770 



with 



of the grain) has produced a good quality gas (Bull. Bur. Agric. 

 Inst. Rome, ii. 1911, p. 2313). 



Various samples of maize from the Southern Provinces, 

 Nigeria, were reported (1917) on as suitable for export to the 



United Kingdom, and, if in good condition, for human consump- 



tion, as a feeding stuff for animals, and also for the production of 

 alcohol. The varieties included " Lagos White Maize/' '' Lagos 

 Maize (Yellow)," '* Native Flour Corn from Badagry " (white), 

 " Laguna " (white), '' Garrick Prohfic " (white), *' Natal Maize " 

 Cwhite), ^'St. Charles" (white), "Creole" (dark yellow), and 

 three " Selected "—119, white; 120, white and 165, dark yellow 

 grain, all of which are recommended for cultivation. The 

 commercial valuation of the grain, c;ii. in London (Aug. 1917) 

 was from 755. — 805. per quarter of 480 lb. Locally all the 

 varieties were found to give satisfactory results for *' agidi " 

 makers in Ibadan, the white grain being preferred (Johnson, 

 Ann. Rep. Dept. Agric. 1917, pp. 5-7; Trade Suppl. Nig. Gaz. 

 Nov. 29th, 1917, p. 134). 



similar to that 



more moisture. 



seed sown in April 



of Sorghum ; though maize as a rule req 

 Maize planted in the usual native fashior 



on ridges 6 ft, apart — w^as ready for reaping in August, and, for" 

 comparison, Guinea corn sown in May on one side of such ridge, 

 BO that the two crops grew together, was not ready for harvesting 

 until December (Thornton, Exp. Farm, Ilorin, Ann. Rep. Agric. 

 Pept. N. Prov. 1917, p. 13). It is generally well-known 

 throughout the tropics and sub-tropics. British West Africa 

 is one of the chief sources of supply, which in 1913 amounted 

 to 55,053,547 centals from all sources, including Argentine, 

 United States, Russia, Roumania, Canada, British India, [B.W. 

 Africa], British South Africa, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, 



(K 



There are so many varieties 



under cultivation that it would not be possible to even enumerate 

 them here— they include "Field Corn," "Sweet Corn," and 

 "Pop Corn," of which there are 461, 352 and 54 varieties 

 respectively, enumerated as grown, in America (Tracy, U.S. 

 Dept. Agric. Bureau of PI. Industry, Bull. No. 21, 1903, 

 pp. 134-164). Improvements by selection and hybridisation 

 are constantly being made by the various Agricultural Depart- 

 ments in the Colonies, and this together with the use of modern 

 machinery for sowing, shelhng, storing, etc., as indicated in the 

 following references, has placed the industry on a sound footing 

 everjrwhere. 



Experiments in hybridising were started at Ajugi Farm, 

 Ilorin (1913), with "Hickory King" and a native variety 

 ^Thornton, Ann. Rep. Dept. Agric. N. Nig. 1913, p. 14). In 1917, 

 Hickory King" was reported to have met with great favour 

 from the native farmers in Ilorin, two hundred having been 

 supplied with seed, and by 1&19 it was expected that the cultiva- 



te 



