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cigarette tin suggested in Bulletin No. 7, which excludes every 
fragment of dirt and all rain even in a heavy storm, and by push- 
ing a little mud between the side of the tin and the trunk so as 
to tilt up the bottom, or merely placing a leaf in the mouth of 
the cup, all the latex runs directly into the tin and none is lost. 
KICKXIA AFRICANA. 
A very important article on this little-known Rubber tree ap- 
pears in “Planting Opinion” of April 8th, 1899, under the sig- 
nature of “An occasional correspondent.” The plant itself 
has been introduced into the Botanic Gardens in Singapore where 
it seems to grow steadily, though not with the surprising rapidity 
of an Hevea. Kickxia is by far the most important rubber plant 
of West Africa, though the rubber vines Landolphia , closely allied 
to our Willughbeias, and some species of Ficus , produce com- 1 
mercial rubber. It is a tree belonging to the order Apocynacece t 
and allied to Mascarenhaisia. The flowers are produced in the 
dry season, and at the same time the fruits developed from the 
previous years flowering are ripe, and splitting let free the 
plumed seeds, which drift away through the woods. As the cor- 
respondent observes the greater part of the seed is wasted by its 
not reaching the ground, and urges, reasonably enough, that the 
local Governments should encourage the gathering of the seed, 
and planting of it in suitable places. ‘ ‘ The seeds, if carefully 
kept, preserve their vitality for a considerable time. It thrives 
best in a sandy clay with a sub-soil of clay, I have seen it 
flourishing in stiff clay but with feeders only partially buried. 
In quite a number of clearings in West Africa I have seen it grow- 
ing luxuriantly as a sapling in loose friable sandy loam, although 
I must admit it had a tendency to be rather branchy, remedi- 
able, however, by judicious pruning. I should say the ideal 
soil for a plantation would be a loose sandy clay with more sand 
than clay and a sub-soil of clay. I know for a fact that the soil 
and climatic conditions are eminently favourable in the Straits 
Settlements.” 
The tree attains a height of 70 or even 80 feet, and in the forest 
it does not branch or bifurcate, but the author points out that in 
growing in the open it requires pruning, and if necessary can be 
stumped. He describes the method of tapping which does not 
differ from that in use for Hevea. But he points out that in the 
careless cutting by the aborigines, thousands of trees have died 
from exhaustion and deprivation of the chance of bark healing 
and recuperation by unreasonable tapping and unnecessary deep 
scorings through the bark into the wood of the tree rendering it 
an invitingly easy prey to a destructive grub with a predilection 
for the wood of the Kickxia and a prolific fecundity that is simp- 
ly astounding. To preserve the tree against this damage he re- 
commends an antiseptic plaster of one part of quick lime, two 
parts of wood ashes and five parts of clay. 
Though at present we have seen no such damage to tapped 
Para-rubber trees, planters will remember that there is the risk 
