THE HEVEA RUBBER TREE IN THE AMAZON VALLEY 27 
For the last few years the tide has turned and now the seringals 
are sadly depleted of seringueiros; one great seringal on the Rio 
Machado of 3,000 estradas has only 600 in tapping. On the Madeira, 
the Mamore, and the Guapore one hears the same story, and in the 
Acre Territory the scarcity of workers is so great that numbers of 
estradas have not been tapped for years. "Lack of labor," or 
literally "lack of arms," as the Portuguese has it, is heard every- 
where. 
Of course a considerable increase in the price of rubber may again 
draw workers from other regions, but they will be held only by the 
higher income. They will not come when prices are low nor remain 
when higher prices have declined, and so they will not help the 
industry in its crises. 
Colonization of the rubber country and the development of agri- 
cultural industries would ultimately reduce the cost of living and 
increase the supply of labor in the region. But large areas of the 
Amazon Valley are not well fitted for colonization bv people of the 
white race; certainly they will not be so colonized while areas in more 
healthful and agreeable lands are available. On the other hand, 
there are vast areas high up on many of the rivers where the climate 
is more salubrious and the land is exceedingly well suited to general 
agriculture. Such a region is the Acre Territory, where the white 
race could thrive and where a great population could be supported. 
But such colonization, though it may some day come, can not 
develop in time to save the rubber industry of South America. 
Reducing the cost of living in the rubber country would be equiva- 
lent to an increase in income of the seringueiro and might be a con- 
siderable aid. This has come about to such an extent at least that 
the seringueiro now usually does grow a portion of his foodstuffs. 
This has been of greater importance in improving health conditions 
than in reducing costs, for it has reduced beriberi almost to a rarity. 
When rubber was high everybody lived on preserved and tinned 
foods, and beriberi was the worst scourge of the region. Now most 
seringueiros grow some of their food, and in a few places the houses 
of the collectors are surrounded by all sorts of fruits and vegetables, 
and the amount of money which is paid out for supplies must be 
small indeed. 
As a general thing, however, the seringueiro does not like cultiva- 
tion and will not do it if he can subsist otherwise. Furthermore, 
his tenure on an estrada is uncertain, and he does not like to plant 
trees and crops which another may harvest. In all too many cases 
his estrada is flooded during a part of the year and permanent cultiva- 
tion is impossible. The total quantity of food grown by the serin- 
gueiros is now very great compared with that in past years, and it 
may be predicted confidently that such rubber as is collected in the 
future in Brazil will be the product of seringueiros who are so well 
established on the land as to secure the greater part of their food from 
it, so that very little money need be spent. 
The seringueiro is ignorant and careless in cultivating crops; varie- 
ties of plants are poor and no improvement is being made. In the 
past he was not encouraged to do any planting, for the more food he 
bought the greater the profit to his patron. At present many 
seringals are a source of profit only because the sale of supplies is 
profitable, the rubber being handled practically at cost. 
