96 MOZAMBIQUE 



forests cannot profitably be worked. Digging up 

 the roots must of course always be performed by 

 hand labour, and it would not relieve the native 

 to remove the bark from the stem by machinery, 

 as he would then have the extra weight of wood 

 to carry to the factory. A machine is required 

 to churn up the bark into a pulp and separate 

 the rubber by the application of hot water or 

 steam. 



At Hore, Matadane, I made an experiment, of 

 which the following are the particulars, to deter- 

 mine the proportion of rubber obtained from 

 roots : — 



Lb. 

 Weight of roots gathered in the morning (October 8, 



1911) and brought in before 8 a.m. ... ... ... 17 



Weight of pulped sheet resulting therefrom, i.e., bark 



and rubber less wood ... ... ... ... ... 55 



Weight of wet rubber after preparation, fairly clean, 



valued at 500 reis per kilo, highest price locally ... 0'5 



Wet rubber from roots ... 3 per cent. 



Wet rubber from bark pulp ... ... ... 11 per cent. 



A concessioner who paid at the forest 500 reis 

 (2s.) a kilo for fairly clean wet rubber could, accord- 

 ing to this experiment, afford to purchase the 

 bark pulp at 55 reis a kilo, or, to allow for the 

 expense of subsequent preparation by machinery, 

 say, 50 reis (2^d.). The current price at the time 

 of clean, tough Landolphia (stem) rubber in the 



