O 
240 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Supr., 1897. 
A Tropical Industry. 
INDIA-RUBBER (CAOUTCHOUC). 
Parr III. 
By E. COWLEY, 
Manager, Kamerunga Nursery, Cairns, 
Sivce my last article, mainly on Manihot Glaziovii or Ceara rubber, was 
written, the Under Secretary for Agriculture, Brisbane, has sent an intelligent 
observer to the Esmeralda Plantation, Mourilyan Harbour, to inquire into the 
state of that India-rubber growing property. The report of his mission is 
before me, and what was surmised in my last article has been verified by it. A 
few only of the original trees planted have survived, but beneath and round about 
there are plenty of seedlings, from which cuttings might be derived. These 
seedling plants are evidently from the self-sown fruits of the original trees. 
The tree is Manihot Glazioviit. The exact age of the plants cannot, with the 
evidence at present in hand, be determined, but probably the older or parent 
trees are fifteen or sixteen years from time of planting. This is, of course, mere 
conjecture. The caoutchoue, of which a small cake was obtained, seemed to 
be somewhat sticky at first; but this has worn away, and it seems now to have 
all the characteristics of dark-coloured India-rubber, but contains soil-like 
impurities and moisture, which would probably amount to a considerable per- 
centage of its weight. It is satisfactory to know that India-rubber has been 
obtained, even in such a yery small quantity, from Ianihot Glaziovii grown 
in Queensland. From my own personal observation, I am led to believe that 
plants derived from seed direct are best. Cuttings grow, or rather strike 
readily enough; but I am very doubtful if they would grow into such 
symmetrical trees or mature so rapidly as seedling plants, and I also think 
they would be better not transplanted. This, however, will have to be 
determined later on. Mr. Medley Wood, of Natal, has stated that his trees, 
which are from cuttings, bear abundance of fruit, so that multiplication of the 
plant may rapidly be advanced by planting cuttings to bear seed for plantation 
purposes alone. I am led to believe, from what I have read and from personal 
observation, that the Ceara rubber would probably be the best form of rubber- 
producing tree to plant in Queensland for economic purposes, but, as many 
' different plants are being yearly recorded as caoutchouc yielders, it certainly 
would be premature to say anything positive in this regard. We know the 
tree thrives particularly well in North Queensland, and that it yields 
caoutchouc, but whether the latter is secreted in sufficient quantity to repay 
the cost of growth and collection remains to be proved. It should be 
remembered that, notwithstanding the tree thrives in Queensland, it has been 
introduced from South America, and may not yield caoutchouc so well with us 
as it seems to do there. 
I think it hardly proper to consider here the very many varieties of 
rubber-producing plants which have and have not been described botanically 
by botanists, but confine myself to plants which have been grown in Queens- 
land for some years past, having, as was the case with Ficus elastica, been 
