243 
that improvements in the yield might be arrived at by intensive 
cultivation and otherwise improving the whole agriculture of 
the palm, so that it may be systematically planted and culti- 
vated, as we would do with any crop at home. This, I 
understand, has already been tried, more particularly in the 
German Colonies. Though I have not myself been through 
the German Colonies, I am told by people who have gone there 
—and I have travelled in other palm-bearing Colonies, so I 
speak with some information on the matter—that where 
selected nuts or fruits have been planted, the palms from these 
nuts do not always strike true to the palm from which :!e 
seed has been obtained; in other words, it would appear a- if 
many of the so-called varieties of palms were “‘ sports ’”’ ratl.er 
than true varieties, and when the trees from these seeds are 
in their turn cropped it does not of necessity follow that the 
fruits collected from the newly planted trees are exactly of 
the type from which these were derived. Perhaps the Director 
has some further information on this subject which may clear 
some of the doubts that I have heard expressed on the question 
of whether the improvement of palm trees by selection of seed 
is possible. 
Another point which the author mentioned concerned the 
existence of free fatty acids in the palm oil as we get it to-day. 
It was a very common thing, as the Director has said, to 
obtain palm oil containing 20 per cent. of free fatty acid; but 
in the course of an extended experience in connection with 
palm oil I have found a considerable improvement in the 
quality of the palm oil which is being shipped to this country 
to-day. Formerly the palm oil which came from the Bona 
and Old Calabar districts contained 20 or 25 per cent., and 
sometimes as much as 30 per cent. of free fatty acid. That 
was an average applied to shipments extending over a number 
of years. But to-day a much more accurate general figure 
would be 15 to 17 per cent. Of course, I do not say that even 
now exceptional parcels might not run to 20 or even 25 per 
cent.; but if you take the average run of shipments coming 
from those countries to-day, you will find that 17 per cent. 
of fatty acid will more nearly express the figure. Lagos oils, 
which were formerly represented as the best, are decidedly 
worse in many casés than the better oils which are coming from 
Togo and Old Calabar; they are as good as the more frequently 
quoted ‘‘ Best quality Lagos,’’ so it would appear that the 
native is being awakened to a knowledge of the damage he 
does to his industry and his own product by defective methods 
of production; and it would also seem that our Government 
Departments of Agriculture are bringing points forward to 
the native which will result in his improving the quality of the 
