A FLYING TRIP TO JAMAICA 
2 73 
added latex, it opens up a new field for the planting of this tree where 
there is small rainfall but plenty of water for surface work. 
It may not be generally known, but Jamaica has its own rubber 
producer, a climbing shrub known as the Milk Withe. Its botanical 
name is Forstcronia floribunda (G. Don) and its stem yields a rubber 
that as long ago as 1891 was valued in England at seventy-nine cents 
a pound. That does not mean necessarily that the product is equal 
to fine Para, although it brought the Para price, for the samples were 
very dry and showed but little shrinkage. It is a fact, however, that 
it was a good grade of rubber, and if the reports of the first shippers 
are accurate, the latex is very rich in caoutchouc. 
To go back a little, the plant is a climbing vine or liane, and grows 
only in the woods in the interior, chiefly in Manchester and St. Eliza- 
beth counties. The best manner of coagulating was found to be the 
simple application of heat. So far, it has never been exploited commer- 
cially, nor is it known whether or not the vine is susceptible of culti- 
vation. 
Reverting again to the Castilloa , there is said to be one plantation 
of some three thousand trees at the western end of the island, but it is 
carefully guarded and information refused to all. 
I have not touched upon the varied delights of Jamaica to the 
winter tourist, nor described the many minor adventures that three 
Americans oflf for a holiday are sure to discover, for this, after all, is 
not a holiday tale. It is rather a suggestion to Americans and English 
that Jamaica is a good place in which to “get busy” on the short crop 
proposition. 
