96 
The Reproduction of Musanga Smithii—One of the most striking 
features of tree life on the West Coast of Africa is the rapidit 
with which abandoned clearings are covered by the Umbrella tree 
or Corkwood (Musanga Smith, P. Beauv.). This is commented on 
by all travellers, and it is brought to one’s notice more especially 
by the long stretches of hillside covered with this tree which are to 
be found along the railway, round mining centres, and in fact 
wherever any land, which has been stripped of its original forest 
covering, is left to itself for a few months. 
The general appearance of these pure stands of Umbrella tree is 
that of a young open wood, the trees being all of an even height 
of about 30 feet. Although there may be many acres of such forest, 
one never sees amongst them any flowers or signs of flowering trees. 
For these it is necessary to go into the original uncut “ bush,” and 
there occasionally an old tree may be found, much larger than those 
in the open, generally solitary or with a very few of its own kind, 
and, if it is flowering, in the majority of cases it is found to bear 
male flowers only. 
is fact suggested that a closer examination of the pure 
stretches of forest composed of this tree should be made, with a 
view to ascertain the method by which its area is so effectively 
and so rapidly extended. The stands examined were those at 
mokokrom, and Boundary Post in the Western Province of the 
Gold Coast Colony. 
It was then noticed that the trees towards the outside and exposed 
parts of the forest put forth adventitious roots from all parts of the 
stem up toa height of about 10 feet from the ground. Sometimes 
these roots came away from the stem ata right angle and, after 
growing out horizontally for about a foot, inclined slightly downwards 
until they reached the soil. On reaching the soil a shoot was sent 
up from the end of the root and a new tree was thus formed at 
some little distance from its parent. In other cases the adventitious 
roots inclined downwards at once from their point of origin, in 
this case striking the soil in the immediate vicinity of the parent 
tree. 
Often the roots were noticed to have been broken in mid air, 
when in some cases they simply forked, the two rootlets continuing 
downwards to the soil and forming two new trees ; or in other cases 
a shoot was sent up and a root down from the point of injury, 
thus starting a new tree in mid air. There seems little doubt, there- 
fore, that these pure stands are extended effectually by vegetative 
reproduction, at least within the zone of the moist Evergreen Forest, 
and in consequence the formation of flowers and fruit has fallen 
into disue' : 
T. fF. Cuipr: 
Insecticides, Fungicides and Weedkillers.*—This book is an attempt 
to summarise what is known up to the present of the chemistry, 
* Insecticides, Fungicides and Weedkillers—A practical manual on the 
diseases of plants and their remedies, for the use of Manufacturing Chemists, 
Ae bad Gee ais Translated from the 
rench of E. Bourcart, D.Se. pp. d 12 ill tions, Sco 
Greenwood & Son. 1913. 12s, 6d. net, ; oe = 
