212 
CASTILLOA IN MEXICO. 
A report of Mr. Harry S. Smith made to the Board of Agricul- 
ture in Trinidad and published in the India-rubber Journal gives an 
account of the cultivation and tapping of Castilloa in Mexico and 
Central America. He mentions the great size of the trees, one at 
Tuntepec measuring 156 inches at three feet from the ground, and 
those of 120 inches seem to be not uncommon. Bell in his travels in 
Nicaragua mentions trees of 5 feet in diameter with an output of 50 
lbs. when tapped for the first time. The largest wild trees were seen 
at San Cristobal de Vega in the northern part. In comparing this 
size with that of Para rubber as we know it, it must be remembered 
that these big trees are wild and are probably of very great age. Mr. 
Smith viewing, however, the great size attained by Castilloa, urges 
distant planting and doubts the wisdom of letting it stand for eight 
years at 300 to 1,200 per acre. Certainly this does seem pretty closely 
packed. 
The seed seems to be ussaly planted at stake. Clean weeding 
seems not to find favour with the Mexican rubber planter. “ In the 
early days such fields were kept absolutely clean weeded with the 
hoe, but it has now been found better to only clean with the machete 
(parang), hand weeding round the young plants, letting the weeds 
come up to between the rows, only taking care not to let the bush 
cover the heads of the plants. This custom I found very general 
throughout Mexico, many of the older fields being cleaned but once a 
year just to free the trees from fines, and when the trees were being- 
tapped traces were cleared and the tappers cleared round the trees 
before putting on the cups, so that the upkeep of the property is very 
small indeed.” The tapping formerly done with a machete is now 
done with a knife with a V shaped blade. “ The trees are tapped with 
long V cuts connected with a shallow vertical channel to carry the 
latex in a single cup at the base of the tree, and it was most interes- 
ting to see the skilful way in which these men tapping to a height of 
30 feet led the latex down a vertical channel without losing a drop 
even though the tree had a considerable overhang. After making the 
cut with the V tool, it is opened down to the wood with the point of a 
shgrp knife. The men are supplied with a small line with a weight 
attached, this they throw over a -branch of the tree, afterwards put- 
ting a stronger rope over the branch fitted with a sling in which they 
sit, pulling themselves up to a height of 30 feet or more, tying the 
rope to the sling at each foot, so that they may have both hands free 
to work with.” 
Age 
Girth 
Cuts 
Yield 
I 
14 years 
48 inches 
Vs 25,16 to 18 inches apart 
3 oz dry 
II 
14 » 
46 „ 
30,14 - 16 
3 l A 
III 
14 » 
2 7Vi 
6,11 - 12 
1 oz 
IV 
14 
26 
36 cuts with a chizel 
3 A OZ 
V 
8 
36 
V 24,15 - 16 inches apart 
3% 
VI 
8 
27 
I 7 J 4 - 15 
1 
VII 
8 
26 
17,13 - 14 
1 
