1 62 



out on the Government Plantation, Kampala. The trees were 

 arranged in groups containing twenty each, with an average 

 girth of 15 in. to 20 in., whilst the system of tapping was the 

 half herring-bone, paring and pricking being employed. 



Each separate group was tapped a certain number of times, 

 varying from 10 to 90, and the yield obtained from the trees 

 was in practically direct proportion to the number of tappings. 

 However, in order to obtain 2j oz. of dry rubber per tree, no 

 less than 90 tappings had to be made. 



The trees are in a thriving condition and bark renewal takes 

 place fairly rapidly, so that no ill-effects of the tapping are 

 evident. 



At this low yield there is nothing left for European planters 

 after paying for the necessary labour, but for native cultivators, 

 with the product at a normal price, the returns are just 

 profitable. 



The area under Manihot Glaziovil is not increasing. 



Trials have been made with the allied Manihots (M '. 

 dichotoma, M. piauhyensis, and M. heptaphylla), but these are 

 less satisfactory as regards growth, and the trees are so brittle 

 that they suffer severely from every wind storm. 



No tapping has been done on the allied Manihots, but I see 

 no reason to hope for any better returns than have been 

 obtained from the Manihot Glaziovii. 



[DISCUSSION.] 



The CHAIRMAN : Has any member any questions to ask or 

 any remarks to make on either of the two Ceara papers which 

 have just been read ? 



Mr. P. J. BURGESS : I should like a little more information 

 as to how coagulation is done with hot water. 



Mr. ANSTEAD : The latex is simply poured into the tin, mixed 

 with warm water, and allowed to stand ten or twelve hours 

 at the ordinary temperature, which in our districts is about 

 72 F. We use water at about 90 C. to 95 C. to begin with, 

 and it rapidly cools down. The latex coagulates perfectly 

 simply by itself, as long as you keep it in the dark. 



Mr. J. S. J. M<cCALL (Director of Agriculture, Nyasaland) : 

 I have listened with much interest to the two papers we 

 have just heard, one from Southern India and one from 

 Uganda. I am very much inclined to agree with Mr. 

 Simpson as regards the profit to be made out of the Ceara 

 rubber tree in Africa. In Nyasaland we have something like 

 14,000 acres under Ceara rubber, which has been planted every 



