206 SCIENCE IN AFRICA 



MINOR FOREST PRODUCTS 



In addition to timber there are certain products from natural 

 or planted forests such as tanstuifs, fibres, flosses, gums, resins, 

 rubber, and oil-seeds. Most of these materials are now obtained 

 from plantations rather than from forest sources and are more 

 suitably discussed in connection with agriculture in Chapter XII, 

 but some additional notes are given below. 



The only important supply of tanstuffs from Africa is obtained 

 from introduced wattles (see Chapter XII, p. 372). Mangroves 

 are abundant on several African shores, and offer possibilities for 

 a minor industry in producing the brown extract known as 'cutch' 

 used for tanning fishing nets and sails to increase their durability 

 in salt water. The cutch industry is centred in the East Indies. 

 There is, however, an export trade in mangrove bark from Tan- 

 ganyika, where up to 9,000 tons have been exported in one year. 

 In Nigeria research is being carried out on mangrove extract, but 

 trade has not yet been started. 



There is no important export of vegetable dyes from Africa, 

 although certain kinds are in local use. There is quite a large 

 dyeing industry in West Africa, with centres at Abeokuta in Nigeria 

 and elsewhere. Indigo, obtained from wild and cultivated plants, 

 is used to dye imported cotton cloths which are worn by both men 

 and women. Steps are being taken to prevent the import of aniline 

 substitutes which threaten the industry and are said to produce 

 dyed cloths of inferior quality. 



Many trees and forest climbers yield rough cordage fibres, but 

 as a rule these cannot compete with fibres grown as agricultural 

 crops. Raffia is a tough fibre obtained from the young unopened 

 leaves of the raffia palm of which several species occur in moist 

 evergreen and swamp forests, Raphia vinifera and Raphia gaertnerii in 

 West Africa and Raphia monbuttorum in East tropical Africa. Coir, 

 prepared from the fibrous husk of the coconut, is used for making 

 mats and rough ropes, but is a plantation rather than a forest 

 product. Floss, or silk-cotton, is the silky or cottony down sur- 

 rounding the seeds of certain trees, notably the cotton-trees 

 {Bombax spp.), which are widely distributed in the tropics. The 

 fibre is too weak to spin, but is used for upholstery and stuffing 



