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RUBBER PLANTING ON THE 
and scarred by the natives, to appreciate the fact that the planters will 
need better work and greater care of their trees. If all of the natives 
were expert machete men, and good climbers, the problem would be easily 
solved, but the real good men in this line are scarce. It is a most inter- 
esting sight to see a skillful tapper, armed only with a rope and 
machete, cut the channels so that the sap runs from one to another with 
scarcely a drop spilled, every stroke of the machete being just right. It 
is also equally disgusting to see a native who claims he knows how to 
tap mangle the bark, and able to climb only a foot or two without slipping 
down. The practical solution is going to involve two things: one is, 
the invention of a simple tool that is foolproof, and that cannot in any 
way injure the tree, and the second is a light, safe ladder that will allow 
THE TEHUANTEPEC MARKET. 
the mozo to reach the upper part of the trunk. Most of the planters plan 
to bleed the trees twice a year, in May and October. Some, however, 
hold that they can stand tapping much oftener, and most interesting 
experiments are being inaugurated in the exploitation of this theory. 
The latex flows apparently as freely at one time of the year as it 
does another, but the dry season is undoubtedly the best for tapping, as 
there is no rain to wash away the milk, and the tree is resting then. If 
the cutting is done well, the scars soon fill in with new, smooth bark, 
which in no way interferes with later working. The natural way, 
however, will be to drain one side of the tree at one time, and another 
at a subsequent tapping. The planters are ailready planning as to the 
