59 
planted, and: what a great t of income such an undertaking 
will be to them in the futu We are pleased mts SOLON that the 
people seemed to fall in atts with this sugge 
We furthermore impressed on them that Sel process of tapping 
should only be done once a year, and during the rainy season, 
that sufficient time = allowed "the trees to rebark themselves 
against the next seaso 
We explained to thas the advisability i their s fully 
2 feet between the oblique lateral grooves: this is just the point 
where the native tappers destroy the Ato they t not allow 
more than from 6 to 9 inches between ue literal grooves, thus 
leaving a very limited amount of " between the grooves, 
subsequently the trees all wither (SEAT during the dry 
season) and die 
The mode adopted by the Fantees, who are to be found in good 
numbers at Owo and its vicinity, for extracting the juice is the 
one frost RNE h and convenient. The first point is for the 
tapper to make a vertical groove (3 to in. wide) from the bottom 
to the top of the tree, and in such a way as to gouge out a bit of. 
the true bark ; after this i is done, and as the tapper i is dosent” 
vertical groove are made, of e same width; thus all the 
exudation of the lateral grooves flows into the main deae which, 
together with its own exudation, finds its way down e base 
of the tree where a receptacle of some kind is placed da istelts 
the milk, 
The method the natives adopt for coagulating the j — isa very: 
dirty and improper one, but a better and simpler way of produc- - 
ing a whiter and superior qum was shown them. “This i is done 
System. Thi -white, an 
when prosit (to get rid of water), has an agreeable smell and a 
superior quality. We pointed out to them the advantage gain 
in taking a little trouble in the preparation, as on it depends the 
value of their produc 
bserv 
Landolphia,. Ficus, 
ies of Ya a R peme, the soft rubber is found 
plentifully i in the Ekiti forests, but owing to its softness, and the 
low prices offered by m merchants, the people do not consider 
it remunerative enough. 
The other species of apace (probably L. owariensis) 
which produces the harder and superior rubber is much preferred, 
but as it is very scarce -— not so common in the interior as the i 
soft one, very few balls have en brought down and sold at very | 
lucrative prices. During all our tour thé only place where it was : 
