GOLD COAST REPORT ON FORESTS. 153 



Such simple prescriptions do not require an exact estimate 

 of the actual quantity of the growing- stock in the forest to be 

 made before they can be applied ; by felling a definite and high 

 proportion such as |, g, |, &c., of the actual number of mature 

 trees met with in the forest, a sufficient check can be kept on the 

 fellings to prevent over-exploitation during the time that must 

 lapse before the forests can be treated under the provisions of 

 more accurate working plans. The methods indicated above are 

 well suited to the requirements of wild, imperfectly explored 

 tracts of country such as the afforested areas of British West 

 Africa, where refined methods cannot be introduced at present. 



The method under which the forests are to be exploited should 

 be that known as the " selection system." It is the most elastic 

 of all the systems and can be applied to all the varying con- 

 ditions to be found in the tropics. Moreover it is the only one 

 that would pay under existing circumstances where only a very 

 small proportion of the species composing the forest are worth ex- 

 ploiting. 



Where fuel as well as timber for ordinary purposes is in great 

 demand the " coppice with standards " method is the most suit- 

 able one to adopt, as it meets both requirements and ensures a 

 certain amount of protection to the soil at all stages of the treat- 

 ment a matter of great importance in the tropics. 



D. The Botanical Survey of the Forests. 



It is very important that the forests should be thoroughly 

 explored with a view to eventually compiling a complete 

 botanical inventory of their contents. During the examination 

 of such tracts every effort should be made to secure specimens 

 of the flvwers, fruits, and leaves of the plants composing the 

 forest vegetation, as w T ell as to make collections of the different 

 kinds of minor forest produce yielded by them. 



In all cases each specimen should have a label attached to it, 



giving the following information : - 



The date of collection. 



Locality (district, name of forest, &c.). 



Whether growing in open or dense forest in the evergreen, 

 mixed deciduous, or savannah forests ; on hills or close to 

 streams. The character of the soil on w r hicli the plant grows, &c. 



Colour of the flowers. 



Native name of the plant. 



Size to which it grows. 



Uses to which it is put. 



The specimens should be labelled and numbered serially, and 

 the flow-ers, fruit, and leaves procured from the same tree should 

 all bear the same number. On account of their bulk some fruits 

 will have to be dried and then kept in boxes separate from the 

 flowers and leaves in siich cases the greatest care should be 

 taken that the labels attached to the fruit bear the same number 

 as the labels attached to the corresponding specimens of the 



