TOGO 119 



the rainfall rises to 55 inches per year. Near the summit of the 

 station hill the soil is poor, but excellent on the lower slopes. 



The climatic conditions of Pfandu, a substation to Misahohe, are 

 unfavourable, and labour is less obtainable. The road between these 

 two stations passes through very poor dry-zone forest, but on entering 

 the Misahohe mountainous region we came upon a fine evergreen 

 forest. The most common trees noticed were Khaya Klainii, Mahogany, 

 Iroko and Terminalia superba, the shingle-wood tree, also Triplo- 

 chiton, Sterculia cordifoUa, Carapa procera, Piptadenia Africana, 

 Pentaclethra macrophylla, Detarium Guineensis, Brachystegia spicce- 

 formis, Berlinia acuminata, Afrormosia laxiflwa, Satinwood, Alstonia 

 Congensis, Bicinodendron Africanum and Eriodendron Nigericum. 

 The mahoganies of this district were remarkably fine trees, mostly 

 over 10 feet in girth. 



A written permit, costing 3s. per tree, has to be obtained for 

 cutting trees, and also permission from the Commissioner, before 

 forest land may be cleared. 



The high rainfall of Misahohe, which is 62 inches per year, produces 

 a very moist atmosphere. 



After a visit of three days to the Misahohe Station, I left for 

 Palime, the terminus of the Lome Railway. On the way down the 

 mountain, the contrast between the eastern and western slopes was 

 very noticeable, a deciduous forest covering the eastern slope and 

 an evergreen forest the western. For the first 10 miles from Palime 

 on the way to Lome, mahoganies, oil palms and other trees abounded, 

 but gradually gave way to the same drier type of forest as that seen 

 on the Nuatja railway-line. 



This condition of vegetation continued until Lome was reached, 

 a distance of 75 miles. 



II. The Forest Department Plantations, 



During 1907 there was a Forestry Conference in Berlin with regard 

 to the afforestation of the Colony of Togo (which is wooded only to 

 the extent of 1 per cent.), with the result that the area of Haho-Baloe 

 was first chosen, and the plantation started at the junction of the 

 rivers. 



A fringing mixed forest on each bank of the river was left untouched, 

 as they formed a fire protection for the plantation. Pseudocedrelas, 

 Pterocarpus erinacetis, Butyrospermum Parkii and Terminalia were 

 the most common trees found in the open forest between the 

 rivers. 



The altitude of this area above sea-level is about 480 feet. It 

 slopes slightly from north to south and is triangular in shape. 



Seedlings were first tried, but did not survive the first season, 



