THE NIGERIAN TIMBER TREES 255 
good, and in suitable localities it tends to spread more and 
more with the advance of the native farms into the forest. 
It stands transplanting very badly. Nursery sowings, however, 
show an enormous percentage of germination, the seedlings 
often coming up more thickly than grass. The ground pig eats 
the roots of transplanted seedlings, especially in localities where 
there are less desirable trees. It will grow as much as 6 feet 
in one year, and wherever it has much light in the forest, self- 
sown seedlings will grow 3 or 4 feet each year. The leaves 
are attacked by a minute coccus which causes them to 
swell up into an irregular shape, including the bud, thus stop- 
ping the growth for that season. Inside each of these swellings 
there are several of the young insects. Only the younger 
trees are attacked, and from the pole stage onwards trees do 
not appear to suffer nearly so much. In localities, too, where 
the trees grow very rapidly they appear to be less attacked, 
if at all. It is not very susceptible to fire, though in the mixed 
deciduous the base of the stem is often burnt. It.is one of 
the most storm-firm of all the African trees. The bole is very 
cylindrical, especially if the tree which has been growing in 
the forest is given plenty of space to grow. The increment 
put on the bole is very great, being as much as 11 inches in 
circumference in one year. 
In 1906 sample logs of this timber were sold in the Liver- 
pool market as Iroko at 5d. per superficial foot, sale measure. 
Since that date it has been sold as African Oak and African 
Teak at a similar price, and appears now to be fairly well 
established in the market. As there are large supplies in many 
districts, such as the Yoruba country, Onitsha, Ahoada and 
Ogoja districts, there should be no difficulty in keeping the 
market supplied with moderate quantities year by year, at 
perhaps, though, slightly increasing costs. Locally the tree 
has been felled and sawn up for planks, scantlings, rafters, 
beams and general constructional work. By the Railway 
Administration it has thus far been considered the best wood 
for sleepers. Amongst the natives it is often worth more than 
it is to the European, the price varying from half a crown 
to 4s. 6d. per cubic foot for sawn boards 12 feet long, 12 inches 
wide and 1 inch thick. 
Native Use.—The most valued of all woods for wall-plates 
and door lintels, treasure-boxes, washing-basins for chiefs. 
Doors, too, are made of it in Benin. Women place little pieces 
of chalk, yams, plantains, cowries, coco yams at the base of 
the tree, and it is said they will be blessed with children. Chiefs 
sacrifice a goat with a mat and a fine white cloth to propitiate 
