Tropical Forests 



certain destruction of the supply by reckless methods 

 of collection. The result has been to extend the area 

 of rubber gathering farther back into the wildest and 

 most distant parts of the forest. In the Congo Free 

 State the collection of rubber has been left to native 

 chiefs, supervised by native headmen in the pay of the 

 various companies. W>ien the quota of rubber was not 

 forthcoming, armies of/unciviHsed savages were let loose 

 upon the offending vj^ages. 



The natural result of such methods has been atrocious 

 cruelty, and a destruction of life and property which has 

 at last aroused the conscience of Europe. It is doubtful 

 whether even the slave-dealing half-Arab from Zanzibar 

 caused as much ruin and loss of life in the Congo. 



But during the last few years much capital has been 

 invested in the plantation of rubber trees. The acreage 

 under this new crop must be enormous. There are some 

 10,745,000 trees in the Federated Malay States alone 

 which in 1907 yielded some 385 tons of dry rubber. 

 There should certainly be no scarcity in the rubber 

 supply when all the new plantations come into full 

 bearing, say in 19 14 to 191 6.* The oil-palm is also an 

 important and valuable wet-jungle plant. It does not 

 grow naturally in the real virgin forest, for it requires 

 both light and air, and is probably one of those plants 

 which are found in the secondary forest that springs up 

 when the true wet-jungle has been cleared away. It is 

 a fine tree sometimes 60 to 90 feet in height, and with 

 leaves which may be 1 2 to 1 5 feet long. Its cultivation 

 is extending, and oil-palms are said to be grown even 

 on Nyassa and Tanganyika.* 



There are also many other valuable plants which are 

 cultivated in what used to be the true virgin forest, 

 such as arrow-root, beniseed, kola-nuts, sago, manioc, 

 and several valuable timber trees and drugs. 



* Journal of the Society of Arts ^ January I, 1909. 



321 X 



