Vol. X. No. 248. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



341 



tion at the time-, another which is drying after sterilization, 

 and a third that Las jnst been used and is lying in the "alcohol 

 for sterilization. If the work is done in the way described, 

 it is possible for two men to pollinate eighteen plants in an 

 hour without any risk of the access of foreign pollen. This 

 risk may in some cases be minimized further by dctasselling 

 all plants whose pollen is not required. 



RUBBER CULTIVATION IN THE CONGO. 



The following particulars regarding the cultivated rubber 

 industry in the Congo State have been furnished by H. M. 

 Consul at Boma. 



The experimental cultivation of H>'rea /jrasiliensix, Fun- 

 tumia elastica and Manihot Giatiovii is being continued on 

 a much enlarged scale rin the plantations already in existence, 

 and extensive new areas are about to be brought under culti- 

 vation. A number of the larger plantations, equipped with 

 mechanical api'liances for coajjulating the latex, are being 

 devoted to the exclusive cultivation of Heiea fnasiliensis; 

 while many of the smaller plantations, entailing useless outlay 

 in their upkeep, have been abandoned. About 1,000 hectares 

 (2,470 acres) have recently been planted with Hevea. These 

 plantations occur at Musa, fjikimi, Dundusana, A[obwasa and 

 Yairbata in the Bangala district, Waka and Woma in the 

 Equator district, Kambuya and Avacubi in the Stanleyville 

 district, and Bokala in the Middle Congo. Of Ftmtu/nia 

 elastica, or the Ireh rubber tree, the most common in the 

 Congo, there are some 3,401,000 trees, of which the greater 

 part is reported to be thriving satisfactorily. The older 

 trees of seven to nine years that have been tapped have 

 yielded a rubber of good quality, that commanded a price in 

 the Antwerp market ranging between 17 and 20 francs per 

 kilog. (6s. and 7s. 3d. per lb.). The present yield of ihe six- 

 yearold trees is said to be 100 grammes, which would repres- 

 ent a return of 62^ kilogs. per hectare of 62.5 trees. 



Hevea brasiliensis. first introduced into the Congo by 

 private initiative, is now being adopted by the Government 

 as a most promising plant, adaptable to the climatic condi- 

 tions and inferiority of soil, and matuiing rapidly. The 

 Government has planted 30,000 trees of this species, and 

 has ordered seven extensive areas in the Bangala and 

 Equator districts to be brought under cultivation. 



In view of the higher prices commanded by Manihot 

 Ghniovii and the advantages that are claimed for this tree 

 over Funtumia elasticii, the Government has decided to give 

 extensive impetus to its <;ultivation. This rubber experimen- 

 tally produced in the Congo, has fetched '2i francs per kilog. 

 (about 8s. 4d. per lb.) in Antwerp, on account of its excellent 

 quality. Up to the present, experiments with Munikot Gla:i- 

 ovii have been conducted at some twenty ( lovernment posts, 

 the plants numbering about 18"),200; the results are consid- 

 ered to be encouraging. 



Experiment.s are also in progress with other species of 

 rubber plants such as Castilloa, various species of Manihot 

 and Ficus, as well as a latex-yielding Euphorbia introduced 

 from Central America. Attention will also be given to the 

 old rubber lianas, of nliich some 11,000,000 are known to 

 exist. It is believed that lianas will yield an ai)preciable 

 quantity of rubber in the space of a few yeaVs, but that the 

 upkeep of plantations of less than .50,000 lianas will not pay. 

 As soon as the tapping of the trees becomes practicable, 

 it is proposed to conduct the industry on scientific lines such 

 as those obtaining in Malaysia, particular attention being 

 paid to the process ot coagulation, washing and drying, for 



which the most approved plant will be acquired. The smoke- 

 drying system in vogue in Brazil is likewise being considered 

 with a view to its adoption in the Congo. 



. Visiting a number of rubber plantations, including the 

 botanical gardens at Eala, H.M. Consul was struck by the 

 great number of trees that had been uprooted by the winds, 

 apparently on account of some deficiency in the soil that 

 stunts the subsoil development of the tree. Other trees were 

 perishing owing to the ravages of an insect known as the 

 borer, while from conversations with botanists it would 

 appear that Fun/umia elastica does not yield much latex 

 after the first tapping. These signs, coupled with the fa»t 

 that though this industry is ten or more years old there have 

 been no exports of cultivated rubber beyond a few trial ship- 

 ments, seem somewhat discouraging. Hopes are now, how- 

 ever, being centred upon Jfanihot Glaziovii, which yields an 

 excellent rubber; this too, however, has not yet emerged from 

 an experimental stage of development. (From The Board of 

 Trade Journal, Vol. LXXIV, p. 42.3.) 



AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN ENGLAND. 



An article in the Journal of the Royal Society of Arts 

 for September 22, 1911, contains a review of the scheme 

 which has been devised, with the assistance of the Board of 

 Agriculture and Fisheries, for agricultural research in England 

 and Wales. The Treasury has now agreed that funds should 

 be allocated for the development of the scheme, and when this 

 is in full operation, the amount to be distributed by the Board 

 for agricultural research will be £50,000 a year. The scheme 

 provides for: (1) a system of agricultural research which will 

 secure for each group of the problems aflfecting rural industry 

 a share of attention roughly proportional to its economic 

 importance; (2) the concentration of scientific work on each 

 group at one institution, or at institutions working in com- 

 bination; (3) grants for special investigations for which pro- 

 vision may not otherwise be made; (4) the grant of scholar- 

 ships with a view to the increase of the number of men fully 

 qualified to undertake agricultural research; (5) the carrying 

 out of investigations into problems of local importance, espu^ 

 cially those involving the a|)plica'.ion of modern research to 

 local practice, and the provision of scientific advice for farmers 

 on important technical questions. 



The importance of securing the continuity of work has 

 been recognized, and in connexion with this, provision has 

 been made for supplying permanent staffs of specialists and 

 experts. The groups of subjects for which grants will be 

 made are connected with plant physiology, plant pathology, 

 plant and animal production, agricultural zoology, and the 

 economics of agriculture. Where provision has not been made 

 otherwise, a sum not exceeding £3,000 will be given for the 

 assistance of special investigations: the conditions regarding 

 the grants will be defined by the Board's Advisory CJommittee 

 on agricultural science. 



On the condition that a suthcient number of suitably 

 candidates present themselves, twelve scholarships, of the 

 value of £150 per annum, and tenable for three years, aie to 

 be given in the pre.sentyear and in the two following. There 

 will also be grants to certain educational bodies in England 

 and Wales for the purpose of enabling them to give ."cientific 

 advice to agriculturists, and to carry out experiments in regard 

 to matters of local interest that re<juire investigation where 

 they occur. It is thus hoped to supply an expert staff com- 

 posed of both purely scientific and practical workers, who 

 will give their attention to the solution of difficult local prob- 

 lems, and assist in the application of science to practice. 



