56 
We were then instructed by His Excellency to go to the Ekiti 
country, “whos e, we told him, as we were informed ourselves, 
rubber working was going on then. Accordingly we lot Ibadan 
going o 
on the 21st of March for the Ekiti countries, and went as far as 
Owo, which town, we x dec is the limit of the Pedledtointo 
of the Lagos Colony on that si 
But we regret to say that all ie rubber forests through which 
we have passed and vaste — the whole tour have all pon 
ake i 
towns we visited, that it is the wish of his Excellency the 
overnor to improve the quality of the rubber, and to make the 
industry a permanent one; that his Excellency desires this, not 
only in the interest of trade, but also for the lasting benefit - 
itera oe and children ; and that for this purpose we had bee 
sent out by the Government. In order to effect the wish of His 
Excellency, four important things were impressed on thei 
inds :— 
l. Considering the present state of the forests, we strongly 
advised them to leave off tapping for two years, when all the trees 
in their forests which have been almost stripped of their barks 
shall have x up, and be in a fit state for extracting fresh 
supply of jui 
2. That PE the trees shall have healed up the process of 
tapping should only have one season in a year, and this should be 
during the rainy season. We explained that by 80 doing the trees 
biens be allowed ample time to heal up and thus be in a good 
te for the next year's tapping. 
zi That in tapping the trees the rubber collector meal be very 
parotit in making his lateral incision ; these should be 2 feet 
This we e explained is very important as on it ccs the 
life of the tre 
4. In des | os juice is ayailable we have seized the 
opportunity of teaching those who are interested in this industry 
the proper mode of preparing rubber 
Our present plan is to go round i the zorana forests to teach 
these facts as has been done in the other distric 
We are, &c., 
(Signed) F. G. R. LEIGH and 
T. B. DAWODU. 
The Acting Resident, 
. Ibadan. 
AcTING GOVERNOR CAPTAIN G. C. DENTON TO 
Mr. CHAMBERLAIN 
Government House 
r Lagos, 38th 3 une, 1898. 
T 
R, 
I HAVE the honour to forward a report by Messrs. Leigh 
and Dawodu, Assistant Curators of the Botanie Station, giving the 
results of their aed i the interior upon which they were sent 
by me in February, 1 
