244 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Oct, t, 1S97. 
Earl Church to build a railroad around these rapids 
from San Antonio, on the Madeira, to navigable 
water on the river Mamore in Bolivia, is well known. 
But the natural trade route into the rich regions of 
eastern Peru lies that way, and the desire to open 
it up is irrepressible. It is stated that Ballivian & 
Co. are backed by the Para house of R. P. Sears & 
Co., whose intention is to stimulate trade by this 
cart-road with a view to the construction later on 
of a railroad, with further extensions towards Cnj’aba 
in the Brazilian state of Matto Grosso, thus draw- 
in'' the trade of that region also, which now goes 
down the river Paraguay to La Plata ports, in the 
other directions via the Amazon and Praa to United 
States and European markets. 
The river Madeira forms the only water outlet for 
THE REPUBLIC OP BOLIVIA, 
with a larger area than any European state save 
Russia. Into the Maderia flow streams which 
form a great system ' of waterways, draining 
every corner of Bolivia, and all those rivers 
are lined with rubber trees. It was not until 1880 
that the first shipment of rubber from Bolivia was 
made but in a single year recenly 1,000,000 pounds 
of the finest rubber in the world, commanding the 
highest prices, have been floated down her rivers, into 
the Amazon, and out upon the Atlantic at i'ara. 
This rate of progress will not seem insignificant 
when it is remembered that, owing to dangerous 
cataracts in the Maderia, scattered over long distance, 
a cart'o of Bolivian rubber is sometime.! three months 
on the way to the seaboard, at a cost of transporta- 
tion of 25 cents per pound, to say no'hing of what 
is lost through the capsizing of boats. In the belief 
that transportation in cattle carts will be cheaper 
and occupy less time, the road referred to has been 
opened. Cattle are as plentiful in Bolivia as rubber 
is and, at present, cost practically nothing. With 
the development of trade which is expected to follow 
the opening of this new outlet for rubber and cattle 
the concessionaires believe that capital will bifji-th- 
comin<' for a railway to replace the cattle trail. To- 
day the predominant idea in Bolivian national life 
is the development of the state by making her re- 
sources available, and the resoure first considered 
invariably is rubber. The concession referred to 
above is held by a company beaded by Sr. Adolfo 
Ballivian, who for some time past has controlled im- 
portant contracts with the Government. The interest 
of Mr. Sears in the matter bad its beginning a year 
ago or more, and be is confident of an important 
development in due time. The preceding has been 
in type for some time past, and is now printed with- 
out revision for the reason that the cart-road has 
not yet been completed. This has been retarded, 
the Indian Rubber World is informed by Mr. Sears, 
who is now in New York, by the fact that the 
laborers have been so largely utilized in gathering 
rubber. It is expected, however, that the road will 
be opened before the coming transportation season 
is ended. Since whatever rubber is produced here- 
after on the Beni or in Bolivia will naturally come 
over this road, a very material saving in transpor- 
tation charges is anticipated. 
The newspaper El Economisfa reports that the 
EXPORT OF IKDIA-RUBCER 
via Villa Bella in 1895 reached 1,712,544 pounds, of 
which 1,545,412 pounds were “ fine” and 167,132 pounds 
“sernamby,” or coarse. The greater amount of this was 
the product of Brazil and the remainder of the Brazi- 
lian country drained by the Mamore. A British con- 
sul in Bolivia, Mr. Alfred St. John, estimates the 'an- 
nual production of Bolivian rubber at 850 tons, provided 
that none is smuggled out of the country. There is an 
export duty of one boliviano per arroba of 25 pounds, 
with a duty one-half as large on coarse rubber.— /lidia 
Bulber World, July 10. 
THE MOVEMENTS OF COFFEE. 
The trade coffee year, which closed J une 30, has passed 
into history with a record of large supplies ; increasing 
stocks ; unusual advance in deliveries ; heavy decline in 
gtices, amounting to 5| cents per pound for No. 7 Rio. 
From 1887 to 1896 was a period of high prices, 
during which production was stimulated in Mexico, 
and Central and South America. The usual yearly 
gain in consumption was checked. The deliveries 
as will be noted from the t.able below varied slightly 
from the yearly average of 643,270 tons (or 10,935.595 
bags) for the five years 1891-92 to an including 
1895-96. During the year 1896 97 they reached the 
highest point on record in the United States, or 
5,088,594 bags; in Europe, 7,155,610; total for two 
countries 12,244,204 bags, making the banner year 
for the coffee industry. 
Present indications point to an era of low-cost 
coffee and steadily increasing consumption, due 
primarily to low prices, and, secondly, to the 
development of the coffee roasting indury and to 
the stimulus to demand, resulting from vigorous efforts 
to push the sale of package coffee. The bulk of 
the coffee consumed is of medium and low grade, 
used extensively in sections which formerly bought 
the raw bean, which was roasted as desired by the 
consumers, who have discovered that package coffee 
is of uniform quality, while its use saves time and 
trouble. 
The total deliveries of all kinds of coffee in 
1896 97 compare with deliveries of five preceding 
years as follows ; — 
EUKOPE AND UNITED STATES. 
Year. 
Bags. 
1896-97 
12,244,204 
1895-98 
11,142,813 
1894-95 
11,212,851 
1893.94 
10,571 533 
1892-93 
10,946.228 
1891-92 
10,804,551 
Total, six years . . 
66,922,180 
Yearly average (656,099 tons) 
11,153,697 
The deliveries in Europe in 1896-97 show a gain 
over 18.5-96 of 351,925 bags, or 5.17 per cent. They 
compare with the five jprecediug years as follows 
DELIVERIES IN EUROPE, 
Year. 
Bags. 
1896-97 
7,155,610 
1895-96 
G,803jt3S5 
1894-95 
6,820,905 
1893-94 
6,272,688 
1892-93 
6,547,679 
1891-92 .. ' 
6,392,719 
Total, six years 
39,993,286 
Yearly average (392,091 tons) 
6,665,548 
The United States consume more 
coffee than any 
other country in the world in the aggregate, but its 
use per capita is far below Belgium 
Holland and 
Denmark. The deliveries in 1896-97 
compare with 
five previous years as follows 
DELIVERIES IN UNITED STATES. 
Year. 
Bags. 
1896-97 
5,088,594 
1895-96 
4,339,128 
1894-95 
4,395,946 
1893-91 
4,298,840 
1892-93 
4,398,549 
1891-92 
4,411,832 
Total, six years 
26,932,889 
Yearly average (264,048 tons) 
4,488,814 
THE SUPPLY, 
Brazil is the colossal producer and the dominant 
factor in the markets of the world. 
In 1896-97 that 
republic furnished 70.89 per cent. 
of the total 
