204 SCIENCE IN AFRICA 



during 1938. The Nigerian forest department have produced an 

 account of over sixty species, largely as a result of work by Mr. 

 W. B. G. Mitchell (1931). In addition to these, pubHcations of the 

 Imperial Institute at South Kensington (1928 and 1931) describe 

 some of the African timbers and point out their uses. 



The laboratory at Princes Risborough has completed tests on 

 several woods from Uganda, Tanganyika, Kenya, Nigeria, and 

 Rhodesia. The Union has had special research officers engaged 

 for some time on problems of timber seasoning, at the Forest 

 Products Institution at Pretoria, so that the country is practically 

 independent and consults the Imperial Forestry Institute and the 

 Princes Risborough laboratory only in exceptional cases. At the 

 botanical department of the Witwatersrand University also, work 

 has been carried out on the treatment of timbers against decay due 

 to fungus and insect pests. 



For export trade, West Africa holds out greater possibilities 

 than other parts of the continent, owing to its accessibility and to 

 the abundance of commercial timbers which that region possesses. 

 There is already a considerable export, which was largely con- 

 cerned with mahogany until a few years ago, when several other 

 timbers of quite a different type were launched successfully on the 

 European market, for example, Obeche, Iroko^ and African 

 walnut. The exports are mostly from Nigeria and French West 

 Africa to Europe. 



The development of the trade in timbers from Nigeria and the 

 Gold Coast has recently been the subject of special enquiry by 

 Major F. M. Oliphant (1934a), who pointed out that in the past 

 forest officers had not been given sufficient training in the com- 

 mercial aspects of forestry. As a result of recent modifications in 

 the programme of training, most colonial forest officers are now 

 equipped from this point of view. By acting to some extent as 

 liaison officer between commercial firms and forestry departments, 

 Major F. M. Oliphant hopes to increase the timber trade from 

 British West Africa. Any such increase depends largely on the 

 European market accepting more lumber and also accepting a 



1 Iroko in West Africa is the same as Mvule {Chlorophora excelsa) in East Africa. 

 It is probably the best known timber in the continent as a whole, and is everywhere 

 esteemed for its durability and strength. 



