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Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, 
HONOLULU 
ITH, Special Agex 
RESS BULLETIN No, 
OSTORY RUBBER IN HAWAII. > 
A comparatively new industry, the cultivation of rubber- 
producing plants, now engrosses the attention of planters in 
all tropical lands. There are probably more new areas being 
planted to rubber than to any other single crop, and much cap- 
ital formerly invested in coffee, cinchona, tea, cotton and sugar 
is being diverted to this new industry in the hope that the 
profits will be greater than are now derived from older estab- 
lished enterprises. 
For those interested in new rubber plantations in Hawaii the 
following notes in regard to the plants which are the chief 
sources of the world's rubber supply may be of value. x 
In 1900 Africa produced 16,000 tons of rubber, America 
31,466 tons, and Asia and Oceanica 2.339 tons, a total of ap- 
proximately 50,000 tons. The world's production was esti- 
mated at 53,887 tons in 1902. 55,603 tons in 1903 and 61,759 
tons in 1904. The average price for "Tine Para'' in Liverpool 
has risen from 75 cents per lb. in 1902 to $1.14 in 1904, and has 
not been less than $0.75 since 1895, and has not fallen below 
$0.60 since 1877. This rise in price has been due to the greatly 
increased demand for rubber in the arts and industries without 
any corresponding increase in the source of supply. The out- 
look is that the price of rubber will continue to rise until either 
the price becomes prohibitive thus curtailing demand ; or, an 
artificial substitute for this valuable product is produced syn- 
thetically in the chemical laboratorv; or, until the world's cul- 
1 This is mainly a compilation from the extremely valuable monograph 
on the rubber plants of the world by Peter Reintgen : " Die Kautschuk- 
pflanzen. Eine Wirthschaftsgeographische Studie,'' Tropenpflanzer. Vol. 
VI. May, 1905. 
