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Show MEXICAN WEST COAST RUBBER TREE8. (From Consular Agent Georgo C. Ca-rothers, Ca-rothers, Torreon.) Much misinformation has been glv-on glv-on in regard to tho different rubber and sap-producing trees of tho Pacific Paci-fic coast of Mexico. Tho palo nmar-lllo nmar-lllo nnd tho palo bianco trees, which aro known to contain a low pcrcontago of rubber, has been confounded with other planU that contain a much higher percentage thereof, and this confounding has retarded tho whole industry. Tho object of tho following report is to classify In n brief manner man-ner the trees known to contain rubber rub-ber that grow In the State of Slnaloa and tho Territory of Teplc nnd to show that thoro nro troes that pro- uuco rubber in sufficient quantities to make the extraction a profitablo Industry. In-dustry. Palo Amarillo and Palo Colorado. There Is very llttlo palo amarillo oxisting on tho Pacific coast. It Is Vrinclpally found in tho States of Guanajuato, Durango, and Quetaro, yet, atrango to say, nearly ovqryone who discusses rubber trees thinks that all tho trees on tho Pacific coast aro palo amarillo. There is n very low porcentngo of rubber In tho palo amarillo Insufficient to make it profitable. pro-fitable. Tho palo Colorado, better known In Slnaloa and Topic as "chllto" where It grows wild in abundance, contains n a very high percentage of cnucho. An analysis mado In Mexico city shows that this tree produces 37 per cent caucho, dry. Another analysis mado by a London professor gives tho following fol-lowing percentages: Moisture, 26.44; resin, 35.08; Insoluble fibrous matter, 1.20 r rubber, 37.28. Tho London analyst, anal-yst, In transmitting a sample, says: "Tho separated rubber, a small sample of which I am enclosing for your inspection, is in my opinion of very fair quality and would, If obtainable ob-tainable at a reasonablo cost, bo of considerable commercial value. The soparatod -resins are softlsh white crystalline bodies, which melt to n pale amber color, and I think It should bo possible to find a market for thorn. There is no doubt of the existence of sufficient trees from which to produce pro-duce Immense quantities of this rub-'bor, rub-'bor, one company now operating In the State of Slnaloa and Teplc having hav-ing extracted 20 tons during tho past two months While teaching Its employees employ-ees how to extract It. Ono of the reasons rea-sons that a good market has not been found heretofore Is that the Indians collected It in small quantities nnd sold It at a small price, but not In sufficient suf-ficient quantities to permit the market mar-ket to depend upon them for a steady supply. Now that largo tracts of land have been cither purchased or leased, tho Indians havojieen stopped from gathering tho rubber. Copal, or Copallllo. This tree Is very similar to tho palo Colorado, tho difference consisting in tho color of tho tree. Tho copal, of n dark earth color, grows In tho valloya principally, whereas the palo colorndo crows on tho mountains. According to tho different analyses made, the sap contains a much higher porcentngo of rubber than tho palo Colorado, averaging aver-aging 52 per cent, dry. For many years the Indians near tho coast have manu-i factured artificial flowers nnd curiosities curios-ities from tho sap, merely drying tho milk, and forming flowers, smnll baskets, bas-kets, etc., of a beautiful creamy white, and with a grain like Ivory when dried. |