84 THE GOLD COAST 



upon the body and arms as an adornment for women, 

 the resin imparting to the mixture a pleasant odour. 



FIELD CROPS. The soil throughout a large part of 

 the forest country is very fertile, and no difficulty is 

 experienced in producing sufficient crops for local needs 

 from a small area of ground. The usual method is to 

 cut down a piece of forest, leaving those trees which are 

 too large to be removed or burnt, or which may yield 

 one of the wild fruits which is appreciated. The stumps 

 and roots are not removed when only maize (Zea mays) 

 is intended to be grown, but are, to some extent, when 

 yams (Dioscorea sp.), or groundnuts (Arachis hypogea), 

 are to be cultivated. The cut " bush " is permitted to 

 dry in the sun for several weeks, when it is burned, and 

 the ashes are sometimes scattered over the land. For 

 plantations of maize, the soil is only turned up at the 

 spots where the seed is to be put in, and very little culti- 

 vation is given for the remainder of the year, although 

 weeding and earthing up are resorted to in a few places. 

 For the cultivation of yams or groundnuts, the larger 

 roots are dug out, and the whole field is dug with small 

 hoes, the soil being scraped together into small mounds, 

 on the top of which the yams or groundnuts are planted. 

 In the case of the former, stakes are also put in, upon 

 which the yams are trained to grow. In addition to this 

 it is usual, in most places, to plant maize upon the sides 

 of the mounds, and okra (Hibiscus esculentus) and peppers 

 (Capsicum sp.) in various parts of the field. Guinea 

 corn (Sorghum vulgare) is rarely seen within the forest 

 limits. Between the mounds, at wide intervals, plan- 

 tains (Musa sapientum) are generally grown, and occupy 

 the ground after all the other crops have been removed. 

 In the country near the coast, as well as in the Volta 

 district, cassava (Manihot utilissima) is a common terminal 

 crop, although it is not frequently grown in Ashanti. 

 The length of time during which the land usually con- 

 tinues to yield a grain or root crop, of the kinds above 

 mentioned, seems limited to about three years. Koko 

 yams (Colocasia antiquorum) are planted in damp places 

 near the villages or beside streams, and, in the Volta 

 district, sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are cultivated 

 to a small extent. Small gourds (Cucurbitacece) are 

 cultivated in the villages, but are not common, and 



