26/ 



equal or exceed the value of the article." (Annual Report on Colony 

 of Lagos for 1895.) (Colonial Office Reports, No. 1 8 5, 1896.) 



In 1897 the Governor of the colony sent Messrs. Leigh and 

 Dawodu of the Botanical Department [two natives of Lagos who 

 were trained at Hope Gardens, 1890-1893, and subsequently spent 

 a year at Kew] into the interior to report on the condition of the 

 rubber trees in the forests, and to give advice to the kings and 

 chiefs on the proper methods of tapping, and to induce them to 

 devote as much care and attention to the raising and cultivation of 

 this tree as they give to kola and oil palm. 



Messrs. Leigh and Dawodu reported that the forests abounded 

 with Ire trees, but through over-tapping they were almost ruined 

 and rubber working had practically ceased. And they go on to 

 say "rubber collectors have now to go 15 or 16 days offlbadan 

 for rubber beyond the Protectorate of this colony. The countries 

 where active rubber working is going on, are Benin and Aboko 

 forests," 



In the Annual Report on Lagos for 1897 the following statement 

 occurs : — " As was anticipated, the falling off in the production of 

 rubber, due to the reckless way in which it was collected, has come 

 to pass, the amount shipped in 1897 being 4,458,327 lbs, as against 

 6,484,365 lbs, in 1896. It is early to talk pessimistically of ihe 

 'extinction of the industry,' inasmuch as the opening up of fresh 

 country to peaceful commerce cannot fail to revive the production. 

 At the same time the greed and guile of the small minority that 

 collects and adulterates rubber, coupled with the apathy of the large 

 majority that only looks on, must inevitably deal a severe blow 

 to the trade. Steps are, however, being taken to encourage the 

 native chiefs to have the rubber collected in a thrifty and system- 

 atic manner, which, it is hoped, will show good results in the near 

 future." 



It would appear from the following that Funtumia is now being 

 largely planted in West Africa : — " From an interesting report 

 issued by the London Chamber of Commerce in June, 1905, we 

 gather that rubber planting in West Africa is progressing rapidly, 

 some 15,900 plants of Funtumia elastica having been planted at 

 Aburi in 1902, and reported in 1905 as twelve feet high." 



"It is reported that caterpillars have been very destructive to the 

 rubber plants." (Bull. Botanical Department, Trinidad, July, 1906, 



p. 74-) 



Information on Lagos silk rubber may be found in the Bulletin 

 of the Department of Agriculture, 1906, pp. 171-172. 



CEARA RUBBER. 



(Manihot Glaziovii.) 



Ceara or Manitoba rubber is produced by Manihot Glaziovii, a 

 tree related to the cassava, but attaining to a height of 30 to 50 

 feet. 



Locality, Soil and Climate — "Ceara is a coast town of Brazil in 

 lat. 4° S., and the flat country which runs back to the hills is 



