viii PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION 



Empire, is important, not only for the natives of those 

 countries, and others who are actually engaged in tropical 

 enterprise, but for the merchant and manufacturer at 

 home. The preparation for general use of cotton and 

 other fibres, of tea, coffee and cocoa, of oils, of tobacco, 

 and of numerous other products exported from the 

 tropics, provides the means of employment and liveli- 

 hood for a very large proportion of the working popula- 

 tion of this country, whilst every one at home is interested 

 in securing an adequate supply at a moderate cost of 

 these necessaries and luxuries of life. 



The subjects of these Handbooks, treated as they will 

 be, as far as possible, in non-technical language, should 

 therefore appeal to a large class of readers. 



The present Handbook deals with the Agricultural 

 and Forest Products of British West Africa and serves 

 as an introduction to this series. Mr. Dudgeon, who until 

 lately was Inspector of Agriculture in the West African 

 Colonies and Protectorates, writes with an unrivalled 

 knowledge of his subject, and gives a comprehensive 

 account of the vegetable products of that country, which 

 will afford to the general reader some idea of the 

 enormous possibilities of this British territory now in 

 the process of rapid commercial development. 



WYNDHAM R. DUNSTAN. 



IMPERIAL INSTITUTE, S.W. 

 March 



