446 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
I Jan. 1, 190G, 
-•Upply of organised labour in Ceylon is one of the 
chief reasons why that country has taken the lead 
in this industry, while Natal is an example where 
the comparatively adverse conditions of labour have 
operated unfavourably. la our present unstable con- 
dition of labour we could not do more than grovj a few 
acres for local consumption and perhaps induce the 
Arabs and natives to cultivate a few trees for their 
own use. Another point to remember is that tea 
is a declining market and is probably already over 
produced- 
I'epjpei: — The pepper vines at Mwera, planted some 
years ago by Mr. Bomanji, have seeded this year 
though not freely. The condition of these plants 
shows, I think that pepper, if properly cultivated 
would grow heie. Still we do not propose to give 
this product any special attention at present. Pepper 
is cultivated largely in India. The Straits Settle- 
ments and Borneo where the plantations are well 
established, and though the market price of pepper 
ruled higher this year than last, it is subject 
to the caprices of speculation as all spices are 
when the supply fluctuates. Its cultivation is 
confined to the East Indies and thought this in 
itself is no reason why it should not be tried 
elsewhere it is a noteworthy fact that the West 
Indies have not found it worth their while 
to take it up. Unlike cloves and coconuts its cul- 
tivation requires detailed attention and if introduced 
here would be more suitable for wa-ha-dimu small 
cultivators than for Arab planters. In the East 
Indies the Ghiuese are the principal pepper-growers. 
Vanilla. — The small plantation of vanilla at Dunga 
has survived the dry weather and is doing well. 
The trees lost their leaves and the plants had to be 
artificially shaded but beyond this the plantation 
has absorbed little labour. Once establised vanilla 
looks after itself fairly well but it must be sheltered 
from the sun and, in the dry weather, watered 
twice a week. Further supplies of cuttings have 
been ordered and I hope to receive them in time 
or planting in the rainy season. The live support 
— castor oil (Mbono) and Frangipani — have already 
been laid out and are ready for their reception, and 
we propose to plant some in a patch of natural 
forest growing on this estate. The vanilla at IMwera 
planted by Mr. Bomanji, flowered this year and a 
small quantity of fruit is now growing from flowers 
that were fertilised. Some of this fruit is 7 anl 8 
inches long. The length of bean that reaches the 
market from Seychelles, Mauritius and Bourbon 
varies from 5J to 8 inches ; our beans are therefore 
well up to the average length. There is an other 
patch of fruiting vanilla higher up the Mwera valley 
on a plantation owned by Jack Savey, an old skip's 
Krooman. Arabs take more interest in vanilla 
than in any other new product, though there are, 
as yet, no indications that they means seriously to 
take it up. The wild vanilla, which was described 
in the Shamha of August and November, deserves 
a passing notice fro^n the fact that it is bearing 
fruit. In October Mr. Robertson and I visited a 
patch growing on the coral about a mile from the 
Dunga bungalow and found aquantity of fruit forming. 
One pod measured 5 inches in length. Some insect 
must have been at work fertilizing the flDwers of 
which there were at that time, numbers, though no 
insects, excepting ants, were visible in the dense, 
stiffing jungle. ^ 
Para Rubber (Hevea Bra-dHensis). — The plantation of 
Para rubber made at Tundaua, Pemba, last year 
haa suffered severely from the drought and only a 
few trees are now left. These however have grown 
well and were over 6 feet high in October. A young 
plantation, of a little over 2^ acres, has been laid 
out at Dunga in valley to the east of the house and 
we have a further supply of seedlings in the nursery 
for another acre. All are doing well. The two- 
year-old trees at Dunga, of which there are about 
a dozen have, grown slowly. In July I tapped the 
large Para rubber tree growing in Miss Thackery's 
garden at Mbweni, and planted by Sir John Kirk. 
Thia tree ia probaly 20 years old. It was flowering 
in January of this year C1899;, We cut V shaped 
conduits on three sides of the truok to a height of 
about 6 feet from the ground but no juice was 
obtained ; the tree seemed completely lacking in latex. 
After operating for about an hour we obtained enough 
milk to work up into a piece of rubber the size of a 
pea. I visited the tree a few days aflerwards but 
there were no signs of further exhadations. On pre- 
vious occasions when I had pierced the tree with 
a penknife milk had flowed freely. I think, theiefore, 
that the bad results obtained at the tapping must 
be due to the dry we^tner and the soil, which, 
i.i the locality, is dry and sandy. The result is 
nevertheless, disappointing, as a tree of this size 
should yield au appreciable quantity of rubber at 
any time. 
Ceara ruhher (manihot Glaziovii). — One thousand 
of thise trees were planted out on the Wanda in April. 
The soil here is only a few inches deep but is of a 
rich vegetable mould. It overlies coral mixed with 
red sandy soil- Holes 18 inches deep were sunk 
through this and filled in with surface mould. The 
trees did well at first but the subsequently dry 
weather killed off all but 192. We shall replant 
this clearing in the rainy season, sowing the seeds in 
the holes which are already dug. 
Central American Jiahher (Castilloa cZas*tca).— 200 
seeds of this variety of rubber were received in 
September, 92 of which grew. Some of these have 
been planted out in the same valley as the Para 
and at the same distance apart from one another 
namely 17 feet. All are doiug well, with the ex- 
ception or a few that were attacked by mongoose. 
These annimals also destroyed some of the young 
Para and coccoa plants. We were compelled to put 
a fence of small stakes around each tree to prevent 
their attack, which takes the form of biting through 
the young stem an inch above the ground. With 
tie exception of Para rubber the cultivation of 
C-'Uteral Americi Rubb-r is receiving more attention 
in the tropical world than thac of any other variety 
of rubber plants. The trees are described as tall and 
handdome, with large spreading foliage and deep roots 
and have been recomended as shade trees for cacao 
and coffee. The trees yie'.d rubber in 8 or 10 years 
ani are said to thrive equally well in a dry or a 
wet climate. Castilloa ela^tica is of the same natural 
order as our Jack fruit tiee. In its native country, 
it is undergoing rapid extermination by the native 
rubber collectors. 
Assam Rubber (Ficus elastica). — Several of these trees 
are growing about the island; we have one at 
Dunga. Ficus elastica is the '' rubber plant " common 
in conservatories at home. It is found in the rainy 
mountain regions of Assam and is said not to thrive 
in low countries. Piobably therefore, it would not as 
a rubber producer, suit our climate. 
General remarJcs on Rubber. — We have now five 
different species of rubber producing plants on the 
islant, including the nati>e vine Landolpliia Kirki— 
Seeds of Lagos rubber, Kickxia African have been 
appl ed for. The unfavourable results obtained from 
tapping the Para rubber tree, aud, similary, from tap- 
ping the Ceara trees last year, of which there are 
numbers at Mbweni, make it I think doubtful whether 
rubber can be successfully grown here. Much of the 
cu'tivable areas of this is'and are of the sime nature 
as the Mbweni lard, namely dry aud sandy, and is 
adapted for the cultivation of coconuts than of India 
rubber. The low valleys and swamp are, in extent 
propo tionally small, and are utilised by the natives 
for growing rice. Allowance must be made for the 
dryness of the season, though at best the rainfall is 
but light. I think that the results in Pemba are much 
more fa'ourable notwithstanding the high percentage 
of dea hs, though of curse we have had as yet no trees 
there large enough to tap. The two-year old Para 
trees at lundaua have far outstripped our tvvo- 
years old trees at Dunga, though they have had the 
same dry weather to contend with. Both the 
soil and configuration of the land is more suitable 
in Pemba for the cultivation of rubber than in 
