vi PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 



study in all its aspects if the industry is not to be sup- 

 planted by the enterprise of other countries. 



In this and other directions where the continuous 

 acquisition of new knowledge is requisite, it is satisfactory 

 to learn that the staffs of the Agricultural Departments 

 in West Africa are to be extended and better remunerated. 

 In addition to this step, and perhaps equally important, 

 will be the increased interest and activity of those mer- 

 chants and manufacturers who utilise the raw materials 

 of the country, and to whom the commercial development 

 of West Africa has hitherto owed so much. 



There are many other subjects which, it will be seen from 

 the new edition of this book, have come to the front since 

 the first edition appeared, and now need increased attention. 



The only rubber tree which has survived as a producer 

 in the years of strenuous competition is Hevea brasiliensis, 

 from which Para rubber is obtained. Successful planta- 

 tions of this tree have been established both in the Southern 

 Provinces of Nigeria and in the Gold Coast, and from the 

 former commercial rubber is now being produced of 

 quality equal to that of the rubber plantations of the East. 



The Gold Coast has become the chief cocoa producer 

 of the world, but it is clear that unremitting care and 

 attention in connection with the cultivation and the 

 preparation of cocoa in that country will be necessary 

 if that supremacy is to be maintained. 



In connection with the production of fibres, cinchona 

 bark, cinnamon, tobacco, and many other materials, 

 there are promising possibilities in various parts of West 

 Africa, including those new territories for which, as a 

 result of the war, Great Britain is now responsible. Above 

 all, there is the dominant problem of the growth of food- 

 stuffs sufficient to maintain the native populations of 

 these countries. 



Mr. Dudgeon, within the limits imposed in the pro- 

 duction of a revised but not greatly enlarged edition, 

 has successfully brought this Handbook up-to-date, 

 and it is hoped that it will continue to serve as a standard 

 guide to all those who require general information respect- 

 ing the agricultural and forest products of West Africa. 



WYNDHAM B. DUNSTAN. 



IMPERIAL INSTITUTE, 

 March 1921, 



