107^^ KXrERIMIiNTAL AND ANALVTICAI. WORK 



From a comparison witli the oils and cakes of Elaeis guineensis and 

 Cocos niicifera it is found that those of cokerite are almost equal in value. 

 The problem in the utilisation of this fruit is to design a machine by which 

 the nuts can be crushed. 



Nyassaland Tobacco. — Of late years, tobacco has become the chief 

 export article of Nyassaland. In 1914-1915, 3 308 948 lbs. were exported 

 of a value of £ 82 735 (on the spot). This figure is slightly below that of 

 the previous 3^ear. In 1915-16, tobacco growing covered 9042 acres. Al- 

 most the whole of the exports go to the United Kingdom. The average 

 unit production was rather low in the last period of 6 years ; if ranged be- 

 tween 305 lbs. per acre in 1912-1913 and 520 lbs per acre in 1910-1911. The 

 district of Blantyre furnishes nearly ^j^ of the production. The varieties 

 most grown are : " Gold Leaf ", " Warne ", " Conqueror " and " Whitt 

 Stem Orinoco ". From experiments carried out in the last 2 years by the 

 Nj^assaland Department of Agriculture, it results that " Gold Leaf " is per- 

 haps the best adapted variety for the greater part of the Nyassaland tracts 

 where tobacco is grown. It is of good cropping power and seems to posses 

 the largest proportion of light coloured leaves. Twelve varieties of tobacco 

 were cultivated in 1914-1915 at the Government of Nyassaland Experi- 

 mental Station. The crop samples sent to the Imperial Institute contained : 

 from 12.5 to 14.7 % of moisture, from 1.8 to 3 % of nicotine, from 1.8 to 

 2.9 % of nitrogen, from ii.o to 12.8 % and in one case, 18.2 % of ash. They 

 were valued (October 1915) at from 4 d. to 7d. per lb. The ash always con- 

 tained a good deal of potash, a few sulphates and a few chlorides. The burn- 

 ing qualities of the tobacco are excellent. 



Uganda Coffee. — Coffee cultivation is making rapid strides in Uganda. 

 It is the chief crop of farms under European management, on which Coffea 

 arahica occupies 9551 acres and Coffea rohiista 367 acres. Coffee is inter- 

 planted with Hevea brasiUensis, which covers 4835 acres (the greater portion 

 of this area is planted with trees under 2 years old); it is also cultivated at 

 the different Missions, over an area of about 660 acres, and by the natives on 

 an area of 8692 acres (estimated). These figures relate to 1914-1915, in which 

 years 1 8998 cwt of coffee in the parchment (unhusked) of a value of £35463 

 were exported. Two samples sent to the Imperial Institute for exam- 

 ination were estimated after husking at 54 s. to 55s. per qwX. in London 

 (December 191 5). 



Drugs supplied by African Solanaceae. — The percentage of 

 hyoscyamine (with which it is easy to prepare isomerous atropine, 

 now rare on the market), was determined at the Imperial Institute in spe- 

 cimens of Hyoscvamus midicus coming from the vSoudan, and Datura Stra- 

 monium from Egypt, the vSoudan and South Africa. The results were as 

 shown in Table IV. 



Wliile the seeds of D. Stramonium from the Soudan are of no industrial 

 value for the extraction of hyosc)''amine, the leaves of the same species com- 

 ing from vSouth Africa are well adapted for this purpose. In all cases, the 

 total alkaloids were constituted almost exclusively by easily crystallisable 

 hyoscyamine. 



