DIFFERENT KINDS OF WILD RUBBER 37 



CHAPTER IX 



DIFFERENT KINDS OF WILD RUBBER — Continued 



The chief wild-rubber producing countries in the Old 

 World are Africa, Northern India, and the East Indies. 



In Africa, the rubber-giving plants are the Funtumia 

 elastica, a medium-sized tree, and several varieties of 

 vine whose f amity name is Landolphia. Both plants 

 flourish in the tropical forests of West Africa, extending 

 from Soudan to the Congo, and embracing large areas 

 in Liberia, Gold Coast, Southern Nigeria, and the 

 Cameroons. Landolphias grow profusely in these same 

 forests, and in the more northerly West African districts 

 of Senegal, Gambia, and Sierra Leone ; they also abound 

 in British East Africa and neighbouring territory. 



Funtumias are tapped on the " herring-bone " 

 system. A native cHmbs one of the trees, and as he 

 ascends he makes a wide cut vertically up the trunk 

 with a somewhat clumsy chisel or gouge ; on his 

 downward journey he makes numerous branch cuts, 

 which run into the central one alternately on the right 

 and left sides at an angle of about 45 degrees. The 

 milk which comes out of the side cuts trickles down into 

 the central channel, where it mixes with the milk 

 which is oozing out therefrom. The whole supply thus 

 finds its way down to a calabash or pot, which is placed 

 on the ground at the terminus of the " herring-bone " 

 or " featherstitch " system. 



The more destructive method of felling the trees 

 is also adopted by the collectors of Funtumia milk. 



The rubber is prepared from the milk in several 



