10 
THE TROPICA!^ AGRICULTURIST. 
[July 1, 1902. 
First SiEHRA Leone Niggers wliioh are aotually 
rather dearer than a year ngo, while all otlier des- 
Of ptiona show a decline varying from Id to a? much 
as 6d per lb. 
From ANQor.o we received 250 tons loss, made up 
in sliipm--ul3 from Bknoubi.a of 1,250 Lous, aa afjainst 
1,50(' tou9 in liiOO. Loanda 730 ton-^, agniust C78 tons 
(' es;di?a 2il0 Thimbles). Quility has been hardly so 
good. The Cor.'oo has a ightly iucieased, but the 
quality has seriously declined; about 5,300 tons, 
against 5,000 tons in 1900. The average price shows 
a very considerable fall because so much was of 
poor quality. The supply from Sikrha Leone aud 
FnENCH GuiNFA h;v3 iigain fallen oil, pntly owiiig 
to the prohibition by the French authority of tho 
exportation of dirty, wet, and inferior Rubber from 
OoNAKKY. The quality being tluis reliable has caused 
consumers to loolc on this kind witli favor, and their 
appreciation is rttlected in the price which is unusually 
high compared with other Itubbers. both Afivican 
aud Brazilian. 
Quite an extraordinary decline in supply of Gold 
Coast, Accha, Lagos, &c. and only moderate from 
Camekoo.ns, SiEniiA Leone, Gaboon. &c. aud small of 
SENGEAr,. Trices of nice Hard only about 2d lower, but 
Soft common and L^g03 fully Id decline for the year. 
We no longer quoto SxRU'-s and Biscuits, the press- 
ing of Lump Rubbers being pr»ctically abandoned. 
Liverpool imports of West Afiiican, 4,200 tons, 
against .=.,140 tons in 190C and 5,600 tons in 1890. 
The Co.NGO Free State has again increased its 
expoits to Antwerp, but other kinds of AfL-ican have 
gone there in reduced quantities, so th.it the total 
Antwerp imports show little change. 
Daring January, African Rubber met with a dis- 
appointing demaud at rather easier prices. February 
and March were very dull and prices decliiied for 
most sorts, closing with lower voluos all round. In 
April, fairly good trade was done !it rather better 
prices, closing however somewhat quieter. A moder- 
ately lirge business was done in May at irregular 
prices. Good Sieuua Leone sorts were then well in 
demand, showing however little, if any, change in 
firice, whili-t Lump descriptions were id to Id per 
b lower. During June and July, African Rubbers 
met with a moderate to poor dcmind at generally 
lower rates, and only a comparatively small trade 
was d6ne at barely steady prices. The demand was 
belter in August, especially for paroeh of good quality 
which arrived from Sierra Leone. This position of 
tho markrt was not maintained, and wo see a constant 
f.iUing off in the demand, which remained disappointing 
with only aniall business passing at generally lower 
ratef", until the end of November, when quite a steady 
trade was done at generally unaltered and in rome 
instances slighlly increased prices, The demand 
continued to iniprove during December for all the 
better grades, and r»tlier higher la'.es were paid all 
round. 
E.vST Coast of Afhica, (Zanzibar, &c; ).— The sup- 
plies of these descriptions havu continued to niadually 
fall ofT, and to this must be asotibed the fact that 
at the close Red hard Rubber is only Id per lb 
lower, but White and Common Ball Rubber declii cd 
about <ld per lb. L\mu Ball (M mbas.sa) : The 
arrivala were not important althnii(>h the quality was 
fair and good clean Rub'^er sold fuirly well, prices, 
however, ehowing a decline of 21 for tho year. 
Nvassaland sent us some very good Rubber, but 
the consignmcntH were Rinall, aud when they icached 
the market wore brought up readily at fair to full 
priccp. Madaoascaii supplies were again on the 
decrease, and b.ive only been about half of what 
they were last year, and values were consequently 
well maintained. 
Imports fioin Ceylon were again iirsiKnificant, but 
whatever small quantity reached IhU market it proved 
very attractive, as tho qnnlity and condition con- 
tluned to be excellent, and mtny buyers were anxinns 
toBocureeven IheHniiill arrivals, owing to tho specially 
clean condition of this Rubber. We confi«leiitly expect 
^IH it Iftrgor iaiporta could be uitauged a great 
circle of consumers would come in and pay full prices 
for these grades, espeoiiilly i£ the quality be kept up. 
It would bo ndviaable to encourage the planters and 
otliers interested in this product in giving particular 
attention to this most Viikia' le Rubber. High priuea 
were realised, and 3j Ojd was recently paid for Fine 
and 23 4d for tho Negioheads. It is, of course, know n 
ihiit this Rubber should pract'caily be of the same 
kind as the one coming from the State of Amazoues, 
being grown from Para seed. 
Rangoon and Penang has also been in much reduced 
supply. Of the later description we practically 
received no further shipments this year, but in spite 
of this, all the old stocks held were most difficult of 
sale, and what was disposed of showed an euorraoua 
decline, and thus Rubber that was quoted at 8s 21 
a little more than a year ago sold at about 23 2d 
to 2s 5d per lb. according to quality. If good quality 
of these descriptions could be imported to sell at 
preaent rates, it is certainly worth encouraging, as 
with scarceness of good red iMozambique Ball, the 
demand for these Bed Penang kinds would again grow 
gradually. 
Small quantitities of Assam were shipped, bat the 
quality was very poor and sandy, and consequently 
did not meet with any requirement or interest. 
BouNEO. — Of this Rubber the supplies have not been 
excessive, but in sympathy with the general tendency 
of the iriarket ijrices declined. These grades are still 
held for higher prices, and with a continuance of the 
lower quotations all round we must also look for much 
reduced values in these grades before one will be able 
to effect larger sales. Pontianak : Supplies were about 
the sane as those of last year and sold readily, prices 
showing very little change at the close of the year. 
Rubber fi:om the French Cochin China aud from 
Lower China have continued to sell well, the quality 
and condition of nearly ail arrivals were satisfactory, 
and the small trade done must have been profitable 
to the impTirters. 
Java Rubber ond New Guinea have been very scarce, 
but generally speaking these qualities were not in 
great demand, and quotations were only nominal. 
Balata. — We had reduced arrivals of these descrip- 
tions, and 0,11 the imports of these grades have met 
with a good demand, although at one time Block 
BalAta was as low as Is 7d. The year closes with 
buyers at 2s aud sellers at 23 id. Nearly the whole 
of the stock in first aud second hand has been cleared 
off and gon^ iuto consumption, and all new arrivals 
are selling very readily at full prices. Sheet Balata. 
— Owing to the increased consumption the prices have 
also gradually gone up, and the market closes with 
buyers at 23 7d, showing 4d per lb advance for the 
year. 
Gutta-Pehcha. — The year opened with a very poor 
demand, aud the ma ket continued weak throughout 
almost the whole of the year. It was only during 
November that, owing to larger contracts for cables 
being placed, extensive buying orders appeared on the 
market, thus inert aaing valuea of Gutta-Percha, and 
since then a fairly large business has been done. 
There seems to be every prospect of a continued 
good market, with fair prices b^ing paid for good 
and desirable qualities of Gutta-Peucha. 
THE "TAPPING OP RUBBER TREES." 
The ''Journal d'Agriculture Tropicale " (II,, 
1902, 9.0) cnntains an interesting contribution from 
tho pen of M. Henri Lecomte to the question of 
tho tapping of the rubber trees. 
As I have repeatedly pointed out in thefe pages 
this imporlaut operation is at present carried out 
much in the same happy go hv. k style so character- 
istic of tlie crude rubber industry. But it is quite 
obviou,3 that the manner in which tho incisions are 
applied to the trunk of the rubbei tree must be o( 
