"57 
ättain a girth of from: 2 to 3 feet, but the tree, however, like the 
“nofe,” 
trunk. The rubber appears to be treated in a different way to 
that of the vines; the latter is, as you know, coagulated with lime 
juice, but the rubber which exudes from the rings cut in the tree 
is plac ed in hot water, on the surface of which it coagulates, 
and is then cut into strips, which are formed into balls for the 
market. 
I have ventured, at the risk of being tedious, to go into detail in 
ee the manner in which the rubber is gathered. 
I think we must all eed that the i processes are crude 
and wasteful in the extreme, and it is evident if more intelligent 
and economical methods were ddoMbod. as I understand is the 
case in the Bra diti ia other parts of South America, there would 
be a far larger yield, and every probability that the West African 
rubber would command as high a price as South American. But 
if some steps are not taken to teach the naiives better methods of 
AK rubber than they now use, it ma safely be predicted 
that with the increasing demand for rubber, in a few years t 
nk: will become extinct, and an industry which should cn one 
of the most thriving in the colony will be ruined. 
In the forests I am speaking of the rubber is gathered by Susu 
traders in the crude and wasteful manner I have described. Lows 
natives in the Koranko and Kuniki districis, especially in 
former, appear to be very ignorant of its value and the tiathoda of 
gathering it. I feel quite convinced _ r traders were to either 
agen ese par 
experienced in the industry, they Welt bo rewarđed for their 
trouble and expense with rich harvests. 
studied "ud je ver if found pui here. short Mdb iut 
of the preparation of the Para rubber, n: is the premier rubber 
of the world and is ob from w 
d a large tree 
extensive forests in the lowlands of the Amazon, was Arip cone at 
the — fi at ltural Exhibition, and the curator is now dra 
up @ ount of other ee which may be suitable to uod 
rubber iududtey of this colon 
The natives of the interior require to be trained in an intelligent 
way of working, not only in the preparation of rubb 
abs o thi 
and so completely destroyed. In the territory of the Amazon, 
each rubber tree is made to yield an annual crop, and the bark, 
instead of being ringed, has a number of incisions made in it as 
e milk i i 
m ies work is done by the Indians, and there is no reason 
w rigines of the interior should not be taught to adopt 
similar paes a If the traders who purchase the rubber and 
other indigenous products would inform the Government in what 
