Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-04-18

about the wonderful bark cloth which
IL produced By almost every native
family and which until recently formed
about the only clothing worn by the
million odd people of the kingdom OF
Uganda. II Is used In other countries
as well and the natives OF German East
Africa raise much of II. There are
several varieties of trees here which
produce H. the favortc being a fig
tree which grows to height of from
80 TO 80 feet and from which bark
strips can be taken which average six
feet In width and 10 feet in length.
The hbers of this bark are interviewer
like coith. 1t Is wonderfully strong
and when pounded and treated by the
natives is almost as soft as velvet. 1t
is sewn into durable clothing. Some
of this cloth was shipped to New York
about year ago, but so far no record
as TO Its final disposition has been re-
oeived, The amount sent was $500
sheets Il similar shipment being made
at the same time to London. The
bark would make very fine paper II
It We're ground, but whether 1t can be
used ms weaving material for cloth
remains TO be seen. At present the
only demand for 1t is among the ma
tives.
THE FORESTS OF UGANDA
have Just had u talk with Dr.
Christy an Engishman. who has
large concession Of woodland running
along the Nile just below where that
great river flows out of Lake Victoria
The tract embraces about $50 square
miles and II Is so situated that the
timber could be thrown into the river
and hoated down to Khartum were IT
not for certain falls of the Nile be-
tween Nimull and Gondokora. AS II
is the chief market will probably be
81. e. AN
countries reached by way of the
Uganda railway. Said DR.. Chrlsty:
our forests are magnificent. We
have mahogany trees $50 feet high
and some of them four and five feet in
diameter. They are perfectly straight,
running up to n great distance with
out branch. We have a species of
wood that resembles teak, and we
have much hard wood, some of which
win almost resist the blows of an AK
We expect To do a great deal with that
wood. because II resists the attacks OF
the white ants, and we can therefore
sell it for railroad ties. We have now
orders for 800. 900 ties. and we have
three different varieties of autproof
wood from which we can supply them.
RUBBER IN UGANDA
How about your rubber possibii-
ties. DR.. Christy?" l asked.
we have rubber vines and rubber
trees, and some of the latter are 100
feet high, with large girth. They
run from that size down to sprouts,
We have about 100000 rubber trees
in our concession. They range in
diameter from three inches to three or
four feet The most OF them are ready
for tapping and we shall exploit that
part of our concession first. We shall
work carefully delaying the timber ex-
port until we have our rubber indus
try thoroughly established. as we fear
that the cutting down of the other
trees may break the rubber trees.
'Our plan now is to cut out the un-
derbrush and map the forest, so that
each part of 1t can be easily cared for.
We already have 900 men at work, and
shall have double that number within
a few weeks. We expect to build VIII
lagos on the estate and to train our
own workmen. We have already
brought expert rubber gatherers from
Ceylon to show the natives how to tap
the rubber trees without injuring
them. If they are properly handled
they will continue 10 yield rubber year
after year for their full life of about
40 years. a tree Is ready for tapping
at about five years of age so that we
expect to get an income for 80 years
out of each young tree. In short
time our property will be great rub
Der farm yielding vast crop every
year
FRANK G. CARPENTER