256 
essrs. Heckel and Schlagdenhauffen state that— 
“The collection [of the crop] is conducted with great care, and is 
eed fr 
e by women e seeds are removed from the husk and freed from 
the Sn AY In order to con their value among the negroes it is 
necessary to keep them in a fit state and in good condition. “They are, 
therefore, ie ully picked over, all damaged and worm-eaten seeds 
being removed, and the sound mods are then n placed in lar ‘ge baskets, 
made of bark and lined with ‘bal’ leaves (Sterculia acuminata, Car., 
or S. heterophylla, Beauv.?), the seeds are heaped up, and then 
covered over with more ‘bal’ leaves, which, by their thickness, 
resistance, and dimensions, contribute not a little to the preservation of 
the seeds by keane them from contact with dry air. Packed in this 
manner the seeds can be transported considerable diiliapeos remaining . 
free from soak for de a month, during which time it is not neces- 
sary to submit them to any treatment in order to ame them fresh 
beyond keeping the ‘bal’ leaves moist. But if it be desired to keep 
them beyond that time the ers of picking and re-packing have 
to be repeated about every 30 days; the seeds being washed in fresh 
water and fresh ‘bal’ leaves placed in the baskets, The baskets usually 
contain about 3 ewts. of seeds. It is in this condition the * kola’ is sent 
iuto er and Goree, where the principal dealings in the seeds are 
carried o 
“Tn Gambia they are sold in the fresh state to merchants travelling 
caravans into the interior, who dry them in the sun and reduce 
them to a fine powder, whieh is «€ dy with milk and honey, by 
the tribes of the interior to make agreeable, stimulating, and 
nourishing beverage. It most fr ol arrives at Sokota and Kouka 
in the Soudan and Timbuctoo, where large sales of the seeds are made 
in the fresh condition; from the Soudan markets it is carried by eara- 
vans to Tripoli, and from Timbuctoo into Morocco. As might be 
a the value of the kola increases as it makes its way into the 
rica, and some of the tribes furthest removed from the sea 
irm for the dry powder with an equal weight of gold dust." 
— The chemical composition of cola nuts has also been very fully 
worked out by Heckel and Sehlagdenhauffen. They give the results as 
1 e . s 1 
1'618 per cent. These results differ in some respects from those already 
quoted as obtained by — and cuperem in the recognition of the 
presence of ne and tannin. e proportion of caffeine is 
T" than that wsd in any coffee or, except in rare instances, in 
ea. 
oe die tetie value of cola nuts is no doubt primarily due to the 
caffeine contained in them. The presence of theobromine indicates 
their jiii with cacao, er hey are also connected by botanical 
affinities, as both Cola and Theobroma belong to the same natural order, 
Sterculiacea. e smal quantity of tannin (which approximates to 
eaffeo-tannic acid in i ts composition) contained in cola nuts as com- 
pared with tea and coffee, may be an advantage from a dietetic point 
of view, as also the absence of the large proportion of fat which 
it is necessary to remove oe cacao beans during the process of 
manufacture. 
: These circumstances have naturally suggested the use of cola nuts as 
a beverage substance, and efforts have been made during the last few 
years to prepare from them products similar to Pee € the dry 
. powdered cocoa of commerce. The use of còla nuts a beverage 
Substance was apparently well known in the West ladies: for some time 
