6^7 



where one or two good healthy trees exist and trees apparently 

 suffering in the same way wherever planted in Southern Nigeria 

 (Thompson, Col. Rep, Misc. No. 66, 1910, p. 12). A one acre 

 plot at Tarkwa, Gold Coast, Avas unsuccessful o^ving to the trees 

 being damaged and Idlled by boring longicorn beetles which 

 ^attack both the roots and the stem (Rep. Agric. Dept. Gold 

 Coast, 1908, p. 24) and on a fairly large plot at Aburi, Gold 

 Coast, every tree was found to be seriously attacked bj^ a borer 

 (Thompson, Col. Rep. I.e.). 



Trees may be raised from seed, which soon loses its vitality. 

 The writer in 1900 received 1000 seeds packed in charcoal from 

 Trinidad of which only 1 per cent, germinated. Raised in 

 laursery beds, in bamboo pots or sown at stake the plants for a 

 rpermanency should be given a distance apart of at least 18-20 ft. 

 'Good drainage, a tropical climate with a good rainfall, 70-80 ins. 

 ^t least, are essential conditions and a loamy soil is recommended. 

 This tree is one that suffers if the trunk is exposed to sunlight 

 :and some undergrow^th or catch-crop such as bananas should be 

 used for shade until the trees are large enough to shade themselves. 

 The native method of tapping is effected by cutting down the 

 trees and ringing the bark at convenient distances along the trunk 

 f{Kcw Bull. 1899, p. 69), after the same manner as for *' Gutta 



Percha '' in Malaya (p. 405), **Balata," in Guiana (p. 416) or 



West 



Kew 



and 2 in. broad, with a sharp edge of 3 in. only near the handle) 



^and any improvement in the methods have been effected somewhat 



*oii the same lines as for these trees. On Mexican Plantations large 



V incisions are common. No method, however, appears so far to 



liave been evolved approaching the perfection of that for Hevea. 



In Trinidad it is considered that the most profitable method is 



■by tapping with the cutlass, two or three times a year, in dry 



weather and collecting the rubber four da^^s later in the form 



of " scrap ball " ; the cuts are recommended to be made about 



.one foot apart on one side of the tree only, and made obliquely 



upwards in order to prevent rotting, due to the entry of rain 



'(Freeman, I.e. p. 117). Before beginning to tap, the trunk 



-should be at least 12 in. in diameter; about 40-45 ft. high or 



-0-10 years old (Kew Bull. 1899, p. 160). 



The latex coagulates readily and is sometimes so thick that 

 it can only be collected in the form of scrap, from the tree after 



ekistica. When 



method 



Hon speciosum^ Choisy — see p. 474 for some particulars of this 

 plant) — the stems are pounded into a mass and thrown into a 

 l)ncket of water, the decoction is strained and added to the 

 rubber-milk in the proportion of one pint to a gallon or until 

 rafter brisk stirring the w^hole of the milk is coagulated ; the 

 floating rubber is strained, kneaded into cakes and pressed to 

 ^et rid of all water, dried and packed for export (Kew Bull* 



