THE GAMBIA 21 
agreeable odour, is hard and heavy, weighing 45} Ib. per cubic foot. 
It turned and polished well, sawed very easily, but was difficult to 
plane; planing left a smooth, bright surface. 
Mahogany (Khaya Senegalensis) may be looked upon as inferior 
baywood, the wood light in colour, of poor figure, hard to plane, but 
when planed leaves the surface bright and woolly in alternate bands ; 
very cross grained, sawed and turned easily. Weight, 414 lb. per 
cubic foot. Should be very useful locally, but probably not of sufficient 
value for much export trade. 
Even in this comparatively small colony a certain amount of 
forest land should be preserved, more especially that which is 
unsuitable for agriculture. In every country there is always some 
poor or rocky land which is not favourable to the growing of 
agricultural crops. 
The oil palm is another useful tree, which yields the well-known 
palm oil and kernels; however, here the oil is required locally for 
alimentary purposes, and therefore only the palm kernels are 
exported. 
The following shows the exports for five years: 
Year. Tons. £ s. d. 
1910... ie .. 467 .. 5,640 0 0 
1911. i -» 443 .. 4,756 0 0 
1912. ba .. 445 ., 6,518 0 0 
1913. is -» 545 .. 9,026 0 0 
1914. tists - «6 4942 ws 7,814.17 11 
It will be noticed that the very high prices ruling for part of 1913 
and the beginning of 1914 had the effect of causing increased exports 
to be made. 
Here, as in the case of other products, planting could be under- 
taken with advantage, as the yield of kernels and oil is good; even if 
the increased amount of oil produced was sold locally, the increased 
output of kernels would find a market in England, where they are 
needed. 
It is a tree which allows cultivation of field crops to be made 
between the oil palms for several years before the palms become 
too big and shut out the light necessary for field crops. In the 
drier climate of the Gambia a planting distance of probably 16 feet 
would be sufficient to ensure a good yield, and yet give sufficient 
distance between the trees to allow room for them even when 
mature. 
Tf an Agricultural or Forest Department, which at present does 
not exist in the Gambia, could not supply young seedlings or nuts 
for planting, one of the trading firms could secure them from one 
of the other West Coast Protectorates. Of course, in many cases, 
