171 

 LAGOS SILK RUBBER. 



The following notes on the Silk Rubber of Lagos are taken 

 from an article by M. E. De Wildman published in the Revue des 

 Cultures Coloniales, and translated in the Agricultural Bulletin of 

 the Straits and Federated Malay States, Vol. II., 4 April, 1903, 



p. 136. 



The plant is specially cultivated at present in Western Africa 

 in the Congo Free State and on the Cameroons, and is, according 

 to the author, the best rubber plant to cultivate in these regions, 

 and this is so for several reasons, it is easy to procure seed as the 

 plant is wild in this part of the world and one can be sure that 

 it will grow well as the soil and climate are naturally suitable for 

 it. The German Colonial reports show that Funtumias of the 

 same age as Castilloas are relatively more advanced, the Funtu- 

 mias give seed at the end of two years and a half, while the Cas- 

 tilloa fruits only at the end of from three and a half to four years. 

 If one compares the latex of the two, at the same age, one can see 

 that it is much mojre concentrated, less watery and sticky in Fun- 

 tumia than in Castilloa, and that it can give a return more quickly. 

 Castilloa, according to M. Koschny can only be milked when 

 eight years old. As to the rubber itself, that of Funtumia is as 

 good or better than that of Castilloa. The results of comparative 

 researches with Funtumia and Castilloa in West Africa are in 

 favour of the former. 



The seed, sown freshly gathered, sprouts after about 15 days 

 and grows very rapidly, and the plants are readily transported. If 

 at first the stem bifurcates forming a bush, either a shoot is deve- 

 loped above the bifurcation, or one branch grows more strongly 

 than the other eventually forming the trunk. Among the advan- 

 tages of Funtumia one may mention that the latex flows more 

 easily and quickly than that of Castilloa or Ficus and the seeds 

 keep good for 6 weeks and even germinate after three months. 

 Nor is the Funtumia particular as to soil, it grows equally well in 

 lateritic or basaltic soils, in soils rich in humus or stony. As to 

 altitude, it has been noticed that it does best below 800 metres. 

 It is reckoned that in April, 1902, there were in the Cameroons 

 200,000 plants, exclusive of wild ones. The plan of planting 

 Funtumias in a lightly cleared forest as has been frequently done 

 is not recommended. They do not grow so well in shade as in 

 full sun when they are too week to resist the drying action of 

 sun and wind, they naturally should be protected, but when 

 they are strong enough to resist this'they develop better when fully 

 exposed to the sun, provided that the ground is damp enough. 

 From the experiments made in plantations in German territory 

 the Funtumias should be planted 6 metres apart. 



The tree is one of the best shade trees for cocoa, but as it is 

 pyramidal in foim it will be necessary to plant close which is not 

 a disadvantage. It is also recommended to use the tree to grow 

 vanilla on as in ten years when the vanilla is dying out the rubber 

 trees will be ready for tapping. The latex is coagulated by boil- 



