RUBBER PLANTING AND EXPLOITATION. 
Results of Rubber Tapping at San Miquei . 
An exact record was kept of the results of some recent tapping of 
rubber trees ( Castiiloa clastica) on the “ San Miquei ” plantation, 
owned by the Tabasco Plantation Co. (Minneapolis, Minnesota), 
located on the Macuspana rivet, in the state of Tabasco, Mexico, 
which are summarized below. There are on this estate about 400 
large rubber trees, which were planted in the shade of cacao and 
coffee. These trees were not only grown in cacao and coffee, but 
under the shade of “mother” trees (not rubber) planted for shading 
the coffee while the rubber was getting a start. The secretary of 
the company, Mr. James C* Fifikld, in communicating these 
results to The India Rubber World , writes: “A fact well known to 
“ the rubber planters is that trees planted in the shade require a 
“ much longer time to attain their maturity and full size than those 
“ planted in the sun. In fact, the most casual observer could not 
“ fail to notice the astonishing difference in size betw een the trees 
“ grown in the sun and those in the shade. It is believed that the 
“size of a rubber tree has more to do with the amount of rubber 
“which it will produce than its age.” In the table which follows 
is given the age of the trees except that the age of those placed at 
10 and 12 years is notaccurately known ; the circumference of the 
trees three feet from the ground ; the weight in ounces of the latex 
secured ; and the average yield per tree of dry rubber (including a 
small amount of scrap pulled from the trunk of the tree after 
tapping). The details follow : 
Age. 
No. OR 
Trees. 
Average 
Girth. 
Ounces 
Latex. 
Ounces 
Rubber. 
7 years ... 
2 57 
... 33.80” ... 
II.80 ... 
9-30 
8 years . . . 
14 
... 37.75” ... 
2O.7O ... 
14.25 
9 years . . . 
.1 
... 4O.I4” ... 
21.28 ... 
18 
10 years ... 
4 
... 43.25” .. 
.. 50.50” ... 
26.75 
i 7 - 5 o 
1 2 years . . . 
21 . 
40.50 ... 
28.90 
Based upon the above figures, the rubber product from an acre 
of land containing 200 trees seven years old would be 112 pounds ; 
at eight years old, 1 74 pounds ; at nine years old, 240 pounds ; and 
at twelve years old, 314 pounds. 
The following account of the rubber tapping at San Miquei was 
prepared bv Mr. Boyer, the plantation manager: — - 
“ We were very fortunate in securing for the plantation a native 
rubber tapper who has been raised in the rubber district, and for 
many years has successfully tapped both wild and cultivated rubber 
trees in the states of Chiapas and Tabasco. With this experience 
he was able to obtain the best results without injury to the trees. 
“ The first step in tapping a rubber tree is to clean a small place 
around the tree, a small gash then being made in the bark with the 
point of a machete and a leaf inserted therein, which serves as a 
spout to run the milk into pails. This leaf is placed about fifteen 
inches from the ground. From this point the cuts at e made up- 
wards at an angle of 45 degrees and extending in each direction a 
sufficient distance to include three-fourths of the circumference of 
the tree. Directly above this, a distance of one meter, another cut 
