826 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June 1, 1904. 
bush land, and rambling on the ground, it is 
easilydistinguished from its cong'eners by its coarser 
appearance, larger leaves, larger and fragrant 
flowers, and large round edible fruits. The lacex 
is difficult to coagulate and is at present little 
dealt with. The best and most easily manipulated 
rubber is that obtainel from L oivariensis, or 
vtiriety known colloquially as " Kapa," The latex 
is prepared by the hot water process. This 
species is very distinct, its small wrinkled 
yellow fruit is its distinguishing character. 
Another good rubber is obtained from a 
vine common in Bnddu etc. known as " Nansali," 
this is probably L Heudelotii ; it is readily dis- 
tinguished from the others by its large pear-shaped 
fruits, has somewhat lonser leaves than L florida, 
and are more acuminated. There is yet another 
species, which has however but little value, it is 
knovrn in Budu and Sesse Islands as " Kakopa." 
The vine is very small, flowers are produced 
terminally and are of a sickly yellow, the fruits are 
quite round and have brown soots. The 
FORESTS OF UGANDA ABE VERY RICH IN RUBBER, 
especially in well watered districts, and if the vines 
are carefully tapped, and the necessary planting be 
yearly kept up, according to the " Rubber Regula- 
tions," Uganda should be in a position to supply, 
for an indefinite period, no small portion of the 
quantity which annually finds its way to the 
European markets. The collection of the latex is 
a most important process. The knives used for 
making the incisions should be of the size of a 
farrier's knife, curved outwards at the end. The 
cuts should not penetrate beyond the bark, for 
it is in the middle layer of the bark only that the 
laticiferous vessels abound. The great mistake 
that the natives make is deep cutting ; this 
injures the wood, and causes the wood sap 
to flow, which is of a viscous nature, and 
is accountable for causing fermentation if the 
rubber is stored in a close atmosphere, or packed 
before quite dry. The wound too is less inclined 
to heal when deep cutting is practised, and is 
therefore not in a condition to be tapped so 
frequently as it otherwise may be. Bad tapping 
therefore causes two most serious consequences to 
the European holding the concession, which to 
persons of business instinct is very evident viz: 
1st. The longevity and health of vines being 
at stake, the yield of rubber per year is greatly 
reduced. 
'2nd. The latex being mixed with wood sap 
yields an inferior rubber, with which there is 
more risk of fermentation, should conditions be 
rendered favourable. Tapping is therefore most 
important in the interests of all concerned. 
Coagulation is effected in different ways. 
It is essential that the milk be first strained 
lo remove grit, pieces of bark, etc. Kapa milk is 
treated by the hot water method, on boiling it 
readily coagulates ; this is best done in an enamel 
vessel placed within another, the water in the 
outer being maintained at boiling point. On 
coagulation it should be subjected to pressure and 
when dry is ready for the market. Nansali is 
usually treated by coagulants, such as salts and 
acids, acetic acid being one of the best and appa- 
rently the more permissible. It can also be coagu- 
lated by allowing it to stand for a few days without 
any treatment whatever, and a very good rubber 
is produced in this way, which if found practicable 
on a large scale would be the preferable method. 
These latter processes yield what is termed in com- 
merce a wet rubber and a screw or hydraulic press 
is almost an indispensable requisite, in order 
to get rid of superflaous moisture immediately 
after coagulation has been effected. The natives 
often adulterate the latex with the milk 
of Alafia tucida, (Luganda Butunga), a climber 
usually growing in association with rubber 
vines. The Alafia is distinguished by its 
black-green leaves, and yellow flowers with a dark 
centre ; it has bifid fruits like a Slrophanthns. It 
spoils the rubber when mixed with it and should 
always be avoided, 
CLEANLINESS 
is most important in dealing with the latex, and a 
rubber claim should always be selected, if possible, 
near a running stream, or a plentiful supply of 
clean water. Propagation is easily effected by 
seeds ; as, however, the plants are somewhat averse 
to transplanting, the seeds should be sown where 
the vines are intended to grow, i, e, at the base 
of a tree; they ^Rfuld be sown as early after being 
procured as possible, for they do not retain their 
vitality for any lengthy period. The seeds should 
always be selected from the best rubber-yielding 
species, such as Kapa, Kapa Gambwa, and Nansali. 
Planting may be carried out in the rainy months; 
for the trees being covered with moisture the 
collection of rubber is rendered more difficult, 
and the collectors having nothing to do might 
utilise their time with great advantage in this 
way. — African Standard, 
THE INDIGENOUS RUBBERS OF INDIA. 
The indigenous rubber producing trees of India 
is the subject of an article in the Madras Mail 
in which four widely different natural orders 
are discussed, Apocynaceae, Asclepidacese, Eupho- 
rbiaceaj and Urticacere. As some of these yield 
gutta percha and other rubber or caoutchouc, it is 
necessary to distinguish between these two 
substances. 
GUTTA PERCHA AND CAOUTCHOUC. 
The most distinguishing property of gntta. percha is 
that it becomes soft and plastic on immersion in hot 
water (or, for that matter, in hot air, the effect being 
purely one of temperatnre) retaining any shape then 
given to it on cooling, whereupon it becomes hard, bat 
not brittle like other gums, Caoutchono, on the other 
hand, does not soften in hot water, bat retains its 
original elasticity and strength almost unimpaired. 
The term caoutchouc, often used synonymously with 
that of India rubber, is really the pure hydrocarbon 
isolated from the other materials with which it forms 
the impure rubber of commerce. Chemically, Sir 
George Wati; says in bis Dictionary of the Economic 
Products of India, India-rubber may be said to approxi* 
mately sonsist of two substances, an elastic material 
on which its merit depends and a viscid, resinous, 
readily oxidisable principal to which it owes its depre- 
ciation. The property of the elastic substance varies 
in a marked degree between, that obtained from one 
genus and another, for every gradation exists between 
the non-elastic hydrocarbon known as gutta percha 
and the finer qualities of gum elastic such as the Para 
and Ceara rubbers, which contain the smallest amount 
of resinous matters, 
THE FICUS ELASTICA IN ASSAM 
— was found to attain a height) of from 30 to 40 feet in 
10 years some 30 years ago, when the plantations were 
first startled, but this could not be taken as the average 
since everything to do with its cultivation at that 
time was experimental. The first trees were raised 
from cuttings, but this method was given up as trees 
raised from seed proved hardier and faster growing. 
