14 



mouths ago we had a visit from Dr. Fairohild, the Agricultural 

 Explorer for the United States Department of Agriculture. He 

 has visited many countries, and at his request we have sent 

 seeds of different plants to him for the Department. A short 

 time ago I had a letter from the Chief of the Bureau of Forestry 

 in Manila, asking for a few plants of the pineapple commonly 

 grown here, and he said : " During a recent visit to the United 

 States I had a conversation with Dr. D. Fairchild concerning 

 the best variety of pineapple to introduce into the Phillipine 

 Islands, he tells me he believes the Natal pineapple to be the 

 best." As Dr. Fairchild has travelled extensively, and with the 

 object of obtaining useful and economic plants for use in the 

 States his opinion should carry some- weight. 



Khaya senegalensis (A. Juss) — Some years ago I received at 

 different times from Dr. Thompson, of Mount Silinda, Gazaland, 

 seeds of some of the plants growing in his vicinity, but as the 

 native names only were given I was unable to identify them, 

 Amongst them were seeds of a tree said to yield a valuable tim- 

 ber, of this species plants were reared. During the past year I 

 received from Mr. Swymerton, a neighbour of Dr. Thompson's, 

 first leaves, and then flowers of this species, which on examina- 

 tion proved the tree to be Khaya senegalensis. In 1899 two of 

 the plants were put out in the Garden. One of them is now 16 

 to 18 feet high, the other a little under that height, and both are 

 healthy. The " Kew Bulletin " of 1890 says of this tree : - 



" Gambia Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis, A. Juss). — A 

 timber under the name of West African mahogany has 

 lately come into the English market, and enquiry has been 

 made at Kew respecting the tree yielding it. In the first 

 instance application was made to His Honour Gilbert T. 

 Carter, C.M.G., Administrator of the Gambia, who very 

 obligingly forwarded specimens of leaves, fruit, and timber 

 of what is known as Gambia mahogany. These specimens 

 were determined by Professor Oliver, F.R.S., as yielded by 

 Khaya senegalensis, A. Juss (Flora of Tropical Africa, vol. I., 

 p. 338) 



"This is a large forest tree with 4 to 10 foliolate leaves 

 and coriaceous sub-opposite or alternate leaflets. The 

 panicles are shorter than, or nearly equalling the leaves 

 with ascending or spreading lateral branches decreasing 

 in length from below. The fruit somewhat resembles that 

 of the true mahogany, and consists of a woody pericarp, 

 separating from above in four valves, enclosing numerous 

 flat winged seeds arranged in two rows. A good figure is 

 given by Guillemin and Perottet in Fl. Senegambia 

 (1830-33), t. 32. These authors afford the following par- 

 ticulars : 'This tree is one of the largest and most beautiful 



