PLANTING IN UGANDA. 



HISTORY 

 OF THE 

 INDUSTRY. 



CAPITAL 



INVESTED. 



^T^HE history of the industry on a commercial scale 

 dates back to 1910, at which time there was only 

 one European estate in the country. In that year, 

 mainly on the results obtained on this single estate, 

 Europeans commenced to take up land and turn their 

 attention to the possibilities of planting. 



Previous to this, in fact as early as 1901, experi- 

 mental planting of Para, Castilloa and Ceara rubbers, 

 cocoa and coffee were made by the Government in 

 the Botanic Gardens, Entebbe. Castilloa and Cerea 

 rubbers were soon shown to be unprofitable crops, 

 but the success promised by Para rubber, cocoa and 

 coft'ee engaged the attention of those pioneer planters, 

 Messrs. Hunter and Moses in 1906, and they started 

 the first European estate in the country which is at 

 the present time under the Kivuvu Rubber Co., Ltd. 



From this date until the outbreak of war there 

 was a considerable influx of planters and capital into 

 the country, and it can now be safely said that there 

 are more Europeans engaged in planting than in any 

 other industry. The capital now at stake also far 

 exceeds that of any other industry. There are to-day 

 at least 150 estates owned by Europeans. These vary 

 from 100 to 2,000 acres of cultivation and probably 

 represent a capital of over half a million sterling. 



EARLY 

 EFFORTS. 



DISEASE 

 APPEARS. 



The first plantation company was started as a 

 rubber growing concern, but the success it met with 

 in growing coffee as a catch crop between the rubber, 

 induced it and most planters who followed it, to make 

 coffee their principle crop. How unfortunate this 

 was will be shown later, but there is no doubt that 

 the very fine yields which were obtained, coupled 

 with the good prices realised in the market, justified 

 planters in doing this. After all, at that time, 

 rubber was not proved, moreover, it was not expected 

 that any return was possible from it for six years, 

 and here was a crop which came into bearing at two 

 and a half years, and from which planters were 

 actually making very good profits. 



In 191 3 leaf disease, Hemeleia vastatrix, made 

 its first appearance and put at entirely different 



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