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Landolphia florida (Bth) and allied species : — These are the 

 plants yielding the "' African Rubber" of commerce, which is 

 exported in quantity from both the East and West Coast. The 

 genus contains 11 species, 8 of which are natives of tropical 

 Africa, and from 4 of these species the rubber is obtained, the 

 remainder either not yielding rubber at all, or at any rate have 

 not so far been recognised as yielding it in quantity. The range 

 of these plants is from the Congo on the West Coast to Zanzibar 

 on the East Coast. The r Libber was first shipped from the West 

 Coast, and afterwards in quantity from the East Coast, where it 

 is collected from Delagoa Bay to the Zambezi. The two species 

 most valued are L. florida and L. Kirhii, the last maned one 

 being said to yield the best rubber, and in the largest quantity, 

 and this plant is, I think, confined to the East Coast. In 1879 

 the export of rubber from Mozambique attained a value of 

 £50,000. The whole of these plants are climbers, and succeed 

 best in damp forests, where they climb the trees to a great height. 

 It has been suggested that to simplify the collection of the rubber, 

 the stems might be cut down every year, crushed between rollers, 

 and the rubber then dissolved out by bi-sulphide of carbon, but 

 I am not aware that this process has ever been tried. L. Kirkii 

 is said by Sir John Kirk, its discoverer, to be the only species 

 considered to be of value by the people of the Dar-Salam district. 

 He also says: — "It undoubtedly yields by far the greatest 

 quantity, and also the best." These two species are now in 

 cultivation at the Botanic Gardens, where they seem to do well, 

 but grow slowly. An attempt will be made to propagate them 

 during next season, and the plants will be placed in a more 

 suitable situation than they occupy at present, so that we may be 

 able to report more fully upon them in the future. 



" Manihot Qlaziovii (Muell). — This is the tree yielding the 

 " Ceara Scrap " of commerce, and is a native of the Ceara Coast 

 district of Brazil. Mr. Scott Blacklaw, an expert who visited 

 Natal in 1882, told me that to all appearance our trees were as 

 fine for their age as any that he had seen in South America. As 

 to the growth of the trees here, there is no difficulty whatever, 

 they grow rapidly, appear perfectly healthy, and can with the 

 information we now have, be propagated largely. Unfortunately, 

 our trees were raised from cuttings, not from seed, the con- 

 sequence being that they are branches, not trees, and therefore 

 any experiment as to the yield of rubber per tree are likely to be 

 fallacious. Some years ago a number of them were handed over 

 to Mr. A. Wilkinson of Ottawa, who rejoorted that they grev 

 well, the yield of rubber was not satisfactory, and he has I believe 

 rooted them all out. 



It is a tree which, it is said will thrive in poor soils, where 

 other plants would not be likely to succeed, but it is a soft- 



