NoTEsS ON SOUTHERN NIGERIA. 95 
credit to native traders. After completing their circuit, they went 
round again to collect the produce gathered by them. 
The oil trade was the staple trade, which took the place of 
the slave trade, which did so much injury to the native races of 
West Africa and to the reputation of the European races which 
took part in it. 
The Government has undertaken the charge of the forests, 
and prevents the deforestation of the country and the destruction 
of the rubber trees. Nurseries and plantations of rubber are 
established in the principal villages. 
The British Cotton Growing Association has established two 
experimental plantations, and the natives are being encouraged 
in the cultivation of cotton. 
Southern Nigeria is inhabited by a great variety of native 
races. The only great native State was Benin, whose people 
are superior in intelligencé to the other races of the Protectorate. 
Much good work is done by the various missions: that of the 
United Free Church at Calabar and those of the Church Mis- 
sionary Society and the Roman Catholic Church upon the River 
Niger. 
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM SPORT EXHIBITED AT LAST MEETING. 
By the SECRETARY. 
On the table at last meeting there was a specimen taken from 
a Chrysanthemum grown in the garden of Mr J. Bryce Duncan of 
Newlands, Kirkmahoe. Those who observed it will, perhaps, 
recollect that some of the flowers were of a canary yellow, others 
of an orange red shade, and another had one-half of the flower 
of either colour. The variety whence this was obtained is named 
Lizzie Adcock, which is itself a sport from one called Source d’Or. 
This sport at Newlands is remarkable as one which is derived 
from a variety hitherto giving the only recorded instance of a sport 
in which the flower head is composed of two equal divisions of 
colour, one not yet recorded in the family of Chrystanthemums 
save in the case of the variety Source d’Or and its sports. The 
typical Chrysanthemum called Source d’Or has bright orange-red 
flowers shaded with gold, but a sport of it is recorded which has 
given not only two colours but two different forms of florets on 
the one flower-head. This sport had half of the flower-head 
