PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION 



SINCE the first edition of this bookr appeared, British 

 West Africa has experienced a serious set-back in its 

 development through the occurrence of the Great European 

 War. From that war, however, many lessons will have 

 been learnt, which will, it is hoped, make the course of 

 progress in the future more sure and perhaps more rapid. 



The cultivation of cotton has now been shown to be 

 successful and profitable in Nigeria. In the Northern 

 Provinces great progress has been made in perfecting 

 a cotton originally grown from " American Upland " 

 seed, whilst the Southern Provinces have produced in- 

 creasing quantities of an improved native cotton of the 

 type of " Middling American." The future of cotton 

 production in Nigeria is now assured, and its further 

 development chiefly depends on effective action being 

 taken on commercial lines. 



The products of the oil palm and especially palm kernels 

 have been in increased demand for edible purposes, the 

 war having led to a far greater use of margarine and similar 

 materials. The perfection of processes for the better 

 extraction of palm oil from the fruits which had nearly 

 reached success at the outbreak of war now awaits com- 

 pletion, when a large additional source of edible oil will 

 be available. In the meantime the trial cultivation of 

 this palm in other countries has been attended with re- 

 markable success, the growth of the palm in plantations 

 having been entirely satisfactory and furnished yields of 

 oil which exceed those given by the wild palm in West 

 Africa. The Dutch East Indies, where large plantations 

 have been made, and also British Malaya, where similar 

 enterprise has been shown, may before long be formidable 

 rivals to West Africa in the production of palm kernels 

 and palm oil. The neglect in West Africa of the wild 

 trees, the imperfect methods followed in extracting the 

 palm oil, and the large number of palms unutilised are 

 questions which now need renewed attention, and in 

 fact the entire subject of the development of the palm- 

 oil industry in West Africa demands the most serious 



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