Chapter 147: Rubber Planting
A month later, when Professor Anton Perutz's team arrived in East Africa, the East African Agricultural Research Institute was ready to operate.
August 15, 1868.
Lake Victoria Region (Uganda).
Just as the settlers finished working the fields, they were immediately set to work planting trees.
This time, they were planting rubber trees imported from Brazil. Under the guidance of Brazilian agricultural "expert" Albert Vilga, the settlers followed the procedures to plant the rubber saplings.
"These saplings shouldn't be planted too close together. You need to ensure ventilation, sunlight, and convenient access. That way, they'll be easier to manage and harvest later," said Albert Vilga to the colonial agricultural workers.
Albert Vilga was just an ordinary rubber grower in Brazil, albeit with plenty of hands-on experience.
"Make sure the drainage is done properly, especially in areas with a gentle slope—but don't make it too steep; just a slight incline is enough."
"Mr. Albert Vilga, does temperature affect the growth of rubber trees?" asked an East African settler.
"No, no, that's not something you need to worry about. As long as it's tropical, the temperature is generally suitable for rubber trees. Of course, high altitudes are no good. If the temperature drops below five degrees, the trees could be damaged by frost. But I've lived in Brazil for years and never seen such low temperatures," said Albert Vilga.
"You newcomers probably don't know, but East Africa doesn't really have spring, summer, autumn, or winter. It's about the same temperature year-round. The only difference is the rainy season and the dry season," said an older settler to the new arrivals.
"Well said. That's exactly why we chose to plant rubber trees here. This area's rainfall is the most balanced and stable, which makes it ideal for large-scale planting," added Albert Vilga.
Rubber trees thrive in warm, humid environments. Temperature wasn't a problem in East Africa, but humidity was harder to manage. Rubber trees need at least 1200 mm of annual rainfall. East Africa has a tropical savanna climate, and rainfall isn't always stable, usually ranging from 600 mm to 1100 mm. However, the Lake Victoria region is one of the rainier areas, with its nearly 70,000 square kilometers of water influencing local precipitation.
"Mr. Vilga, what's rubber even used for?" someone asked.
Albert Vilga shook his head. "I don't know the specifics. I just grow and harvest it. Then merchants buy it up. I only know that the raw product is a kind of gel that hardens over time."
He was telling the truth. All the rubber he grew in Brazil was bought by Europeans and processed across the ocean. He didn't need to know what it was used for—just that it made him money.
East Africa's push to plant rubber was clearly strategic. No one understood rubber's strategic value better than Ernst, and the Hechingen Consortium's future industries would depend heavily on it. Planting early meant reaping rewards earlier.
Rubber trees take at least six or seven years to become valuable. This year, they planned to establish a rubber plantation of 10,000 mu (about 1,650 acres), then expand it each year. With vast land available, this was easy.
In reality, East Africa wasn't as suitable for rubber as West Africa, where tropical rainforests create ideal conditions. But in East Africa, with careful soil and light management, the potential was still promising.
The Lake Victoria region was particularly ideal for rubber due to its relatively high rainfall—just a bit less than a tropical rainforest, but much better than the rest of East Africa's savanna climate. The dense tropical forests near the lake were proof.
"Don't worry about what this stuff is for. As long as it puts food on our tables, that's all that matters. What happens after it's grown is none of our concern."
"True enough."
"Mr. Vilga, you mentioned harvesting earlier. How exactly do we harvest rubber trees? Do we cut them down when they're mature?"
Vilga was speechless. These Germans really hadn't seen much of the world if they didn't even know how rubber was harvested.
"No, no, you've misunderstood. Rubber trees aren't harvested like ordinary trees."
"So… do they produce fruit or something that we pick?"
Trying not to laugh, Vilga explained, "Let me finish. Harvesting rubber is like bleeding a person—you make a cut in the tree and let the 'blood' flow out. We fix a container beforehand, and once it fills up, we collect the rubber."
"Whoa! That sounds creepy."
"It's not scary at all. I just used 'blood' as a metaphor. It's actually tree sap, and it's white, not red at all. I was just trying to illustrate the process more vividly," said Vilga, hoping to stop wild speculation.
"Oh, I see," everyone nodded in understanding.
Vilga continued, "And you don't have to worry about harvesting yet. These saplings will need at least six or seven years to mature. By then, someone new will probably come teach you how to collect rubber."
…
Albert Vilga wasn't just some random guy they picked up and called an expert.
Besides his rubber planting experience, the real reason he was hired to guide rubber cultivation in East Africa was because he spoke German.
Otherwise, communication would have been a huge problem—especially since many settlers around the lake were new immigrants who had only arrived in the past few months.
There were quite a few Germans among them, which made communication with Vilga much smoother. The East African colony had also assigned some older settlers to help the newcomers adapt to their new life.
Meanwhile, preparations were underway to recruit German-language teachers. Soon, the newly established districts would begin implementing East Africa's version of compulsory education.
Fortunately, since most of the newcomers were individuals or adults rather than families, there weren't many children among them—no one wanted to risk bringing kids on such a dangerous sea voyage.
As a result, the new education programs would start with adult education, especially focusing on Chinese, Serbian, and other groups. The first step was to teach them spoken communication.
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