124 THE PRAZOES 



are several rubber vines, but the most common, 

 even as their latex is the most valuable, are the 

 Landolphia florida and the L. kirkii. Hitherto 

 the prazo-holders who have been fortunate enough 

 to discover these lianas on their concessions have 

 never thought — I am speaking, of course, of the 

 average unthinking individual whose horizon is 

 limited by the needs of the moment — of planting 

 out more and more of these vines. They have 

 been content to tap existing plants, often heedlessly 

 and unskilfully, and thus, in the course of time, 

 many large areas have been wholly denuded of 

 rubber - producing growths of any description. 

 Much may be done to add to the chances of the 

 future by sedulously planting these two rubbers, 

 and as they thrive readily in suitable soil and 

 environment, the operation resolves itself into a 

 task which presents no greater difficulties than 

 sowing and afterwards planting out any ordinary 

 form of garden produce. By the agriculturists of 

 the Mozambique Company on the other side of the 

 river this has been largely done in recent years, as 

 also, I understand, by the Luabo Company in the 

 forests of Shupanga ; but the success of these 

 experiments loses much of its interest by the un- 

 certainty as to the age at which the young plants 

 arrive at the yielding period. I have not as yet 

 met any person who could satisfactorily answer that 

 question, and thus it follows that, although many 

 hundreds of thousands of young vines have been 

 planted out by the two associations I have named, 

 those interested are naturally robbed of the pleasure 

 of looking forward to a definite return at a definite 



