180 
present a great wastage of Oil Palm products in West Africa and 
that the industry is capable of much greater development in that 
region it is somewhat uncertain whether Oil Palm plantations in 
other Colonies would prove a commercial success. 
Moreover, as was pointed out in the former article (KB. No. 2, 
p. 47), it will be necessary before making extensive plantations in 
West Africa to learn more about the different varieties of the Oil 
give somewhat conflicting accounts. According to Dr. 
writing in 1891—the Oil Palms were not a success though grown on 
especially good soil, and those moved to a higher and damper. 
Spot were a still greater failure. The amount of oil produced was 
small and the heads of fruit much smaller than in West Africa, 
r. Leys arrived at the conclusion that the cultivation of the Oi 
Palm in Labuan would not pay. This probably refers to the Daat 
plantation, 
According to the Superintendent of Agriculture, British North 
Borneo (letter, May, 1890), the trees, obtained from seeds 
supplied by Governor Leys, were only used for ornamental 
purposes, for though they fruited freely no oil was produced. 
_rom a printed report (1891) of another plantation, however, a 
different account is given. From a plantation of 40,000 young 
trees on the Quop estate (Sarawak) it appears that plenty of oil 
was obtained, but a difficulty was experienced in finding a market 
for the oil. It would be of interest to know the subsequent history 
of this plantation. 
N. Borneo, Mr. H. Walker speaks of the “ rich growth of African 
Oil Palm planted in 1882-83 from seed, I believe, obtained from 
Kew. These are now seeding freely, and must have been doing so 
for Some years, ax plants grown from seed produced here are now 
‘ trae I “neg possible that some portion of the failure . 
ese plantations may have been r variety 0: 
s. On Pala may due to seeds of a poo y 
in the case of the Quop estate the experiment appears to have been 
attended with success, 
from the Royal Botanic Garden, Ceylon. Mr. Carruthers 
continues :— 
“ They average now at six years of age about 12 to 15 ft. in 
height, but have shown no sign as yet of flowering or fruiting ; 
whether the absence of a dry season and the fact that the trees 
