454 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST [Jan. 1, 1902. 
the planting of rubber by the payment of a premium 
or bonus. It was also at the time that an interest 
in rubber planting was being stimulated by Mr. 
Matias Eomero. This plantation has also been fre- 
quently ravaged by tires, particularly such as result 
from the annual burning of the old grass to mike 
the new growth more available for the cattle. 
Grazing, by the way, is the chief interest on this 
estate, and little attention really has been given 
to rubber. There are now perhaps 75,003 of the 
original trees standing, and from these more or 
less rubber is taken every year which reaches the 
agents of the Escobar estate. A greater amount, 
however, is probably stolen by neighbouring Indians. 
The rubber from this estate is sold in the Tapachula 
market, lots having been taken at different times 
by William Henkel & Co. for shipment to Hamburg, 
O. H. Harrison for London, and Louis Tomelea 
& Uo. and others for Hamburg and New York. The 
'■ Santa Isabel " property ia about 64 miles from 
Tapachula, and the " Los Cerros " property thirty- 
nix miles distant, near Guatemala. 
In 1873 the late Mexican ambassador to the United 
States, Mr. Matias Romero, started, on the " Suchiate '' 
tract of his property a plantation of over 100,000 rubber 
trees, and, as for polltioal reasons he was compelled 
to abandon the property, when the trees planted 
grew large enough to yield rubber, they were tapped 
by the natives and nearly destroyed, but still there 
are many of them growing and yielding rub- 
ber to show what a cultivated tree will produce. 
This tract consists of 14,868 acres, about three miles 
from the port of Ocos beyond the Guatemalan 
border, and sixty miles from Tapachula. It is owued 
by the wife and sons of Mr. Romero, whose agent 
is Ricardo de M, Campos, collector of customs at 
Tapachula. Perhaps 2,000 or 3,000 pounds of rubber 
are sold each year through Henry Pincon, of Tapa- 
cihula, who represents some English firm in hand- 
long the cedar wood which ia the principal article of 
export from the estate. 
In 1883, Mr. Rafael Octeg* planted at " Los Csr- 
ritos " over 50,0U0 rubber trees which can be seen 
while going by the country from Sam Benito to 
Tapachula. This is a sugar cane estate, devoted to 
the making of rum for consumption within the coun- 
try. The trees were planted in the open, bordering 
on both sides of the road, and probably 40,000 
are still standing. Naturally all of the original 
planting would not survive, besides which some of 
the trees have been injured by the crowding of 
wagons when forced out of the regular roadbad by 
its bad condition in the muddy season. Mr. Ortegi 
was a large coffee planter on another estate owned 
by him, and, getting into financial diflioulties, was 
obliged to surrender all his properties, including 
that on which these rubber trees stand, to a German 
house, oil account of advances made to him, and 
who are represented at Tapachula by the import 
and export firm of Louis Tomelen & Go. Tbe rub- 
ber gathered from these trees is shipped to the 
various connections of the house of Tomelen. 
In 1898, Mr. Ferdinand Nehlsen started in plant- 
ing rubber trees on the " Ulapa " tract of his pro- 
perty, where there are many wild" rubber trees. 
He has to-day over 1,000 plants handsomely grow- 
ing. Teese trees were planted in the open in the 
grass lauds, such as are maintained for grazing, 
which is the principal interest on this estate. The 
estate is near the Indian town of Exouintla, about 
28 leagues from Tapachula, 
In 1899, Li Zaoualpa Rubber Plantation C d. planted 
over 30,000 rubber trees, to duly appreciate the 
development of which they must be seen personally. 
^This company is already tapping cultivated trees, 
which were planted by the former owner of said 
Zacualpa " tract, to shade hia cocoa plantation, 
some twelve years ago, and during the last year 
baa planted over 500,000 young rubber trees. 
The Soconusco Rubber Plantation Co., organized 
by me anl incorporated under the laws of Cilifor- 
nia, October 16, 1900, owns 17.858 acres, with over 
5,000 wild rubber trees yielding gum, and intends 
to transplant from its nurseries this year as many 
young trees as possible to enhance its production. 
What precedes is sutliiisiit in my opinion to de- 
monstrate incontestibly the possibilities of rubber 
culure in the Soconusco district, and persons who 
are interested in this important source of wealth, 
if considering the matter seriously, will fiud out 
that the industry has long since passed the ex- 
perimental stage in Soconusco, and today there are 
many companies and individuals gathering and ship- 
ping rubber from wild and cultivated trees, or selling 
it in the Tapachula mtrket. 
The time required to produce gum from the Cas- 
tilloa elastica rubber tree depends upon the locality, 
rainfall, and methods used tor its cultivation. My 
estimates of production and tapping age are based 
upon my personal experience and close observation, 
and not upon what others have written. The culti- 
vated rubber tree blossoms after the sixth year, 
and cannot bs tapped before tais time without in- 
jury. Tbe rainfall of the previous year generally 
determines the earliness of the season, the number 
of the blooms, the quality of the seeds, and the 
flow and quality of the milk itself. 
The sap furnished by a sevea year old rubber 
tree should yield a mimimum of 1.^ pounds of pure 
rubber, and as every tree increases its yield by uo 
less than half a pound of gum annually until its 
twenty. fifth year of age, at least from 15 to 20 
pounds of pure gum should be obtained yearly 
there after during the life of the tree. So an 
acre of land containing 220 rubber-tree i planted 14 
feet apart each way, will give at the end the sixth 
year — or to be more exact, in the first crop made 
during its seventh year of existence —330 pounds 
of pure rubber, which at the rate of 50 cents 
gold, would give a revenue of $165. If this estimate 
of 14 pounds per tree should not seem conservative 
enough, let it be one pjund to the tree, and the 
return par acre will be $110. 
The hardiness of the Cutilloa elasticx tree sim- 
plifies its culture very much, and as it possesses a 
vitality superior to that of the weeds or of any 
other kind of vegetation, it doss nit require heavy 
expenses for frequent weddings. If withoat any help 
from man such trees can grow for hundreds of years 
in wild woods full of vines, briars, and many other 
plants, under cultivation, they cjn certainly outlive 
the weeds, 
I shall be very glad if the data contained in thia 
letter coatrib ites to its object, which is to increase 
among a^irisulturiats anl business men of enterpries 
the desire to plant on a large scale fields of rubber- 
trees in tki localities suitable for thit ourpose. 
Ghas. G. Cano, C. E. 
New I'ork, June 21, 1901. 
[The wrilter of the above letter has spent nearly 
ten years in tha diitriot to which the letter relates. 
He went there first, at the request of President Diaz, 
to reform the customs service at Tapachula, He 
next became manager of the large coffee plantation 
" Guatima, " of L. R. Brewer, in Soconusca. He 
was liter employed as civil engineer on the line 
of the Oscidsutal railroad, in Guatemala, after 
which he b3came engaged in the importation of 
Gu^emila coflfie at Sin Francisco, He has thus 
had ample opportunity to study the resources of 
southern Mexico, and has taken special pains to 
bejome acquainted with the prospects for rubber 
cultivation, — The Editor.] 
PROftHESS IN NIC^KAGUA, 
A letter from James S. Nodine, manager of the 
Manhattan Rubber Plantation, at Blueflelds, to 
the India Bubber World, states that on the day of 
writing— June 21— he gathered seeds from cnUiyatei 
