THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 255 



good, and in suitable localities it tends to spread more and 

 more with the advance of the native farms into the forest. 

 It stands transplanting very badly. Nursery sowings, however, 

 show an enormous percentage of germination, the seedlings 

 often coming up more thickly than grass. The ground pig eats 

 the roots of transplanted seedlings, especially in localities where 

 there are less desirable trees. It will grow as much as 6 feet 

 in one year, and wherever it has much light in the forest, self- 

 sown seedlings will grow 3 or 4 feet each year. The leaves 

 are attacked by a minute coccus which causes them to 

 swell up into an irregular shape, including the bud, thus stop- 

 ping the growth for that season. Inside each of these swellings 

 there are several of the young insects. Only the younger 

 trees are attacked, and from the pole stage onwards trees do 

 not appear to suffer nearly so much. In localities, too, where 

 the trees grow very rapidly they appear to be less attacked, 

 if at all. It is not very susceptible to fire, though in the mixed 

 deciduous the base of the stem is often burnt. It is one of 

 the most storm-firm of all the African trees. The bole is very 

 cylindrical, especially if the tree which has been growing in 

 the forest is given plenty of space to grow. The increment 

 put on the bole is very great, being as much as 11 inches in 

 circumference in one year. 



In 1906 sample logs of this timber were sold in the Liver- 

 pool market as Iroko at 5d. per superficial foot, sale measure. 

 Since that date it has been sold as African Oak and African 

 Teak at a similar price, and appears now to be fairly well 

 established in the market. As there are large supplies in many 

 districts, such as the Yoruba country, Onitsha, Ahoada and 

 Ogoja districts, there should be no difficulty in keeping the 

 market supplied with moderate quantities year by yea^r, at 

 perhaps, though, slightly increasing costs. Locally the tree 

 has been felled and sawn up for planks, scantlings, rafters, 

 beams and general constructional work. By the Railway 

 Administration it has thus far been considered the best wood 

 for sleepers. Amongst the natives it is often worth more than 

 it is to the European, the price varying from half a crown 

 to 4s. 6d. per cubic foot for sawn boards 12 feet long, 12 inches 

 wide and 1 inch thick. 



Native Use.— The most valued of all woods for wall-plates 

 and door lintels, treasure-boxes, washing-basins for chiefs. 

 Doors, too, are made of it in Benin. Women place little pieces 

 of chalk, yams, plantains, cowries, coco yams at the base of 

 the tree, and it is said they will be blessed with children. Chiefs 

 sacrifice a goat with a mat and a fine white cloth to propitiate 



