon, to point out that, so 
far as rubber planters are concerned, it can become 
at the worss merely a question, if necessary, of 
paying somewhat higher wages. Though if, as 
I conclude, this fear is the occasion of his letter, I 
do not think it is well founded, or, that tea planters 
upcountry are likely to find their supplies of labour 
interfered with. Certainly from the Southern pro- 
vince he need anticipate no unpleasant competition, 
unless the local Sinhalese labour has greatly dimin- 
ished within recent years. The fear, not infrequently 
expressed, of some artificial substitute being event- 
ually discovered that will, as necessaryunder every 
test, be able to rival rubber of a quality equal to 
Ceylon prouuce, may I think safely be discarded. 
I have the best authority for stating that attempts 
during the last thirty years have failed to produce 
the jequired results. Even if successful the cost 
would probably be prohibitive. Substitutes to re- 
place low classes of rubber do not count in dur case. 
I fancy I can claim to subscribe myself — Yours, 
&c., AN OLDER PLANTER. 
January, 24th 1904. 
[On the points at issue Ceylon planters will 
no doubt quickly make up their minds ; at present 
we have one experienced planter advising the 
cultivation of coconuts, which are highly profitable, 
and not in the least degree experimental, while 
our correspondent, and doubtless a good many others 
with hi.n, thinks that the embarkation of capital 
in rubber cultivation — an industry new to Ceylon 
— is an excellent investment. — Ed. C, i.j^, . 
—Commercial Intelligence, Feb. 3., ..ij 
♦ 
CINCHONA STOKED IN OOTACAMUND 
RESERVOIR CATCHMENT AREAS. 
Ootacamund, Feb. 14 — Government have ap- 
proved of the proposal of the Municipal Council 
to permit the Governmsnt Cinchona Deparment 
to undertake the stori.ig of thebarK of the cinchona 
trees in the catchment areas of the Tiger Hill 
and Dodabetta reservoirs. — M. Mail, 
