TOBACCO MAHOGANY AND EBONY 117 



Leather of West Africa," Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, 

 vol. vi. [1908], pp. 175-81 and vol. viii. [1910], pp. 402.) 



TOBACCO. Tobacco is produced near Ibadan, and 

 large quantities are sold in the King's market of that 

 town. It is probable that the curing qf the leaf is done 

 completely in the sun, as the prepared material is of a 

 rather light colour and has a mild flavour. The leaves 

 are apparently rather mixed, and old or immature ex- 

 amples are frequently included in the same grade. 



Experiments will be taken in hand with a view to the 

 improvement of the quality, but at present the local 

 demand is so great that there is little prospect of an 

 export trade becoming established. Recent work in Nyasa- 

 land has shown that good pipe smoking tobacco, suitable 

 for consumption in England, can be produced in Africa. 



SILK. The preparation of a silk yarn, carded and spun 

 from the boiled cocoons of wild silkworms, is a common 

 occupation of some of the women of Ibadan. The iden- 

 tity of the insects producing the silk has been determined 

 to be Anaphe infracta and A. venata, both of which form 

 congregated masses of cocoons. The yarn is of a brown 

 colour, and is woven with cotton into a cloth which 

 is called locally " Sanyan." It is much valued by the 

 natives on account of its durability. The silkworms 

 show some sign of becoming scarce owing to the utilisation 

 of the pupae as food. (See Bulletin of the Imperial In- 

 stitute, 1910, p. 150 ; 1916, p. 168 ; and 1920, p. 319.) 



COCONUTS. The preparation of copra is carried on 

 at Badagri, where a large coconut plantation exists. 

 Great alarm was recently caused to the proprietors 

 through the attack of a scale insect (Aspidiotus destructor), 

 which destroyed the leaves of a very large number of 

 trees. The advent of this pest was, however, quickly 

 followed by the vast multiplication of the numbers of 

 a species of large ladybird beetle, which soon checked 

 the spread of the scale. The directions issued by the 

 Forestry Department with regard to the means of 

 destroying the infected leaves also assisted in the exter- 

 mination of the blight. 



MAHOGANY AND EBONY. Among the valuable ex- 

 ported products from the country, mahogany and ebony 

 must be regarded as occupying an important place. The 

 largest proportion of the timbers exported to Europe 



