64 THE GOLD COAST 



rubber-washing and crepeing machinery was exhibited 

 at the Kumassi Agricultural Exhibition of 1908, and was 

 subsequently taken over by one of the leading mercantile 

 firms at that place, where the local rubber is now washed, 

 creped, and pressed before export. It might prove ad- 

 vantageous to come to an arrangement with the rubber 

 collectors to bring the latex to Kumassi, where, under 

 proper supervision, it could be made into rubber of high 

 quality. As the latex will remain for a considerable time 

 without alteration, it should not be difficult to bring it 

 in from places several days' journey distant. 



Vine Rubber. Several species of vines, belonging to the 

 Natural Order APOCYNACEJE, produce rubber in Africa, 

 but the only one of commercial importance occurring in 

 the Gold Coast is Landolphia owariensis, Pal. Beauv., from 

 which "Krepi" or "White ball "is obtained. Unless 

 the plant is observed during the flowering as well as the 

 fruiting season, it is difficult to distinguish it from some 

 nearly allied, but useless, species of the same genus, which 

 are found commonly in the same localities. 



The vine is found throughout the forest region of the 

 Gold Coast and Ashanti, climbing over and interlacing 

 the main branches of large forest trees ; but an apparently 

 terrestrial form of the same species has recently been 

 discovered in the ultra-forest region, where the stunted 

 habit in which it grows is probably occasioned by the 

 annual grass fires. 



Under different atmospheric conditions the latex of 

 L. owariensis behaves differently. In the drier regions 

 it coagulates upon the wound almost immediately upon 

 exposure to the air, whereas in other and moister places 

 it runs from the cut in such a manner as to allow it 

 to be collected in a vessel. The acid juices of some of 

 the local wild fruits are added to hasten coagulation, 

 when this is necessary, or the collector is said to smear 

 the fresh latex upon his naked body, until enough has 

 been coagulated to form a small ball, which serves as a 

 nucleus for winding on the strings of fresh latex as the 

 new cuts are made. There is a quantity of " scrap rub- 

 ber " formed on the wedge-shaped cuts which it is usual 

 to make, and this is added to the ball, which attains a 

 diameter of three or four inches when complete. The 

 crushing of the root and stem for the manufacture of 



