RUBBER 65 



so-called " root-rubber " does not appear to be practised 

 in this country, although common elsewhere in West 

 Africa. 



On account of the colour and form of this rubber, 

 the name of " White ball " is usually applied to it, 

 although, from the fact that the Kr^pi tribes, living 

 on the east bank of the Volta river, produce a large 

 quantity of it, the name of " Krepi ball " is frequently 

 given. 



White ball rubber is seldom adulterated by the addition 

 of other latices, as these would retard coagulation and 

 interfere with the preparation of it in the manner men- 

 tioned. For this reason the rubber sold under this name 

 usually obtains a higher price than other rubber. 



Landolphia owariensis presents many disadvantages for 

 cultivation in plantations, and the yield is small in pro- 

 portion to the space which the plant occupies. Several 

 species of this and allied genera are being grown experi- 

 mentally at the Aburi Botanic Gardens. 



"Flake rubber" is a name given to a very inferior quality 

 of rubber which is produced upon a small scale in many 

 parts of West Africa, but it has not been determined 

 from which species of vine that exported from the Gold 

 Coast is obtained. In Northern Nigeria Carpodinus 

 hirsutus, Hua, is said to be the source of the exported 

 rubber of this name. 



Fig Rubber. One or more species of wild fig trees (Ficus 

 sp.) are tapped for the production of what is locally termed 

 " Memeluku " rubber, and it is generally supposed that 

 F. Vogvlii is that mostly employed. The trees attain a 

 large size, and the rubber is composed of the scrap, 

 collected from a large number of small cuts made on 

 the trunk and branches. This scrap rubber is pressed 

 together into thick biscuits. The rubber has usually 

 little resiliency and breaks easily ; it is, in consequence, 

 of small value. 



Introduced Species. Experiments have been carried on 

 for several years with " Para " rubber (Hevea brasiliensis), 

 " Ceara " (ManihotGlaziovii), and Castilloa elastica, all in- 

 digenous to South America. The last-named has been so 

 badly attacked in the Botanic Stations by boring beetle 

 larvae that it has shown no promise of success. Ceara grows 

 well, but for some reason the production of latex from 

 5 



