CROP-PLANTS 351 



In the Gold Coast the export industry has dechned in impor- 

 tance, but there is still a large internal trade, and it is suggested 

 that the small presses used in Nigeria should be tried. In Sierra 

 Leone most of the palms have the thick-shelled type of fruit, and 

 nearly all are wild. Moreover, much of the oil is consumed locally 

 as food, since there is very little meat or fish available for admixture 

 with the prevailing rice diet. Nevertheless, palm products consist- 

 ing largely of kernels are the principal agricultural export of the 

 territory. At the Njala experimental station small plantations 

 have been established from seed introduced from Nigeria, the 

 Cameroons, the Congo, and Sumatra, and it is hoped to select 

 varieties giving a high proportion of oil. The treatment of the 

 young palms in cultivation is, however, regarded as more impor- 

 tant than the kind of tree grown. The Masanki Plantation, of 

 which 2,000 acres have been planted with oil-palms, one-quarter 

 local types and three-quarters introduced from Nigeria and else- 

 where, has been established by government to test the cultivation 

 of palms on a commercial scale. Now that the trees are coming 

 into bearing, it is planned to hand over the plantation, either to 

 the United Africa Company or to a settlement scheme organized 

 by the government (Stockdale 1936, p. 114). 



Palm products are of great importance in several colonies of 

 French West Africa. Three European companies have concessions 

 for palm plantations in the Ivory Coast, the Union Tropicale de 

 Plantations having the largest with 10,000 hectares. There are two 

 centres devoted to the study of palm products, one the station 

 de la Me in the Ivory Coast and the other at Pobe in Dahomey 

 near the Nigerian border, both of which have been established for 

 some twelve years. Castelli (1928) and Blondeleau (1929) have 

 reported on work at the former, and Houard (1928) and Rancoule, 

 (1928) on the latter, while Lavergne (1930) has also contributed 

 data. Chevalier (1931a) comments on the lack of a botanical col- 

 lection at la Me as a basis for selection work. He also points out 

 that research is necessary to determine whether the growth in 

 diameter of the trunk — a quality of importance since the nuts are 

 easier to collect when the trunk is large — depends on the soil or on 

 a hereditary factor. As in the British territories, a chief object of 

 experiment is to increase the oil-bearing capacity of the fruit; in 



