24 RUBBER IN UGANDA 



exported is obtained entirely from the forest trees, and 

 is of very good quality, being prepared in the form of 

 sheet or crepe by machinery. 



The rubber-yielding vines, Landolphia Daivei, Stapf, 

 and Clitandra orientalis, K. Schum., grow principally 

 on the outskirts of the forests or in those portions through 

 which streams run. Landolphia Daivei, which is known 

 locally as "NansaH," grows much more rapidly than 

 most of the other rubber vines and attains a very great 

 size. It furnislies a large yield of rubber which is of 

 excellent quality. The other vine, Clitandra orientalis, 

 is known as " Kapa." Its rubber is of very good quality, 

 but it does not give such a large yield as L. Dawei. 



The rubber is collected from these two species of vine 

 by the natives, who make incisions a few inches apart 

 on every available portion of the stem. The latex is 

 coagulated by boiling, or by immersing the vessel con- 

 taining it in boiling water, or by adding a coagulant. 

 The latex of C. orientalis (" Kapa ") is readily coagulated 

 on heating, but that of L. Dawei (" Nansali ") is not 

 always coagulable by this method, and then salt or 

 preferably acetic acid is added. The freshly coagulated 

 rubber is usually pressed out into biscuits or sheets. 



Experiments have also been conducted in Uganda 

 with the principal exotic rubber trees in order to deter- 

 mine their suitability for cultivation in the Protectorate, 

 and the results obtained with the Para and Ceara trees 

 have been very promising. The Castilloa tree has been 

 found to grow well in the country, but it is not suitable 

 for general cultivation as it is subject to the attack of a 

 borer {Inesida leprosa, Fab.) which does great damage 

 to the trees. 



Practically the whole of the rubber exported from 

 Uganda up to the present has been derived from wild 

 Funturaia trees or from the vines, but planting was 

 commenced in 1908, and it was estimated that in 1912 

 there were 3,860 acres of cultivated rubber trees in the 

 Protectorate. Of this total there were 3,000 acres under 

 Para. 750 acres mider Ceara, and about 100 acres under 

 Funtumia and Castilloa. 



