May X, 1886.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



767 



THE ATEICAN EUBBEB TREES. 



In the West 6f Africa Indiarubber is collected from 

 several species of /.««</«'/</.<«, of which the best known 

 are L. OicaiknAs ami L.Jiorulu. Acconiing to Sp^ke 

 luui lirant L. Jhi-idit is stated by the natives to yieUi the 

 best ruliber of any of the species. This plant is a wooJy 

 climber, growinij well in places where little else could be 

 profitably gruwu, i.e., in damp rocky ravines. Its 

 trunk ofttu travels along the ground, looking like a 

 largo boa constrictor, until it meets with a trimk to 

 climb up. The stem attains a diameter from six to eight 

 inches at a few feet from the ground, and then soon 

 divides into more slender br.'inches, which ascend to the 

 top of the tree, and throw down long pendulous branches 

 and clusters of large snowy-white flowers, ascented like 

 .Tessamine. The fruit has a sweet acidulous pulp, which 

 is eaten by the natives. The leaves are opposite, and 

 their colourless midribs are sharply angular underneath. 

 The young shoots are deep green and spotted, jointed 

 every ten inches, and about one-third of an inch in 

 diameter ; Ihey are brittle, and a cord of pith maybe 

 pulled out of them. The plant climbs by means of 

 tendrils wliich arise from the joints, and which consist, 

 in some species — as in X. Oivai^iensU — of the hardened 

 flower-stalks after the ripe fruit has fallen off. 



The natives make playiug balls of the juice of the L. 

 Jioiiila, and consider its rubber to be the most adhesive 

 known. The milk if rubbed upon the skin adheres like 

 birdlime, and can scarcely be rubbed off. 



According tu Jlr. J. Collins' statement, in the Govern- 

 ment Keport on the Caoutchouc of Commerce, African 

 rubber is collected and prepared in a very slovenly and 

 wretch^ d njanner. The natives cut off a piece of the 

 bark, and the milky juice is allowed to run into holes 

 made in the ground, or on leaves. In some districts the 

 natives simply allow the juice to trickle down their arm, 

 going from tree to tree until the arm is covered, when 

 beginning at the elbow, they roll the caoutchouc back 

 to»»rds the hand, till it comes oft in the form of a ring. 

 Ii. other tlistricts the juice is collected and allowed to 

 coalesce in wooden vessels. The wood of the plant 

 contains a gum, so that if the cut penetrates beyond the 

 bark, the gum becomes mixed with the caoutchouc and 

 spoils it. Ivcceutly, however, the collection hasimproved 

 in some lii.Ntricts. and the price risen in consequence. 



From the above statements it will be seen that the 

 haiijolitliiujioi-ulu possesses many advantages. Itsjloufr 

 uiigbt t)e u.sed for the extraction of a perfume ; its stems, 

 from their character, permit the e:jsy e.\traction of the 

 juice ; the plant could be grown on land otherwise useless, 

 while the lubber, if carefully collected, promises to be of 

 considerable value. From its clindiing habit and rapid 

 growth it woidd more speedily attain maturity, and 

 yield ft quicker return than the ParA and other rubbers, 

 which are trees, and which could not be safely or profit- 

 ably fcipped under twenty-live years ; whereas the Laii- 

 iM/iliiu irould be tapped when three years old. By the 

 system of growing them in plantations, a)id cutting down 

 the young shoots almost to the ground every year, the 

 stems and leaves could be taken to the rolling mill, and 

 the crushed mass digested with bisulphide of carbon, in 

 which the rubber is soluble, but which does not dissolve 

 the gum and rt sinous matt^-rs contained in the plant, 

 these if left in the rubber would injure its quality. 



The plants could be grown around existing trees, and 

 thus trouble, time, ami expense might be saved. They 

 arc easily cultivated, and, with proper care, are suscept- 

 ible of much improvement. In cultivating these plants 

 it must be remembered that their chief requirements 

 are a tropical temperature, and a thoroughly moist 

 atmosphi're. I here is no reason why the Lonflolphia 

 fioritia should not become a favourite ornament of 

 hothouses in tlir country, for which its soft green laurel- 

 like leaves and ^lelightfuily fragrant handsome flowers 

 especially fit it. In preparing nibbei- for commerce it 

 should be remciiibi-re.l thai larg<? masses of caoutchouc 

 never fctcrh so high a price in the market as small pieces, 

 for the simple reason that it is much more ea.sy to detect 

 admiifnres of dirt and bark in the small pieces. The 

 more free from foreign substances the rubber is, tHfe 

 higher price it will realise in commerce. 



Mr. Collins recommends the preparation of rubber in 

 the form either of separate sheets or cakes, not more 

 than one or two inches thick; and if moulds artt used, 

 wooden ones, of the shape of a child's battledore, are 

 preferable. Dryness is another important point ; if the 

 rubber be prepared by a wet process, such as the 

 addition of alum or .salt to the juice, &c,, it is necessary 

 to prepare very thin sheets of it, as thick pieces caimot 

 be dried thoroughly. The gradual and cautious applic- 

 ation of heat appears to produce the best rubber. Iron 

 or stone vessels are much better for collecting the juico 

 than vessels made of clay, which contaminate the milk 

 and make the rubber of less value. In most of the 

 plants yielding Indiarubber the milk goes to the flowers 

 when the flowering season commences ; hence, in 

 gathering the flowers for perfume, there would be the 

 further advantage of increasing the amount of rubber 

 in the leaves by removing the flowers. 



Vogel's African Rubber tree, or Vrostiijma Voi/elii^ is 

 stated by Mr. Neyle to yield one of the best Icinds of 

 Indiarubber in 'West Africa; it was first collected by 

 Vogel, at Grand Bassa, but was afterwards discovered in 

 Ijiberia, from whence the first specimens of living plants 

 were sent to Messrs. Christy by Mr. D. .T. Dennis. 



The tree k^ws from 20 to 30 feet high, and has 

 large leathery stalked leaves, from 6 to 8 inches long 

 by 3 to 5 inches broad, furnished with four or five 

 lateral veins on either half of the leaf. The small 

 fruits, which are about the size of beans, are found on 

 the terminal leafy branches, usually in pairs, on the 

 stem near the base of the leaf -stalks. 



The frees are tapped when about five years old by 

 making slashes or incisions in the trunk, the juice is 

 collected in vessels and the gum is separated from tha 

 sap by the use of acids ; it is then made up into balls 

 about the size of a large orange. Although the quality 

 s at present remarkably good, it could be greatly 

 improved by cat e in the collection and preparation for 

 the market. If the trees are tapped before they are 

 five years old the juice is watery, and does not yield 

 such good or strong rubber. The natives, in order to 

 get as large a yield of juice as possible, pollanl the 

 trees at a height of 10 to 12 feet and cut back 

 the branches to prevent the strength of tho plant 

 being used up in growth, this causes a free and 

 regular flow of sap. The cuttings which are removed 

 are easily propagated and will grow vigorously. 



The tree will grow near the sea at an elevation 

 of 50 to (JO fi'i t above sea level, but does not Uour- 

 i«h well in marshy ground. The ease with which the 

 plant is propagated, its hardiness in sea air, with tho 

 excelletit quality of the rubber which it yields, renders 

 this a desirable species for cultivation in the lowlands 

 of Southern India and Ceylon ; also in .lava, Sumatra, 

 Panang and ^^iaIn. 



Amongst other African sources of supply are the 

 / 'alir'U' species, found chiefly in Maifagascar and the 

 Maurilitis. M. Coignet mentions that on the north-east 

 coast of Madagascar caoutchouc is obtaineil from three 

 varieties of clindjing plants, and a shrub sixteen to 

 nineteen feet high. Of the climbers one variety gives 

 the best product, though the natives use all together. 

 The ciioutchouc is prepared either with salt water or 

 artificial heat. Madagascar rubber, formerly called 

 Mauritius rubber, has long been largely used in France, 

 and is now highly appreciated in England. It ranks 

 next to I'anl in price. 



The ll'ilhiglihfia nlvlis, also found in Madagascar, is 

 a climbing plant, which when wounded yields a pure 

 viscid juice, that soon changes to caoutchouc on c.xpoHure, 

 This is also an Asiatic plant, and is cultivated in Java. 

 — lodmruhhir nnd Giitta/ierclia Journal. 



TKA IN UVA— UVA TEA HAS COME TO THE 

 FKONT. 

 Uva, though Into in the field as a Tea district, is 

 now rapidly coming to the front, and at this date 

 there are upwards of !l,000 acres of Tea planted in 

 Uva, which acreage will probably be doubled during 

 the coming planting season. If tho proprietors of 

 Uva have such confidence in thi' soil and climate, 

 surely outsiders may leave the matter to ttose most 



