144 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
miles of the capital and the interior of this island, except along 
the stream valleys, is perhaps infrequently visited by white men 
even at this date. Agriculture is well developed in the delta 
regions and along the larger rivers. 
The vegetation on the rainy side is abundant and tropie rain 
forests occupy great stretches of country ranging back into the 
mountainous interior. It is estimated that the colony has about 
two million acres of forest containing many trees valuable for 
lumber, boat, and cabinet work. Some of these trees yield timbers 
of fine grain and capable of high polish. A favorite wood of the 
natives is their vesi (Afzelia bijuga) from which are made their 
war clubs, walking sticks, furniture, and ornaments. <A few 
others are the Fijian kauri (Agathis vitrensis) ; island mahogany 
(Calophyllum burmanni); yasi (Hugema effusa) used in boat 
building; and yaka (Dacrydium elatum) used for furniture and 
ship building. There is hope of developing export trade in the 
finer of their lumber products. In this connection it is perhaps 
worthy of note that the earliest trading with these islands near 
the opening of the 19th century grew out of a search for sandal 
wood. Later the demand for cotton, due to the scarcity arising 
out of the American Civil War, led to the admission of the Fiji 
Tslands as a colony of the British Empire in 1874, upon petition 
by the organized government of the islands. 
Of interest to one from the colder zone are their crop and fruit 
plants, all so different from our own. Agriculturally the islands 
are relatively undeveloped, though extensive areas are under culti- 
vation. The delta plains at the mouths of streams are favorable 
areas for sugar cane and for pasture lands. Alluvial deposits 
along the rivers are given over to bananas of which there is a con- 
siderable export trade. Cotton is no longer grown, though the 
quality produced in parts is of the best, winning first place at our 
Centennial in 1876. Practically all the tropical and subtropical 
crops and fruits may be grown in the islands, but most of them 
are given but little attention aside from food plants for local use. 
Cocoanuts are grown extensively and the annual export of copra 
is about 20,000 tons. Bananas were exported to Australia in 
considerable quantity, but since the war Australia has interposed 
a heavy import duty, with disastrous results to this industry in 
Fiji. New Zealand is their best market at present, and bananas 
for Auckland or Wellington are cut from the stems and shipped 
