176 
exports have been expanded by such means. Up to 1904, the 
export returns published here included oil and kernels from Porto 
Novo, which were shipped vid Lagos, so the figures until 1905 
cannot fairly be quoted, Since then, however, there has been a 
very marked increase, as will be seen from the following returns :— 
Exports (excluding produce of Dahomey).* 
— Oil. | Kernels. 
Gallons. Tons. 
1905. 4s wi 14,157,384 | 108,817 
1906 4% ane 16,032,571 113,347 
T90E is ae 18,332,531 133,630 
1908 i ats 17,757,187 : 136,601 
“ Doubtless the extremely high prices ruling for oil and kernels 
during the greater part of 1907 afforded the natives an extra induce- 
ment to work palm produce more freely than usual, but a large pro- 
portion of the increase must be set down to better transport facilities 
and more settled conditions. There was nothing abnormal about 
the rainfall of 1906 to account for the large production of 1907, but 
the climatic conditions may be said to have been not unfavourable ” 
( Birtwistle). 
With regard to the Gold Coast, the figures for 1908 are not yet 
to hand, and the quantity of oil and kernels exported in 1905 is not 
given in the Colonial Report. The following table, however, shows 
the position of the industry up to the end of 1907 :-— 
| | 
4 
Kernels. Value. 
sep Oil, Value, | 
: Gallons. £ Tons. £ 
1905... — 88,359 — 78,625 
O06 vie) as 2,143,118 125,008 9,355 80,834 
1908 ee 1,867,945 119,468 9,753 101,822 
M Evans gives some interesting details in his report on the 
yield of kernels by a tree, and as to the number of trees which 
would give the present output of oil and kernels from the Colony. 
His remarks are as follows :—- 
“The export of palm oil for 1907 was 1,867,945 gallons ; this 
quantity could be produced by 933,972 trees, covering an area of some 
rteen square miles of land, each tree yielding, say, 12,000 nuts, 
weighing about 160 lbs. Taking the fresh nuts to yield 10 per 
cent. of oil, this would give about two gallons per tree per annum. 
The weight of kernels from the same tree would be about 24 lbs., 
~-. 
einai a le as ope 
_ * The figures have been taken from the “G i: 
ures | overnment Gazette Extraordinary, 
Southern Nigeria, No. Ae J uly, 1908, and Southern Nigeria “ rMpr ge 
: AN » 1902, interesting chart, showing the quantity of palm 
nite etn exported from the colony of Lagos from 1896 to 1905, is given mn 
@ Vol. Rep. Ann,, No. 507, Southern Nigeria (Lagos), for 1905. 
* 
