170 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



many parts of the Olokemeji Reserve, will no doubt equal it, if not 

 surpass it. 



Further to the south, in the Ilaro Reserve, teak has not proved to 

 be so much at home ; although growing well the first year or so, the 

 rate of growth since then has been distinctly disappointing. The 

 soil may have been too damp, and the rainfall of the locality may be 

 a little high, and perhaps later on it may be proved that it can be 

 grown on the higher land at a profit. 



Further eastward and further northward, in the Mamu Reserve, 

 the teak has grown as well, if not better than up the Cross River. 

 Trees five years old have reached a girth of 24 inches and a height of 

 35 feet ; with its good soil and comparatively high rainfall, probably 

 rather more than 60 inches, Mamu bids fair to be one of the homes of 

 teak in Africa. The older plantations on the river bank, some three 

 miles away from those on the side of the Ibadan-Jebu-ode Road, 

 have done nearl}'^ as well as those standing on inferior soil. So far 

 the only damage done to any of the trees anywhere is that caused by 

 a mistletoe-like parasite termed Afoma by the Yorubas, and known 

 botanically as Polystachys odorata. However, only isolated trees 

 having been attacked both at Olokemeji and Mamu, it is not difficult 

 to combat its presence by cutting the trees down and burning the 

 parasite. Still further north, on the bank of the Ogun just above the 

 bridge on the Oyo-Iseyin Road, is yet another teak plantation. This 

 was mainly formed by many of the seedlings in the nursery not being 

 transplanted in time and being allowed to grow up altogether unthinned. 

 Teak, however, forms such very persistent side branches, and has such 

 a tendency to flower and fruit early in its existence, that only helps 

 it to form a clean straight bole and retards the period of flowering by 

 being planted close together. Also, nearly 5 per cent, of all the stems 

 have a tendency to bend over and form stronger side branches than 

 a leader, and have, in fact, rather a more shrub-like habit than that 

 of a tree. Again, quite 1 per cent, grow very slowly right from the 

 beginning and thus sooner or later get suppressed. For these reasons, 

 then, more are required right from the beginning in order to form a 

 full crop of clean-boled timber. 



In the Ondo Circle there are some teak at Awshun, where, owing 

 to rather a high rainfall and somewhat low-lying ground, the trees 

 have not grown so very fast after the first year. 



In addition to isolated specimens over twelve years old in the Oloke- 

 meji Arboretum region, the oldest trees of all are found in the Ebutte- 

 metta gardens near Lagos. These trees are nearly thirty years of age, and 

 show a girth of about 6 feet. By no means growing on good soil, or in 

 a suitable locality either with regard to elevation or the close proximity 

 to the lagoon and the sea, useful for the best growth of teak, they 

 do not at all show the possible limits of growth of this tree. Already 



