48 COLONIAL UEPOKT8 MISCELLANEOUS. 



at the base, just the reverse direction in which the capsules 

 of the other members of the genus open out. 



East of Totonso the forests are, comparatively speaking, so 

 dry that the Asomah (Parlda species) ha/s practically disappeared 

 from the scene. 



Otherwise the forests are quite rich in mahoganies, cedars, 

 n<iL-n, KoL'oti, ttoxse, &c., any among- less valuable species are the 

 Wair-wfiir, Off ram, Daliomah, and the large species of Fiptn- 

 denia. 



The large bamboo (Dendrocalamus species), first met with near 

 the Sibiri stream, is very abundant close to the villages of this 

 part of the country, and the ground under the clumps affords 

 excellent camping sites. 



The forests along the middle reaches of the Ankobra do not 

 appear to have been leased to anyone, and as they are very rich 

 in valuable economic plants, more especially so in rubber- yielding 

 trees, an early opportunity should be taken to select and reserve 

 the best areas. 



From about the neighbourhood of Supon one gets into the 

 drainage area of the Offin Eiver, a feeder of the Prah. The part 

 of the country walked over between here and the Atasi Mines 

 (Prmcessii) is very hilly, and is covered for the most part with 

 secondary forest of a rather dry type, in which the majority of 

 species noted as characteristic of the tropical evergreen forests 

 are to be met with. Mahoganies and cedars are not uncommon, 

 but, owing to the very hilly nature of the country and the fact 

 that the ranges are running parallel to the direction in which 

 the nearest large rivers flow, I fancy it will prove too costly 

 an operation to get the timber out with the appliances in use 

 out here at the present time. 



About an hour-and-a-half's journey from the mines, one conies 

 on to very extensive clearings that have been made for planting 

 the food crops, on which the large population engaged on the 

 mines are dependent. I fancy some of the produce is also taken 

 down to the railway and sold in Diinkwa. 



The forests close to the mines have been cleared for firewood, 

 the only species left are the Dahomah, the oil bean tree, 

 Pentaclethra macro phylla, and aspecies of ftrachystegia,\}ie wood 

 of all of which is too difficult to split into billets. Owing to the 

 rather dry character of the forests about here, I am inclined to 

 think, if the water supply of the country is to be preserved, that 

 some restriction should be placed on the wholesale fellings that 

 take place annually. 



The vegetation clothing the more important hills where the 

 sources of the streams are situated should be protected against 

 such damage. 



During our stay at Princessu, we visited tlie water supply of 

 the mines; a dam has been constructed across the perennial 

 stream just below the point where it debouches out from the hills 

 on to a fairly level but narrow portion of its valley. Quite a 

 large quantity of water has thus been stored and pushed back 



