MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS 513 



and flourishes in all places which are sheltered by large 

 forest trees. It is a shrub, rarely more than i| metres 

 high, the thickness of the stalk never exceeding a centi- 

 metre. The leaves are lanceolate, of a deep green 

 colour, and terminate in a brilliant coriaceous point; a 

 large horizontal rhizome grows at the level of the soil 

 which puts out 5 to 10 roots, which contain ruooer, as 

 does all the plant. 



The natives knew the product of this plant, which 

 they call Mahungo or Rurungo, and extracted the 

 rubber by the following method, naturally destructive. 

 The shrub was cut down and the roots torn up and cut; 

 they were then beaten against the trunk of a tree, 

 boiled and the latex collected. Later, even before the 

 occupation of that district by the Company, a merchant 

 commenced to buy roots from the natives, and proceeded 

 to extract the rubber by a more scientific method. Near 

 Mtengula, the headquarters of the Lake Concelho. an 

 establishment exists for agricultural and industrial 

 exploitation, having at its disposal steam driven 

 machinery and other accessories. This establishment at 

 present belongs to a Company called the Mtengula 

 Plantations and Transport Co., Ltd., to which has been 

 granted the right to exploit rubber producing plants over 

 the area bounded by the valley of the Msinge and the left 

 bank of the river Luchilingo, on the condition that this 

 exploitation is conducted in such a way that the plants 

 will not be destroyed. 



The rubber produced in the Territories is exported 

 principally to Germany and the United Kingdom, the 

 latter being the destination of all the rubber exported 

 from the Lake Concelho, which is despatched via Fort 

 Johnson-Chinde, and figures in the statistics of the 

 Company as being exported to British Possessions. 

 During the 5 years 1908-1912 this exportation was as 

 follows : 



y ea Germany United K'ngdom 



1908 

 1909 

 I9IO 



31.6*4 



67,^69 



168.154 



17.207 



6^,949 

 136.753 



91,490 

 152,448 



154,417 



33 



