8 



Creeper of Caucho. — A portion of a climbing stem was sent 

 which it was not possible to identify, and as it was not said to 

 be a rubber yielding plant, it was scarcely worth while to take 

 any trouble about it. 



The only plant of known value was therefore Landolphta 

 Kirkii, and if this plant is found in the quantity reported it 

 would perhaps pay to gather the rubber, but whether or not it 

 would pay to cultivate even In that locality is uncertain, on this 

 side of the Tugela I think certainly not. A friend and corres- 

 pondent who has travelled and botanised in many parts of 

 South Africa, including the vicinity of Delagoa Bay writes me 

 from German New Guinea as follows : 



" The rubber plant you would find at St Lucia Bay would 

 " be Landolphia Kirkii, which seems to go down south quite 

 " into Zululand, I found it South of Delagoa Bay. But these 

 " plants only pay for a few years, until they are all cut down 

 " by the natives. I have had to look into many rumours about 

 " new rubber trees, and always when I get to the bottom of it 

 " they turn out to be humbug. People do not intend to cheat 

 " you, but whenever they find a tree yielding latex they think 

 " that they have discovered rubber. This is really getting worse 

 "than rumours about gold disco veries. 1 ' 



Another correspondent in Mexico to whom I wrote on this 

 matter and who has had considerable experience in rubber 

 planting tells me that during the short time that he has been 

 in Mexico he has planted 125,000 Castilloa plants, which in 

 three months from planting were 10 inches in height, he says 

 as follows : 



" I feel much interested regarding your Landolphias, I 

 " doubt though if the Willoughbeas or the Landolphias can be 

 " made a commercial success as cultivated plants ; by forest 

 " conservancy in a state of nature, yes. 



In a late issue of the Pharmaceutical Journal I find the 

 following written by Mr J. R. Jackson : 



" It is stated that the Acting Consul at Zanzibar has made 

 " the discovery, that an elastic product resembling Gutta 

 " Percha is contained in the fruit of a native plant ; may I say, 

 " that, judging from the description of the fruit, as well as the 

 " manner in which the milky juice flows on the fruit being cut, 

 " there seems to be nothing new in this discovery. The fruit is 

 " evidently that of a species of Tubernaemontana, belonging to 



