239 
here is good, and the appearance of the ground suggests spade 
or even plough work, whereas a back-breaking form of hoe is 
the sole native tool. This in shape is similar to the tool referred 
to by Mr. M. T. Dawe in his recently published report on agri- 
cultural conditions in the Gambia*. , 
It is possible that in some parts where the land is open, and 
there are no “ Doka” and other bushes, that a plough might: 
be used with advantage, as Mr. Dawe suggests for parts of the 
Gambia, but the native is so proficient with his hoe, and has so 
little knowledge as yet of other implements, that little good 
can be expected for some years from the introduction of either 
animal-drawn or motor ploughs with which he is unfamiliar. 
In the Southern Provinces there would appear to be practically 
no scope for a plough of any kind as the cultivated plots are usually 
small and widely scattered. 
In Northern Nigeria, as I have mentioned, there is no lack 
of animal manure, and the common practice is to turn the herds 
of Fulani-owned cattle on to the fallow fields during the 
season at night time. In this way the tilled ground receives 
a good supply of manure, but as the droppings are exposed to the 
sun’s heat, and no attempt is made to cover the droppings by 
turning them into the soil, it seems probable that a great deal 
of their fertilising value must be lost. 
Owing to the dry and baked condition of the ground the 
conservation of the manure is no easy matter and some radical 
change in tillage methods may be needed in order that the 
full benefit may be obtained. Should it be found possible 
to cover and spread the manure by some form of light 
harrowing, it wou'd probably lead to an increased fertility of 
the soil. Before any such radical alterations in native procedure 
can be advocated however, it will be necessary to subject them 
to careful investigation and experiment at one or more of the 
experiment stations or plantations. 
Another direction in which useful results could not fail to 
be realised is irrigation, but this naturally is dependent on the 
availability of water. Wherever possible the native methods 
of irrigation should be improved and extended, and the ground 
in the neighbourhood of water should be terraced so that the 
largest possible area may be brought under irrigation and devoted 
to the cultivation of vegetable and other food crops. 
THe Baucut PLATEAU, 
One of the most interesting parts of my tour in Nigeria was 
the visit I was able to pay to the Bauchi Plateau. As there 
were no specimens in the Kew Herbarium from this region I 
was anxious to pay a visit in order to meet those who might 
be sufficiently interested in the Flora to make collections for 
Kew. 
* Report on the agricultural conditions and needs of the Gambia 
by M. T. Dawe, Crown Agent for the Colonies, 1921, p. 41. 
