U. S. Army Air Forces
Stab at Aleutian Isles
Making life as miserable as possible for the Jap invaders
of the Aleutians at their Kiska and Attu island bases is the
continuing task of the Eleventh United States Air Force.
Working from the Andreanof islands, under weather condi
tions literally the worst in the world, hazardous
missions over Arctic seas and desolate islands
are the routine of these fliers. These pictures
show how one of these missions is undertaken.
Below: Pilots stream out of alert shark.
In picture at left,
combat pilots are
shown planning
the route for a
Kiska raid.
Below: Lieut.
John J. Brahan re
members a close
call as he examines
a shrapnel hole in
his B-24.
I
Loa ding bombs in plane. This is part of the ground crews’ con
tribution to the job.
Sgt. Clark E. Hillard of Min
turn. Colo., cleans up the empty
shells from the bombardier's
compartment after a raid, begin
n ng routine following mission.
Maj. Gen. William O. Butler,
commanding 11th V. S. Air
Force, auards the air medal to
Capt. Morgan Griffin '‘someuhere
in the Andrcanofs
These men are putting a B-25 to bed by covering the wings. This
precaution is very necessary for protection of the big planes.
Waiting pilots eagerly scan the skies for their returning “buddies"
South American Jungles Throb With
New Rubber Boom; Scientific Methods
Are Used to Protect Native Harvesters
Old Industry Revived in Neighboring Tropics; Transportation Biggest Problem a«
Countries Lack Rails and Roads; (J. S. Grows Rubber in Miami.
In this crucial year of 1943, Latin America will have con
tributed more than 50,000 tons of natural rubber to the United
States war industry stockpile, according to estimates com
piled from official sources. In 1944, natural rubber produc
tion south of the Rio Grande will have doubled, or perhaps
exceed 100,000 tons. At the same time U. S. horticulturists
announced success in growing the Hevea rubber tree in the
experimental station at Miami, Fla.
Fourteen American republics, besides British Guiana and
Trinidad, have signed agreements with the United States,
calling for a substantial increase in the cultivation and col
lection of natural rubber. These nations are Bolivia, Brazil,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and
Venezuela. In Brazil alone, about 50,000 workers have been
recruited for the purpose of extracting the milky sap from
wild rubber trees.
In order to get natural rubber out*
of trackless jungles and remote
places, new transportation systems
making use of donkeys, canoes,
steamboats, airplanes, human car
riers, etc., have been organized.
Medical stations along the routes
have lessened, but not eliminated,
the hazards which threaten every
man who works in the jungles.
The natural rubber needed by
United States tanks, airplanes,
jeeps, artillery, etc., must be ex
tracted from wild and cultivated
trees scattered over an area en
compassing hundreds of thousands
of square miles.
In order to protect rubber har
vesters against fevers, animals, and
Insects, the Latin American coun
tries, aided by United States govern
ment health officials, have created
modern sanitary centers, where pre
ventive medicine is taught and treat
ment given to rubber collectors and
their families.
Once Rubber Center.
Brazil forests, of course, yield
most of this hemisphere's present
supply of natural rubber. There, in
the Amazon valley, natives first
found the gummy substance that
plays such an important part in
modern war. Before seedlings of
"Hevea Braziliensis” had been ex
ported from Brazil and exploited
commercially in the Dutch East In
dies and the British Malay Straits
Settlements, the Brazilian industry
enjoyed a heyday. In order to mar
ket their natural rubber, Brazilian
promoters had built the costliest
railroad in the world. When rubber
was a Brazilian monopoly, it fetched
as high as three dollars per pound.
HowevSr, not even in its balmy
days did Brazil produce as much
rubber (42.400 tons) as it is con
tributing in 1943 to a United Na
tions victory. According to the co
ordinator of Brazilian economy,
Joao Alberto Lins de Barros, Brazil
in 1943 will produce 45.000 tons of
natural rubber; and 1944’s estimates
call for 75,000 tons.
The future holds even greater
j promise for rubber from South
America’s largest country. That is
because commercial plantations,
similar to those in the Orient, are
well on their way to production, and
it is anticipated that by 1945 these
plantations will yield more rubber
than the millions of wild rubber
trees in the Amazon valley produce
at present.
Some Brazilian rubber is trans
ported by airplane from jungle de
pots to the Atlantic port of Belem,
whence it is shipped northward.
With the exception of eight or ten
thousand tons which Brazil requires
for domestic industry, the entire
production is exported to the United
States.
Among South American rubber
producing nations, Ecuador ranks
second. The figures of 1942 pro
duction have not been announced,
i but in 1941, when Brazil produced
17,500 tons, Ecuador yielded 1,500
tons.
Indians Want Beads.
The Yumbo Indians, a source of
rubber workers in the Ecuadorian
forest, are not attracted by money
in any form. On the other hand,
they covet colored beads and ma
chetes. The Ecuadorean Develop
ment corporation understands native
tastes and is now supplying the
Yumbos with trinkets and useful ar
ticles, like scissors, razors, salt, mir
rors, and even rifles.
Colombian forests are already
yielding two tons of rubber daily,
all trans-shipped by the same air
planes which supply the workers
with their needs
In Colombia, rubber exploitation
Is supervised by a committee made
up of representatives of the Colom
bian government, the United States
embassy, and the Rubber Reserve
corporation.
A service of floating hospitals and
dispensaries has been organized to
look after the rubber workers in the
Colombian jungles. This is in co
operation with the Institute of Inter
American Affairs in Washington
which aids local authorities in the
work of hygiene and sanitation. The
same procedure has been followed
in other countries.
Last February an agreement be
tween the United States and Peru
provided that South American re
public with an airway system for
transporting rubber from the forests
to river and seaports.
By the end of 1944 it is expected
that Haiti will be producing 10,000
tons of natural rubber per annum,
which will be marketed by SHADA
(Societe Haitiano-Americaine de De
veloppement Agricole), an organiza
tion set up by the governments of
the United States and Haiti. One
hundred thousand acres have been
sown with “cryptostegia,” a rubber
producing plant that grows very
rapidly. Thousands of Haitians have
Proof that progress has been j
made was demonstrated recently by
the Bureau of Standards in Washing
ton, D. C., which produced a pair
of rubber heels from the latex of
"Hevea Brasiliensis" trees growing
in Florida. The experiment cost
the department of agriculture 17
years of research and thousands of
dollars but government chemists re
ported the quality of the latex com
pared favorably with East Indian.
In this promising test tube rubber
plantation are growing more than 1
2,000 Hevea from Haiti, Puerto Rico, j
Mexico and the East Indies. It is
the only rubber project on planta- j
tion scale ever attempted outside
the tropics. Some of the trees are
35 feet high and ten inches in di
ameter.
Tree Survives Florida Clime.
For a tree whose natural habitat
is in the region of the equator, the
Hevea's endurance and adaptabili
ty to temperate climate has amazed
scientists. Periodic measurements
have shown that its early growth has
been as rapid in Miami as in Haiti
and Mexico. Its resistance to cold
weather has been incredible, sur
viving temperatures as low as 28
degrees. Like many northern trees
it has been found to shed its leaves
in winter, reducing frost danger and
making it particularly well-suited to
Florida cultivation.
The entire rubber reserve has
sprung from seeds, many of which
were sown nearly two decades ago.
After sprouting from seedbeds the
young trees were transplanted into
deep depressions near the water-ta
ble so the tap roots could find per
manent moisture. The creamy,
white latex tapped recently was a
welcome sight to the botanists who
had cared for them so long.
Experts have found that trees
Workers tap the Hevea rubber tree at the U. 8. agricultural experi
mental station at Miami, Fla. The U. S. has experimented with 2,000
species, and satisfactory results have been obtained.
been engaged to attend the planta
tions.
Combat Leaf Blight.
Dr. E. W. Brandes of the U. S.
department of agriculture is enthu
siastic about the progress made by
the Americas in combating rubber
plant diseases. The South American
leaf blight, he said, is being con
quered by development of disease
resistant trees. These hardy trees
in turn are being crossed by hand
pollination with high-yielding Orien
tal rubber trees further to improve
yields.
Victory over the leaf disease is a
great forward step in the hemi
sphere’s rubber expansion program,
said Dr. Brandes.
On one of the Ford plantations in
Brazil, a million trees fell victim
to its ravages, but it was observed
that a few full, leafy canopies of
healthy trees stood out sharply
against a background of pest-ridden
neighbors. This meant that the
blight, carried from tree to tree by
wind-blown spores, had not infected
them. They were immune.
Scientists then bud-grafted the im
mune tops to other trunks and pro
duced a high-yielding, disease-resist
ant plant. The work of developing
the resistant tree by the system of
cross pollination is an arduous task,
but it is ultimately the best solution
to the problem. It is being done on
a large scale in Brazil, where lies
the hemisphere’s greatest potential
supply of latex.
Meanwhile horticulturists at the
Federal Plant Introduction Garden,
Miami. Fla., have been experiment
ing with “home-grown” rubber
trees.
grown from selected East Indian
seeds in the Florida garden has pro
duced a higher yield of latex in
general than miscellaneous Hevea
from other tropical lands. Experi
ments in hand pollination have been
tried with marked success to deter
mine its possibilities.
Two methods of tapping have been
tried—the half spiral every other
day. and the full spiral, every three
or four days. The half spiral has
proved most desirable, enabling
workers to retap over the old scars
every seventh year. As in most
rubber trees a purer and slightly in
creased flow of latex is found to
ward the lower trunk.
Technicians do the tapping here.
Two grooves are cut into the tree
with a regulation tapping knife—an
oblique cut to start the flow of la
tex and a vertical channel cut to
guide it to the spout which empties
into a glass receptacle held to the
tree by a wire holder. In the well
equipped laboratory of the Introduc
tion Garden the chemist coagulates
the latex with ascetic acid. It is
then rolled, washed and dried, and
the samples sent to Washington for
study.
Operation of the station at Miami
has been generally overshadowed by
other steps taken to relieve the rub
ber shortage in the United States.
Much publicity has been given to
the effort to bring the guayule shrub
into cultivation in the Southwest.
A variety of chemical compositions
have been exploited for their rub
bery characteristics. And, of course,
there is the government's vast syn
thetic rubber program, utilizing oil
and grain.
Gardener Should Only Cultivate to Kill Weeds
Some of the grief in gardening can
De escaped if the gardener realizes
that cultivation is needed only to
kill weeds, break soil crusts, and to
permit water to enter the soil. If
the garden is cultivated or hoed
often enough to kill the weeds, the
other two factors will be automati
cally accomplished.
The weeding job can be done with
less labor if cultivation begins when
; the weeds are small. The ground
| should he disturbed little near the
plant rows, but the cultivation may
go deeper between rows where
tramping is likely to pack the soil.
Pulling a garden rake lightly across
plant rows will help eliminate weeds
but some hand work will be required
to get all of them.
The frequency of cultivation re
quired is determined by the rate of
weed growth. In periods of frequent
rains end in warm weather, more
cultivation is needed. No result oth
er than exercise is obtained from
stirring dry, weedless soil. Cultiva
tion should not begin too soon after
a rain because moisture will evapo
rate faster, and lack of water often
is a limiting factor in plant growth.
Any one of several types of hoes
is satisfactory for garden work, and,
sometimes it is an advantage to have
more than one type. Heavy hoes
are best for chopping weeds out of
heavy soil, and the pointed hoes
are better adapted for opening fur
rows for planting seed.
SEWIN6 CIRCLE
■ u ajs
17751
10-20 I
g 1762
11-19
Perfect Date Dress
THRILLING as graduation itself
will be, just imagine how much
more exciting this dress in white
will make it seem. Down to the
tiniest details, it is one of the love
liest creations ever designd. Per
fect, too, as a date dress for
spring. The charming bodice, slim
midriff and dirndl skirt are de
lightfully young and so smart.
* • •
Barbara Bell Pattern No. 17G2-B Is de
signed for sizes 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19. Cor
responding bust measurements 29, 31, 33,
35 and 37. Size 13 (31) requires 4'/4 yards
39-inch material.
Versatile Suit
VERSATILE costume . . . with
jacket, a good-looking casual
suit ready for everything . . .
without jacket, first rate for ev
ery active sport.
• * •
Barbara Bell Pattern No. 1775-B, de
signed for sizes 10, 12. 14, 19. 18 and 20.
Corresponding bust measurements 28, 30,
32, 34, 36 and 38 Size 12 (30) ensemble
requires 4V* yards 39-inch material.
Radios Plane Trouble
A new device automatically ra
dios the performance of 70 dif
ferent parts of a plane during a
test flight to a ground machine
which records the data on sound
film and disks, and then makes
graphs for visual study in a mat
ter of seconds, says Collier’s. Thus
it not only enables the ground
men to warn pilots of incipient
trouble, but its records check and
supplement those of the pilot and
are not lost in case of a crackup.
Paul Runyan in Wood
Hewn from a huge Sequoia log,
a statue of Paul Bunyan, mythi
cal giant of the woods, stands at
the roadside near Three Rivers,
Sequoia Park, Calif. The figure
of the legendary lumberjack is be
lieved the largest sculpture ever
made from a single piece.
Due to an unusually large demand and
current war conditions, slightly mom
time is required in filling orders for a fas*
of the most popular pattern number*.
Send your order to:
SEWING CIRCLE PATTERN DEPT.
530 South Wells St. Chicago.
Room 195*
Enclose 20 cents in coins for each
pattern desired.
Pattern No. Size..
Name .
Address ..
The gaily enameled unit insignia
you see on a soldier’s lapels and
overseas cap are reproductions of
his regimental shield displayed in
the center of the eagle on his reg^
imental flag. It’s a part of U. S.
Army tradition. Traditional, too,1
is the Army man’s preference for
Camel cigarettes. (Based on actual
sales records from service men’i
own stores.) It’s a gift from tha
folks back home, that always
rates cheers. And though there ars
Post Office restrictions on pack*
ages to overseas Army men, you
can still send Camels to soldiers
in the U. S., and to men in tha
Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard
wherever they are.—Adv.
Camels in Southwest 1
Camels were introduced in the
Southwestern United States 90
years ago for transportation, but
the animals proved unpopular and
were sold at auction.
Quick application of
comforting Rosinol'
gives prompt relief
from Aery throbbing. I
Its oily base soothes
parched skin.
RESINOL
!piiii,IT1i|p!'fTi|»''i»irniif[(jnii||ifW|i]y|
s.^liET RICH! I
Sensational New Edition -just sat. |
ran solve v onr fintmrial problems and |
tearh von in simple language bow In M
DEMAND and CKT I
roar than of thm riehn of thio »orid. g
UET VOI R CORY TODAY, P
ks~ i« nun aauaaa-■* - i B
k JOHN ZIMMERMAN F
1 P. O. B<w 30, Oanford, New JmtyL pr*
■fa In addition to serving Kellogg's Com Flakes for
breakfast, and as' 'meatless meals,'' use them to extend
your meat. In meat loaves, hamburgers, casserole
dishes, etc., they blend perfectly with meat flavors.
Recipes are on the Kellogg's Com Flakes package.
SAVE TIME-WORK-FUEL-OTHER FOODS, TOOI
Kellogg's Coin Flakes are re
stored to WHOLE CRAIN NU
TRITIVE VALUES ol Thiamin
(Vitamin B>V Niacin and Iron
CORN
FLAKES
- 7#i# 0*tfinal_
— Mufy? —
• •• .. «••••«• HMlI •••••!*«
