m 
X 
is made exactly like the first, the milk flowing down the side of the 
tree into the first cut and on into the pail. These cuts are repeated 
on the entire body of the tree, or until the branches are encountered. 
You will at -once see that all the milk has not been secured, 
but a sufficient amount left to maintain the tree in good condition 
for another year. The next tapping, which will be made in a year 
from now, will be made on the same side of the tree, three inches 
above the cut made this year, and the following year three inches 
above that, so that it will be possible to make thirteen tappings on 
one side, or twenty-six on both sides; or in other words, a tree can 
be tapped twenty -six years without retapping the old cuts. The 
instrument used by the natives is a machete, or long knife. The 
bark of a ten year old rubber tree is about three-fourths of an inch 
thick. 
“The rubber trees on San Miquel are of the variety known 
throughout Mexico and Central America as Castilloa elastica . This 
variety is divided into two classes, the first of which is known as 
the yellow rubber tree or “ hule amarillo, ” this being the male. 
The milk from these trees flows very freely, having a rich yellowish 
color. It flows so freely that there is scarcely any left in the cuts 
after tapping. The other variety is known as the white rubber tree 
or “ hule bianco,” this being the female. The cuts made in these 
trees are not made at a 45 degree angle, bi£ horizontally, a suffi- 
cient distance to include three-fourths of the circumference of the 
tree. The milk from this tree oozes into and fills the cuts, flowing 
down the tree several inches. The milk is very thick, requiring 
several days for it to dry so that it can be gathered. Of the two 
varieties the yellow is regarded as superior. 
“The milk, gathered in pails, is taken to the rubber drying 
house, where it may be converted into rubber through either of the 
following processes, both of which we have used :• — First, it is spread 
on a cement floor to a depth of three-fourths of an inch, this floor 
being so situated that the milk is constantly in contact with the sun’s 
rays, thus drying very rapidly. After it is dry the sheets are rolled 
up into convenient sizes for shipment. The second process is 
through coagulation with a native vine known as “ bejuco de necta.” 
During the coagulation the rubber is left porous, and as it contains 
more or less water it is necessary to remove the same by using a 
press. It requires more time to prepare rubber by the first process. 
The average shrinkage in converting milk into solid rubber is 2-3 
or in other words, 2-3 pounds of rubber milk will produce one pound 
of rubber. 1 have personally attended to the tapping and the 
figures herein given are absolutely correct.— The India Rubber 
World, Vol. XXVIII., No. I., p. 252. 
THE YIELD OF THE CASTILLOA TREE. 
Well may an English writer in a recent article say that “the 
“ question of the amount of rubber yielded by the Castilloa is 
“ characterised by a degree of discrepancy perfectly appalling.” To 
instance this : — -According to Choss, the well known Kew botanist, 
a Castilloa of from 18 to 24 inches in diameter produces 13 pounds 
lb 
