62 COLONIAL REPORTS MISCELLANEOUS. 



range of hills, close to the Tano River, the Tombo palm (Raphia 

 viaifcrd) and a species of Calamus (rattam) are very numerous. 

 The forests throughout are fairly rich in Funtumia elastica. 



Between Ahiraso and Ka Krorn, along the alluvial and some- 

 what swampy depressions bordering the Tano River, both Khayas 

 :ind Pseudocedrdas are extremely abundant, more so than 1 have 

 seen anywhere else in West Africa, excepting perhaps on the 

 lower slopes of the hills surrounding the sacred lake Bosumtwi 

 (about 30 miles south-east of Kurnasi), where almost pure patches 

 of Khaya grandis are to be met with. Trees such as 

 Sterculia wt-difolia, S. tomentosa, and Afzelia africana have 

 become more abundant in these forests, whilst Musanga Smithii 

 and Piptadenia africana are decreasing in numbers and size. 



The forests contain several species of Monodora and also the 

 rubber-vine Landolphia Tliompsonii. In the neighbour- 

 hood of the various streams the forests are much moister in 

 liaracter than they are on the higher intervening ridges, which 

 are the areas on which the most pronounced changes in the vege- 

 lation have mainly taken place. Here the large-capsuled cedar 

 (Pseudocedrela utilis?) is so plentiful that it is to be reckoned, 

 together with the Sterculias and Odoums, as forming one of the 

 dominant species. 



Two specimens of the Borassus Palm (Borassus ftabelliformis, 

 var. ^Ethiopica), that have been planted in the village of Gose, 

 were seen for the first time since we left Sekondi, where the 

 species is common on the grass lands close to the sea. 



In the moist belts of forest growing along the numerous 

 streams that exist between the last named village and Mini, the 

 usual species inhabiting the tropical evergreen forests are to be 

 met with. The mahoganies and cedars are still abundant about 

 here. They are associated with the Off ram, Odoum, gum copal 

 tree, Albizzias, Piptadenias, Eriodendron anfractuosum, species 

 of Strophanthus, a Peltophorum that grows to a large size, and 

 with the oil palm. The Sterculias and Afzelia africana are 

 practically confined to the drier ground on the ridges. 



The undergrowth of the evergreen belts of forest is very dense 

 and contains, amongst other species of small trees, large numbers 

 of the Ctirti/ia (/iiianensis, the fruit of which is rich in vegetable 

 nils. The timber also has a good reputation in Senegambia. In 

 these forests of Ashanti, however, it scarcely attains the dimen- 

 sions of a timber tree. 



At Mini we got into the drainage system of the Bia River. It 

 is said to flow through country that is covered with extensive 

 .UK! dense virgin forest, the best parts of which are situated due 

 west of Mini. Owing to the difficulty we experienced in getting 

 guides from the chief of that town and the disobliging attitude 

 shown by him in general towards our proposed scheme of ex- 

 ploring these forests, we were, much to our regret, forced to 

 abandon 1 lu> idea of examining them. The locality is practically 

 uninhabited, and without his ready co-operation in procuring 

 supplies for our carriers the trip would have proved a failure. 

 As it was, we had great difficulty in getting enough food for our 



