Landolphias are large vines, which often creep up to the tops of the highest trees in the forest. They have stout stems which twist and turn, interlace and knot themselves together into a tangled mass. They are among the most picturesque of forest plants, for not only have they the habit of climbing up the trees and intermingling with the branches in a very decorative manner, but many of them bear beautiful flowers and brightly coloured fruit. To tap Landolphias, the natives make cuts in the stems. The milk is collected and coagulated in numerous ways. Sometimes it is allowed to flow to the ground, sometimes it is caught in pots or calabashes, which are hung by a handle on to the stem of the vine, at the spots where the cuts are made. It may be left to coagulate by itself, or the change may be brought about by the assistance of heat, or of some plant-juice, which is known to produce the desired effect. Sometimes a native smears the milk over his body, and peels off the skin of rubber into which it is changed by his own warmth. Some of the Landolphias have underground stems, or “rhizomes,” which, when pounded, yield “root rubber.” Landolphia rubber is sent to market in many forms, of various shapes and sizes. Balls, lumps, biscuits, morsels called “thimbles,” strips, and twists are some of the commonest forms in which it is exported. Africa is an important centre of wild rubber supplies from the point of view of the quantity of the material available in the forests. But the quality of African rubber is much inferior to that of Para, the rubber that sets the standard by which all other varieties must expect to be judged. The inferiority of African rubber is partly due to the milk from which it is made, but is largely the result of the way in which the milk is collected and coagulated. The work is all done by natives, men and women, whose one idea is to get as much rubber as possible in the easiest way. They are not at all careful to keep the milk free from dirt and impurities, and there is no science in their method of coagulating it. However, England, France and Belgium, who between them own the rubber-producing colonies of Africa, are hoping to improve the quality of African rubber. You will understand why they are so anxious to bring about changes for the better in this respect when I tell you more about the growing popularity of plantation rubber, the rival of all wild rubber. There is one kind of rubber plant which all of you must have seen. It is grown here in pots, and is much used for indoor decoration. Its botanical name is _Ficus elastica_.