RUBBER IN SIERRA LEONE 15 



trees in the Colony, although a ninnber of exotic species 

 have been introduced for trial. The Ceara tree {ManiJiol 

 Glaziovii) has given the most promising results, but 

 there is very little information on record regarding the 

 yield of rubber furnished by the trees. 



Sierra Leone 



The figures of the exports of rubber from Sierra Leone 

 show that the trade reached its maximum in 1891, 

 when 1,496,432 lb. valued at £77,737 were shipped from 

 the Colony. Subsequently there has been a considerable 

 decline, and in 1912 the exports were only 21,970 lb. 

 valued at £2,962. The chief reasons for this decrease 

 in the exports are (1) the extermination of the wild plants 

 in the Protectorate by improper methods of tapping ; 

 (2) the clearing of large areas of forest land by the natives 

 for purposes of cultivation ; and (3) the diversion into 

 other chamiels of most of the rubber from the surrounding 

 territories, and also of the rubber obtained in the Koina- 

 dugu district of the Protectorate, which no longer comes 

 down to Freetown. The fall in the exports which occurred 

 in 1908 was attributed principally to the very low price 

 of rubber during that year, but the figures for 1909 to 

 1912 show a continued decline. 



The rubber-yielding plants indigenous to Sierra Leone 

 include species of Landolphia and Clitandra vines, which 

 occur in all the districts of the Protectorate, and also the 

 West African rubber tree, Funtumia elastica, Stapf, 

 which was recently found in the forests of the Panguma 

 district m the east of the Protectorate. The bulk of the 

 rubber exported is stated to come from the Bandajuma, 

 Panguma, and Komadugu districts. 



The most abundant rubber vine is known as " Jenje," 

 and has been identified as Landolphia owariensis, Beauv., 

 or as a variety of this species considered by Chevalier 

 to be the plateau form of the plant. The rubber is 

 collected by the natives in the following ways : (1) 

 Incisions are made in the stem and the latex is coagulated 

 by sprinlding lime-juice or a solution of salt on the cuts. 

 The rubber is left on the stem for a short time, and 

 is then stripped off and rolled into balls. (2) The vine 

 is cut down and divided into pieces which are soaked 



