Liberia <4- 



in the baskets {kinjd) borne on the back and forehead of the 

 porter. They then settle down in the forest in the middle of 

 the rubber vines and proceed to collect the latex of the vines 

 or trees by tapping the bark and allowing the " milk " to run 

 into little receptacles (broken bottles, large snail-shells, gourds, 

 tin cans, etc.), or else by cutting up the smaller lianas into seg- 

 ments, from each end of which the latex streams off into basins 

 or other receptacles. 



The supplies of latex (" milk ") are either collected towards 

 evening or in the early morning, and are all mixed together in 

 brass kettles or iron pots. The rubber is thence obtained by 

 promoting coagulation. This is effected by boiling the latex, 

 or precipitating the caoutchouc by the admixture of acid reagents, 

 such as lime-juice or the juice or tannin of wild fruits or bark- 

 infusion. The better educated natives then put their strips or 

 balls of rubber aside to dry by hanging them over the rafters of 

 huts in the smoke from the hearth. The stupider or the more 

 dishonest immerse their rubber in flowing streams, believing 

 that by so doing they cleanse it from impurities and yet cause 

 it to absorb moisture and so increase its weight fraudulently. 

 As a matter of fact the caoutchouc does not absorb the water, but 

 immersion prevents it from exuding its inherent moisture, so that 

 it is brought to the trader in a damp and " mucky " condition. 



The ordinary pay of the native labourer is about ^d. to 

 I J", per day. By working systematically one man can readily 

 collect up to 3 or 4 lb. of rubber per day, for which he would 

 receive about \s. per lb. The natives prefer collecting rubber 

 to growing or collecting any other kind of product, as when 

 brought to the coast it realises ^2 ioj. per load as against 

 about 4^-. for the same weight of palm kernels, \os. for palm 

 oil, and 14^. for coffee. They will rarely carry produce other 

 than rubber more than a two days' journey. 



422 



