5 
as shade for cacao. In San Salvador some rubber has recently 
been planted. Altogether there are in the Central American 
republics as far as I know 12,230 acrhs under rubber. 
During the year 1904 the first attempts at collecting latex from 
cultivated trees were made in Nicaragua. These experimental 
tappings were made on a plantation about thirty miles north 
of BluefieJds in the Pearl Lagoon district. The plantation is 
one of the oldest in the country and belongs, to an American, 
Mr. J. C. Horter. The trees tapped were raised in a nursery in 
1897, transplanted in 1898, and in 1904, at an age of seven years, 
they measured 1 7 to 30 inches in girtfy and 40 to 45 feet in height. Of 
the 6,000 trees that were tapped tne largest received three incisions, 
the medium-sized two incisions, and the small ones only one. The 
average amount of rubber per tree was one and a half ounce. 
Careful attention was given to the collecting and the rubber 
obtained was of a greater value than the ordinary “Nicaragua 
syrup,” as the rubber of that district is commercially known. A few 
of the largest trees were tapped repeatedly at intervals of two 
weeks without apparent injury, ancj they yielded each time almost 
the same amount of rubber. 
The Government of Nicaragua, a few years ago, issued a 
decree offering a premium of ten cents for every rubber tree 
planted, when the number does not go below 250 trees planted 
by any ore person. The decree provides that the trees must be 
planted sixteen feet apart. Very few planters have, however, seen 
fit to accept this offer. 
According to recent press reports the devastating cyclone, 
which visited Central America a few months ago destroyed most of 
the Bluefields plantations. Jt is estimated that some 450,000 well 
developed trees were thus broken and uprooted. 
In August, this year, the Government of the Republic granted 
a concession to a syndicate for the revenue from the exportation of 
crude rubber from the Department of Zelaya and the districts of 
Prinzapolca and Great River. This concession is for ten years, 
and among other requirements from the concessionaries there is 
one that they are obliged “ to employ only expert rubber cutters 
“who strictly comply with the requirements of Article 11 of the 
“ Regulations of October 15, 1901, which say : ‘ It is prohibited to 
“make incisions into the trees to the extent of penetrating the 
“ woody part. Incisions of more than one-half of the circumference 
“of the trunks or limbs of the trees are also prohibited.’ The 
“contravention of this article shall be punished by a fine of $5 for 
“every tree damaged." On account of this concession it is now 
required that a planter who wants to export his rubber, must produce 
at the custom house a certificate from the authorities of the district 
where the plantation is situated specifying the locality whence the 
rubber comes. The Government of Nicaragua has imposed a tax 
of 5 cents on every pound of rubber exported from the country. 
In the value of exports rubber appears as the fourth. All of 
this is collected from wild trees. The amount shipped from San 
Juan del Norte to United States in 1905 was 473,389 pounds. 
