106 THE WHOLE ART OF RUBBER-GROWING 



cuts into the main channel, and reached the collect- 

 ing cup placed at the base of the tree. 



The extraordinary growth of the Lagos industry 

 may be gathered from the returns published by the 

 Customs Department at this period. In January 

 1895 the rubber exported from Lagos amounted to 

 21,131 lb., by June the same year it had reached 

 268,619 lb., whilst in October the figures were 

 1,059,158 lb. The actual returns for the year ending 

 1895 were 5,069,504 lb., valued at ^269,892. With 

 results such as these to encourage them it is small 

 wonder that the Lagos community laid itself out for 

 greater things to come, taking up as it did with rare 

 enthusiasm the invitation of the Governor to assist 

 in the development of the new industry. But both 

 the colonial officials and the merchants took no count, 

 unfortunately, of the guile and the greed of the West 

 African native, who, being debarred by no restric- 

 tions and governed by no regulations, simply 

 slaughtered the tree wholesale in order to obtain the 

 greatest amount of rubber possible. It was not a 

 question of tapping the tree to death, it was simply 

 extermination by hacking the tree till it died, or by 

 actual felling where their purpose could not be 

 effected otherwise. A destructive policy of this kind 

 was enough to exhaust the richest of rubber lands. 

 The supply accordingly fell off. In less than two 

 years it had dropped 33 per cent., a very serious 

 thing for a young colony which had drawn to itself 

 a large surplus population almost wholly dependent 

 on the trade in rubber, and which, anticipating a 

 continuous expansion of the high revenues of the 



