90 THE GOLD COAST 



the so-called " oil " obtained was at one time shipped 

 from Northern Nigeria under the name of African 

 Balsam of Copaiba. It is used in the Northern Territories 

 for lighting purposes, as well as medicinally. The tree 

 yields a handsomely grained timber. (Cf. Bull. Imp. 

 Inst., 1915.) 



SHEA BUTTER. A tree known botanically as Butyro- 

 spermum Parkii bears a fruit, from the kernel of 

 which this valuable vegetable fat is procured. The 

 fat forms the cooking oil of the ultra-forest country, 

 taking the place of palm oil in this respect. The mode 

 of preparation in the Northern Territories is, doubtless, 

 similar to that employed in Northern Nigeria. The pre- 

 pared butter is one of the products carried by the Haussa 

 traders, who visit Ashanti for the purpose of purchasing 

 kola, and is much appreciated in Kumassi, where it 

 obtains a high price. A small quantity is carried down 

 the Volta river by the canoes which bring salt from 

 Adda to Yeji and Daboya. An analysis made at the 

 Imperial Institute of Shea butter from the Northern 

 Territories showed that the material is in no way inferior 

 to the better-known " Shea butter " of Northern Nigeria. 

 Cf . Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, vol. vi. (1908), p. 370. 



RUBBER. Recently some species of Landolphia were 

 found growing in the district of Wa and elsewhere, and, 

 upon examination, one of these proved to be L. owariensis, 

 P. Beauv. This was at first thought to occur plentifully, 

 and to assume the underground habits of L. Thollonii, 

 one of the most important sources of root or rhizome 

 rubber in the Congo. Specimens, which were found 

 growing near the south bank of the Black Volta river, 

 in grass land, exhibited a trailing form of growth owing 

 to the absence of supporting trees, but, although the 

 plants were probably dwarfed by the annual grass fires, 

 no development of root growth was observed in excess 

 of that ordinarily produced within the forests. The plant 

 is now reported to occur rather rarely in the Northern 

 Territories ; another nearly allied, though useless, species 

 having been mistaken for it. 



DYES. For dyeing the yarn made from the native 

 cotton, indigo is made from a species of Indigo / era, or 

 from the young leaves of Lonchocarpus cyanescens, but 

 the process of preparation employed in this country has 

 jiot been carefully observed. It is ? however, probably 



