378 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[August i, 1904. 



tection of rubber vines and trees, and to replanting. Forest in- 

 spectors and comptrollers travel from one point of the country 

 to another, imposing penalties for the slightest neglect of the 

 regulations. The result has been that in many cases traders 

 have to give more attention to the replanting than to the col- 

 lection of rubber. 



In 1899 a decree was published, stipulating that 150 young 

 vines should be planted for each ton of rubber exported. In 

 1900 this decree was modified, so that every ton of rubber leav- 

 ing the Congo Free State represents 500 new vines planted. The 

 officials have established about 125 gardens (jardins d'essais) 

 for this purpose, employing more than 7000 workmen. 



These replanting regulations appear to have given good re- 

 sults, and actually millions of young planted Landolphia vines 

 can be seen growing in the Congo Free State. Roughly esti- 

 mated, about 25,000,000 hectares afford good soil for the grow- 

 ing of the Landolphia vine. To give an idea of the importance 

 of the replanting regulations, it is perhaps interesting to men- 

 tion that a single company, trading in the Equateur district, 

 has actually more than 10,000,000 young planted vines. 



A very important question is at what age does a Landolphia 

 vine yield latex, and what amount of rubber can be expected 

 from a vine? The productive age of Landolphia may be put at 

 five to six years; earlier tapping of the plant means risk to kill 

 it. At this age the vine should give of about 6 to 7 ounces of 

 latex, which means 4 to 5 ounces of dry rubber. By the crush- 

 ing method for collecting the milk a vine of the above age 

 should give about 3 ounces more latex, but in that case the 

 plant, but not the root, is killed. The root being saved gives a 

 new vine, which this time gives 6 to 7 ounces of latex in less 

 than four years. 



For the present, and perhaps for four or five years to come, 

 these replanting regulations will cause a decrease in the rubber 

 output of the Congo Free State. Here are some instances of 

 the decrease which is already very apparent : Three of the most 

 important companies trading in the Congo, including the com- 

 pany producing the well known Lopori rubber, have received 

 together during the first six months of 1904 about 639 tons, 

 which means a great decrease compared with the arrivals of 

 the first six months of the previous year. The total decrease 

 for 1904 for these three companies may be estimated at 50 per 

 cent. The other trading concerns have not produced more 

 rubber than in 1903. The " Kasai Syndicate " for the past six 

 months has sent home about 460 tons. This is satisfactory, in 

 a way, but the expectation was about 1400 to 1600 tons yearly. 



Is this situation going to last, and is there to be a further de- 

 crease ? In my opinion there will be a further decrease, and the 

 general output of the Congo Free State for a few years will be 

 smaller, until plantations now under way begin to yield. 



CONCLUSION. 



Generally speaking, the West and East coasts of Africa do 

 not actually produce more rubber than last year, and there are 

 no prospects and no reasons for an increase ; in fact, a decrease 

 is more probable. The Soudan and the French Congo may 

 slightly increase their exports, but these will not compensate 

 the expected later decrease in the Congo Free State. There- 

 fore, a decrease in the general output of rubber from Africa for 

 the next four or five years, at least, appears probable. 



» • * 



Editorial Note. — For further information and suggestions 

 bearing upon this subject, see " French Soudan as a Source of 

 Rubber," in this Journal, November 1, 1901 — page 39; " Rub- 

 ber Production in the Congo River Country," December 1, 1901 

 — page 83; "How Rubber Comes from the Congo," May I, 

 1903 — page 267. 



RUBBER GATHERING IN RHODESIA. 



TO the Editor of The India Rubber World: Some- 

 time ago I promised to write you in regard to rubber in 

 this country and started a letter on the subject, but after read- 

 ing an article headed " Rubber Resources of Rhodesia " in your 

 issue of September 1, 1903, I decided to make a further investi- 

 gation, as many of the statements therein set forth did not ap- 

 pear to me to be correct. I have waited, therefore, to see 

 samples of rubber taken, in order that there could be no mis- 

 take in regard to them. 



I will start with Landolphia Jlorida, the common vine yielding 

 latex, and I send you three samples of rubber from this plant, 

 marked Nos. 1, 2, and 3. No. 1 was taken from a vine 6 inches 

 in diameter and about 200 feet in length, including tendrils or 

 small branches, by which it hangs onto the forest trees and 

 undergrowth. No. 2 is from a vine 2 inches in diameter. No. 3 

 is from the root of the vine, after the vine has been killed by 

 tapping. The vine bears a red fruit, shaped like a plum, and of 

 a sweetish but peppery taste, of which the natives, and also birds 

 and monkeys, are very fond. 



Nos. 1 and 2 are both obtained from the vine in the same way. 

 The natives have many ways of extracting rubber, always adopt- 

 ing that which appears the easiest in any given case. One of 

 the most usual methods is to hack the vine with an axe from 

 as high as he can reach to the ground. Then sitting down at 

 the foot of the vine he clears away the loose dirt and leaves and 

 allows the latex to drop or run as it pleases, and from time to 

 time, between a smoke and sleep, he gathers up the latex and 

 rolls it into balls, large or small, as the fancy takes him. For 

 ease in returning to his camp, he sticks the balls one to the 

 other as in No. 2, and with his string of rubber on one shoulder 

 and his axe on the other, he goes to his village, his arms being 

 free to follow the movement of his legs at their leisure. Another 

 way of procuring the latex is to climb the forest tree and cut 

 the tendrils of the vine by which it hangs and then, having 

 got the vine on the ground, hack it all over with the axe and 

 let the sap flow. As it runs from the vine it is smeared on the 

 body, and when partly congealed rolled into balls, but only 

 smooth skinned natives can do this. 



No. 3 is made of latex obtained from the root after the vine has 

 been cut away, and I have heard it described by some people as 

 the " root rubber " plant, but it is not. I have never seen a root 

 rubber plant. The roots of the vine, after the vine has been cut 

 away, throw out suckers like most other trees and vines do here 

 when cut down and the roots left. They send up a number of 

 suckers which rise to about 2 feet, and if allowed to grow would 

 no doubt form a larger and stronger vine than the original 

 growth, but with game feeding on them and the veldt fires 

 burning them off every year, they seldom reach more than 2 or 

 3 feet in height. The roots having no outlet above ground, de- 

 velop large and long roots and throw up suckers along the joints 

 of the root. The rubber from the root is obtained as follows : 

 The root is dug up and cut into short lengths of from 5 to 6 

 inches and is then pounded in a wooden mortar ; it is then put 

 into hot water and the bark and wood removed, and the sticky 

 mass remaining is made into cakes or balls, as No. 3. 



The other two samples, Nos. 4 and 5, are from the vine Lan- 

 dolphia Kirkii, The difference between this and Landolphia 

 florida is that it bears no edible fruit and that game do not feed 

 on its leaves, but in appearance the two plants are much alike. 

 Sample No. 4 was extracted by cutting the vine into lengths of 

 from 1 to 2 feet, smearing the latex on the body and then rolling 

 it into small balls as it congealed. No. 5 was obtained by stick- 

 ing the point of the axe into the vine and making cuts about 



