992 



pushing forward every day. We also cut it into wagon parts, 

 bridge material and furniture; it is the hardest wood I 

 have ever known with the exception of the Quebracho that I 

 came across in the forests of north Argentine. Another 

 olive we have, Oka sp. (native name m'weri), much lighter 

 than the other olive, but very tough. It is as red as rose- 

 wood, used for ox yokes and furniture. There is still an- 

 other Olea called brown olive, a very handsome wood used 

 for hubs, spokes and felloes for completely making jinrick- 

 shaws, a form of vehicle much used in Mombasa, Nairobi and 

 other towns. 



"For most of the local building Podocarpits gracilior takes 

 the place of the pines, etc., of Europe and North America. 

 It is a splendid tree with a perfectly straight bole for 

 80 or more feet. It is the principal forest tree at the 

 7000 and 8000 feet level. The cedar goes higher; I have 

 cut it at 9548 feet. Above that the forests dwindles out 

 and it becomes dense bamboo (and buffalo) , the latter a 

 very nasty customer to meet. The pasture on these hills 

 at 9000 and 10000 feet is the finest I have ever seen, not 

 even excepting England. Much lower down at from sea level 

 to 1000 feet grow mangoes and all the tropical trees, palms, 

 dracaenas, etc. 



"Growing on these hills but having no utility purposes 

 we have a giant heath which I call Erica gigantea, 25 feet 

 high. It usually grows in broken gullys where grass will 

 not hold and is favourite 'cover' for lions. Laniana ericoides 

 grows on the outer edge of the forest and the roadsides, 

 as also does heliotrope, a giant asparagus (edible), an 

 herbaceous Althea or Hibiscus, and many beautiful flowers 

 whose names I know not. In my garden I grow oranges, man- 

 darins, lemons, limes, loquats, coffee, and tea. Coffee is 

 a great industry at the 6000 foot level. In one small dis- 

 trict of Kisambu near Nairobi there are 12000 acres planted 

 in coffee. I also have -strawberries (imported), native 

 raspberries, Cape gooseberries, which is not a gooseberry 

 at all but an excellent fruit. I will send you some seed 

 as it would grow well In all your non-freezing states and 

 will even stand a few degrees of frost as I have seen it do 

 so at 10000 feet. I have what are called tree tomatoes, the 

 bush (perennial) grows 8 feet high with large shiny leaves 

 that get smaller as the tree gets older. The fruit looks 

 ike a large reddish purple plum but has many small seeds 

 like the tomato and a very pleasant taste, and is used for 

 pies and puddings. It bears profusely all the year round. 



In the matter of vegetables we grow here everything 

 that is found in an English or North American garden only 

 they grow 12 months in the year. 



