Rubber, collection container

A historical artifact from the Ford rubber tree plantation in Belterra. It's one of the containers used to collect latex from the rubber trees. The cup is covered with dirt because I found it half buried in the ground. As you can see, the quantity of latex to be collected from one tapping, isn't all that great. A lot of trees needed to be tapped to produce enough rubber to make one tire for Ford Motor Company's plant back in Michigan.