36 THE COCONUT BELT 



value and importance, the very prodigality of 

 Nature having led the natives to neglect its cul- 

 tivation. They have practically confined their 

 attention to palm oil and rubber, but with the 

 immense increase in the market price of the coconut 

 and its products, there has recently been a great 

 revival in West Africa, and a period of increased 

 activity may be regarded as a certainty of the near 

 future. 



The supply of coconut palms in West Africa is 

 practically illimitable. All along the low-lying 

 coast of Sierra Leone, along the French Ivory Coast, 

 at the mouth of the Volta Kiver, and on the salt 

 marshes at the delta of the Niger, the palms 

 flourish and should reach perfection, though, 

 generally speaking, the plantations are under 

 native ownership, and the result has usually been 

 faulty cultivation and considerable waste. The 

 first planting of coconuts here was inspired by 

 missionaries, but as the natives were not very 

 energetic they failed to give the trees the necessary 

 attention, so that immense quantities of nuts 

 have been allowed to fall to the ground and rot. 

 Under proper cultivation and supervision, a sub- 

 stantial revenue might have been secured by the 

 owners of the majority of the best groves. The 

 Agricultural Departments of the various Govern- 

 ments are now making every effort to induce the 

 natives to adopt more systematic methods of 



