586 



until at the present time (1919)— and for several years before 

 it is together with the Federated Malay States the greatest 

 centre of production under cultivation, the imports into the 

 United Kingdom exceeding by . more than £7,000,000 worth 



im 



^ 



In Nigeria official records show that plants were sent out 

 ^rorn Kew to Lagos at various times beginning in 1887 and 

 beginning 1898 to Old Calabar— where in 1900 the writer put 

 out in permanent places 20 plants of this species. In 1908 the 

 Report on the Garden stated that the largest tree in the garden 



Kew 



some 



seeds of which 81 



were germinated. Eight of these trees are probably referred to' 

 in the reference to tapping experiments at Old Calabar : " Fortj'- 

 five trees, eight of which were estimated to be fourteen years 

 old " were tapped in 1910; yielding 31-18 oz. of dry rubber in 

 all from the eight trees. Briefly for the whole of the Southern 

 Provinces — In 1901 the Rev. J. E. Wright started a small 

 plantation at Orugob, Jebu (S. Nig. Govt. Gaz. July 28th, 1909, 

 Suppl. p. 3) ; in 1905 planting began at Onitsha {see p. 37) ; 

 in 1912 the Agricultural Department had two small plantations 

 of about 3000 trees each of a tappable age, one at Agege and the 

 other at Calabar, and tapping experiments were being made on 

 Messrs. Millers' Plantation at Sapele (Ann. Rep. Agric. Dept.^ 

 S. Nigeria, 1912, p. 3) where in 1909 this firm alone had 70,000 

 plants in, from 1-4 years old (S. Nig. Govt. Gaz. Oct. 13th 

 1909, Suppl. p. 5), The Director of Agriculture in 1917 reports 

 (Ann. Rep. Agric. Dept. S. Prov. Nig.) that the African Associa- 

 tion's Plantation at Ikotombo, Calabar River had made excellent 

 progress since his visit in 1912. 



54,000 trees from 2-6 years of age, about 40,000 large enough 

 to tap, and that several large plantations near Aba had reached 

 the productive stage. In 1918 it is reported " The Para Rubber 

 tree appears to be quite acchmatiged in many parts and its rate 

 of growth compares favourably with that recorded on Para 

 Rubber plantations in the East. The quantity and quahty of 

 the rubber yielded by this tree are also very satisfactory " 

 (Nigeria Gaz. Trade Suppl. Oct. 31st, 1918, p. 104). The native 

 farmers it is satisfactory to note appear to have been no less 

 successful than the various establishments of the Department of 

 Agriculture, and the Plantations under European control. 



The market descriptions of Para Rubber are " Para " or 



com 



" Fine Para " (native BraziHan) and " Sheet," " Smoked Sheet,". 

 '* Biscuits," " Crepe," " Pale crepe," " Block," &c. all " Planta- 

 tion Hevea " ; value at the present time (Aug. 1919) for " Para " 

 2s. M.-2s. Gd. and for " Crepe " Is. 11(7.-29. OffZ. and " Smoked 

 Sheet " Is. 10d.-2s. 0|i. per lb. In 1913 the price was from 

 about 3s. 9d.-4:S. 6d. 



Propagated from seed which it is advisable should be 

 SDCciallv selected from the best trees, snwn po cnnn q^ ^r^oc;K^^ 



L 



I d 



