88 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
[Aug.  /,  1896, 
the  rubber  situation  in  maua- 
GASCAR. 
Madagascar  as  a source  of  India-rubber  is  des- 
doubt  to  become  largely  more  important. 
Ihe  exports  of  rubber  from  that  island  have  flnc- 
tuated  from  year  to  year,  sometimes  declining  so 
far  as  to  induce  fears  of  the  early  extinction  of  the 
yield,  which  were  strengthened  by  reports  of  the 
destructive  methods  of  the  rubber-gatherers.  But  again 
the  output  has  increased,  while  each  successive  tra- 
veler returning  from  M.idagascar  has  thrown  new 
light  upon  the  extent  of  the  rubber  foi'ests.  Some 
facts  of  interest  in  this  connection  have  been  sup- 
plied to  The  India  Rubber  World  by  Mr.  .John  L. 
Waller,  some  time  United  States  consul  at  Tama- 
tave,  who  has  lately  returned  to  America  after  his 
release  from  a French  military  prison,  his  troubles 
having  grown  primarily  out  of  a concession  to  him 
of  valuable  ruboer  lands  by  the  Malagasy  govern- 
ment without  consultation  with  the  French  autho- 
rities. 
This  large  island  is  covered,  for  the  greater 
part,  by  virgin  forests  throughout  which,  so  far 
as  foreigners  have  made  their  way.  India-rubber 
vines  and  trees  abound.  By  the  way,  most 
authorities  have  attributed  the  Madagascar  rubber 
to  vines  of  the  genus  cahea  (similar  to  if  not  iden- 
tical with  the  Laiidoli>hUi  vines  of  continental  Africa), 
but,  according  to  Mr.  Waller,  a more  important  source 
of  rubber  is  a largo  tree  which  he  has  not  boon  able  to 
identify  botauically.  This  tree  often  grows  to  a dia- 
meter of  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  and  in  such  num- 
bers as  to  make  the  ground  seem  almost  bare  after 
the  reckless  rubber  gatherers  have  gone  over  a s'ri]) 
of  forest  with  their  axes.  A peculiarity  of  the  tree 
which  Mr.  Waller  reports  to  have  seen  personally 
is  that  the  roots  are  not  killed  by  the  felling  of 
the  trunks,  but  that  new  shoots  invariably  spring 
up,  becoming  large  enough  in  a few  years  to  yield 
rubber.  Thus  the  extinction  of  the  supply  is  pro- 
vided against  by  nature,  which  is  not  true  of  the 
Pai'a  rubbers  or  Landolphia  climbers.  The  tree 
likewise  grows  r-eadily  from  the  seed. 
The  usual  practice  of  the  native  rubber- 
gatherers  is  to  proceed  to  the  forest  in  gangs, 
armed  with  axes  for  felling  trees  and  galva- 
niuod  iron  buckets  for  catching  the  sap. 
The  fallen  trunks  are  chopped  or  sawn  into  lengths 
of  three  or  four  feet  and  supported  over  the  buclcets 
until  all  the  rubber  sap  has  drained  from  the  bark-. 
Mr.  Waller  reports  having  seen  two  quarts  or  more 
of  sap  yielded  by  a single  stick  of  wood.  Coagula- 
tion is  effected  by  stirring  a few  drops  of  acid  into 
a bucketful  of  sap  and  allowing  it  to  stand  in  the 
snn  for  several  hours.  There  is  as  yet  practically 
no  proprietorship  in  the  lands,  and  the  rnbl)cr- 
gatherers  have  been  free  to  wander  at  will  in  the 
forests.  But  the  governor  of  the  province  in  which 
Mr.  Waller’s  concession  is  located  has  orders  from 
Antananarivo  to  prohibit  trespassing  upon  it  after 
the  limits  shall  have  been  surveyed,  and  the  next 
step  will  be  to  put  an  end  to  the  destruction  of 
the  trees. 
The  concession  covers  111,000  acres  of  forest  lauds,  to 
be  located  in  the  best  rubber  district  in  Madagascar, 
which  is  in  the  southeastern  portion,  including  the  old 
French  station.  Fort  Uauphiu.  This  has  been  the 
chief  place  for  working  rubber  on  the  island,  and,  as 
it  is  distant  from  any  consulate,  and,  as  the  English 
and  French  traders  are  secretive  about  the  extent  of 
their  business,  doubtless  not  a little  rubber  has  been 
exported  to  which  no  record  ever  reached  the  various 
consults  stationed  at  Tamatave.  Rubber  near  the 
coast  began  to  be  scarce  several  years  ago,  but  the 
natives  asserted  that  more  was  to  bo  found  farther 
inland,  and  now  the  seat  of  the  industry  has  been 
removed  to  a district  about  thre<>  days  distant  from 
Fort  Dauphin.  Twenty-two  dollars  are  paid  there 
for  a hundred-weight  of  rubber.  Fort  Dauphin  has 
been  styled  a halfway  house  between  Europe  .and  the 
Orient,  and  it  is  now  a port  of  call  for  tlie  Castle 
mail  Packets  Co.,  Limited,  and  another  line  of 
steamers.  There  are  from  two  to  four  ships  and 
sometimes  more  per  mouth  in  the  harbour.  The 
climatic  conditions  at  this  point  are  good,  the  lands 
are  fertile,  the  cost  of  living  is  low,  and  a consider- 
ation which  induced  the  Hovas  to  grant  this  cou- 
ce.3sion  was  that  it  might  lead  to  immigration  from 
Mauritius  and  elsewhere  and  the  development  of  va- 
rious industries  at  Fort  Dauphin. 
It  is  the  belief  of  the  concessionaire  that  the  dis- 
trict would  be  well  fitted  for  colonization  by  Afro- 
Americans,  who  would  find  there  better  advantages 
for  trading  than  they  enjoy  in  the  United  States, 
The  Hovas  are  an  educated  race,  and  foreigners 
from  several  countries  have  made  fortunes  in  trading 
with  them.  Mr.  Waller  will  attempt  to  find  means 
in  this  country  for  developing  his  concession,  the 
status  of  which,  he  claims,  has  not  been  changed  by 
his  troubles  with  the  French  authorities.  In  what 
light  it  will  be  viewed  by  the  latter,  however,  remains 
to  be  seen.  He  believes  that  a field  exists  for  a much 
wider  diaect  trade  between  the  United  States  and 
Madagascar.  While  the  foreign  traders  have  been 
mainly  English  and  French,  the  American  house  of 
Ropes,  Emmerton&  Co.,  of  Salem,  Mass,  long  and 
had  a successful  career  at  Tamatave,  retiring  from 
the  trade  during  the  troubles  growing  out  of  the  late 
French  war.  The  house  of  George  Ropes,  of  Boston, 
entering  the  trade  later,  is  now  established  at  Tama- 
tave, Vatromandry,  Antananarivo  (the  capital  of  the 
island),  and  Finanarosa.  A largo  bu.siness  is  done  in 
the  selling  of  American  cotton  goods  to  the  natives. 
The  British  aud  American  imports  of  Madagascar 
lubber,  which  presumably  include  almost  the  entire 
output  of  the  island,  have  boon  of  late  years  as 
follows : — 
UNlTKl)  S 
T.VXI'.S. 
OKKAT 
iilllTAIN. 
Bounds. 
Pounds. 
1391-'.I‘2 
. 174,919 
1890 
, . 624,848 
1892-93 
. 275,331 
1891 
. . 729,232 
1893-91 
. 265,411 
1892 
. . 996,240 
1891-95 
. .31,003 
1893 
, . 1,040,920 
1894 
. . 984.816 
Ihero  must  also  be  taken  into  account  the  British 
impoi'ts  of  rubber  from  Mauritius  which  are  mainly 
derived  from  Madagascar,  aud  which  amounted  in 
18‘Jl  to  168,336  pounds.  Altogether,  the  official 
hgures  available  point  to  an  average  annual  output  of 
Madagascar  rubber  in  recent  years  of  1,162,000  pounds. 
If  it  be  true  that  the  supply  is  practically  unlimited, 
the  ever-growing  commercial  spirit  of  the  age,  the 
increasing  means  of  transportation,  and  the  utili- 
taiian  spirit  which  must  inevitably  stop  the  waste 
of  trees,  will  without  doubt  combine  in  largely  and 
permanently  increasing  the  yield. 
Madagascar  rubber  is  classed  in  the  markets  as 
pinky  ” and  “ black,”  the  former  being  the  more 
valuable.  When  asked  whether  one  kind  was  probably 
trees,  and  the  other  by  vines,  Mr. 
Waller  replied  that  he  could  not  any.— India  Rubber 
II  orld.  May  10. 
THE  CLIMATE  UK  MID-AFRICA. 
Mr.  Scott-Elliot,  in  lii.s  account  of  liis  journeys 
in  Mid-Africa,  says  of  the  Ruweiizori  range  that 
the  liigliest  jieak.s  ;ire  almost  perpetually  hidden 
from  view  by  mist,  wdiicii  in  tlie  morning  covers 
the  lower  slopes,  tunl  apjieiirs  to  rise  at  the  rate 
of  about  l,OU0ft  iui  lioui'.  The  iqipcr  limit  of 
forest  is  given  at  9,U00ft,  bamboos  at  ll,0UUft, 
whilst  he.ather  le.aches  J.'),,')00ft,  at  which  snow 
begin.s.  I he  climate  is  divided  into  four  zones 
of  altitude  — the  coconut  or  oil-p.alm  zone 
belo\v  .l,U00ft,  the  coll'ee  zone  betw'een  this  aud 
.),OU0ft,  the  colony  zone  from  .J,!)!)!)!!  to  7,000ft, 
and  the  cloud  belt  above  7,000ft.  The  Ruwen- 
zoii  legiou  is  stated  to  be  a more  promosing 
collee  .and  tea  region  than  oven  the  .Shire  hi.di- 
lands.  I'or  colonies  the  Masai  uiilands  .and  the 
.Ste\  eiisoii  Road jdateaii  are  the  most  recommended. 
— Jl.  (Ilia  C.  Hlail,  June  TJ. 
