FORESTRY OF WEST AFRICA. 183 



Department of Agriculture became at all interested in 

 the subject of growing Indian jute upon American 

 soil. Seed was distributed in 1870, and experiments 

 conducted in the Southern States. The result has 

 shown that the plant can be profitably grown ' where- 

 ever in the Southern States there is a hot, damp 

 climate, and a moist soil of sandy clay or alluvial 

 mould,' " — conditions to be found at all the low-lying 

 sites bordering or adjacent to inland waterways in 

 West Africa. 



Tiliacecz is represented by Professor Oliver as an 

 extensive Order, especially abundant in the Tropics. 

 " The bark in many of these plants is very fibrous ; 

 even in the herbaceous species the fibre is important, 

 as in the case of 'jute,' the product of some species of 

 Corchorus. The same fibrous character is present 

 to a notable extent in the fruit of some species. Many 

 of them abound in mucilaginous juice." — Oliver's 

 ' Flora of Tropical Africa,' vol. i., p. 240. 



And on the Corchorus olitoriiis of this Order he 

 says : " Wild or cultivated as a pot herb in every 

 part of Tropical Africa, and also widely diffused 

 throughout the Tropics, extending even into Australia. 

 It varies considerably in stature, form of leaf, hairi- 

 ness, &c. The valuable fibre known 2.sjiite is derived 

 from this and allied species." 



In the consideration of the question of the develop- 

 ment of a more extended fibre export, I have been 

 enlightened much by the Report of the Commercial 



