FORESTRY OF WEST AFRICA. 163 



The main difficulty is in keeping the cola fresh, 

 which is locally done for the purposes of trade and 

 interior transport by means of large green leaves of 

 particular species of Sterculiaceae or Ficus, which are 

 used to line and cover the bly (native basket) in 

 which colas are kept. They are also preserved to 

 some small extent in cold water by travellers ; but 

 are as likely as not to ferment. By retailers, who incur 

 considerable risk in having to open many times their 

 bly — thus exposing somewhat each time to the atmo- 

 sphere the seeds — the practice is resorted to of freshen- 

 ing up the withered seeds by packing them in wet 

 chaff. They are thus at times enabled to deceive the 

 buyers. The cola is used much by the natives in the 

 Portuguese Possessions, where it is eaten with a small 

 piece of ginger in the morning, and according to 

 Monteiro — 



"A considerable quantity of cola was formerly 

 exported to Rio de Janeiro from Loanda, packed in 

 moist clay or earth to keep it fresh." 



This nut was recognised in Niam Niam by Schwein- 

 furth, whose surprise was aroused in seeing it in the 

 Monbuttoo country, where it grows wild and is called 

 by the natives "Nangweh," who are accustomed to 

 chew it in the intervals of their smoking. In Bomou, 

 as a spice it was worth its weight in silver. 



On it then Schweinfurth remarked : " I went on to 

 say that it confirmed my impression that the Welle 

 was identical with the river Baghirmy, called the 



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