14 RUBBER IN THE GAMBIA 



cultural and Forest Products of British West Ajrica, by 

 G. C. Dudgeon, in this series of Handbooks). 



Gaimbia 



The exports of rubber from this Colony reached theu' 

 height in 1898, when they amovmted to 481,020 lb., 

 valued at £30,468. Since that date, however, there has 

 been a very considerable decline in the exports, which 

 have fluctuated in a very marked manner from year to 

 year and in 1910 fell to 7,148 lb. valued at £952, and 

 in 1912 to 4,335 lb. valued at £409. It is stated that, 

 owing to the destruction of the vines by the natives, 

 very little rubber has been collected in the Colony since 

 1905, and that a large part of the rubber exported 

 has been obtained from the siurounding French territor5\ 

 Recent legislation in the French Colonies will tend to 

 diminish this transit trade, and there is therefore very 

 little hope of any considerable increase in the exports of 

 rubber from the Gambia in the futiu"e. 



The principal indigenous rubber plant m the Gambia 

 is the vine Landolphia Heudelotii, A. DC. This vine was 

 most abundant in the Jolah country, but has been largely 

 exterminated through excessive tapping. To obtain the 

 rubber from the vines, the natives make incisions m the 

 stems and sprinkle salt water on the cuts in order to 

 accelerate the coagulation of the latex. After four or 

 five hours the rubber is collected from the incisions, the 

 strips being usually wound together to form balls. 



Landolphia Heudelotii frequently occurs in the Gambia 

 on grass lands subject to annual fires, where it develops 

 a bushy form. The natives obtain rubber from these 

 plants by exposing the roots and treating them in the 

 manner described above for the stems. 



In addition to Landolphia Heudelotii, the followmg 

 vines have been recorded from the Gambia : Landolpliia 

 florida, Benth., Landolphia senegalensis, Kotschy and 

 Pe5T. (both of which yield resinous products of no value), 

 and Baissea midti flora, A. DC. 



Ficus Vogelii, Miq., also occurs in the Colony, but 

 the rubber which it furnishes is of very resinous nature 

 and is not at present collected by the natives. 



No attempts have been made to cultivate rubber 



