322 
THE ROYAL GARDENS, KEW, TO COLONIAL OFFICE. 
Royal Gardens, Kew, 
January 13th, 1896. 
SIR, 
I HAVE the honour to inform you of the receipt of a letter 
m the Sierra Leone Government of December 18th, advising 
the despatch of a case containing dried specimens and seeds of the 
amoot ce 
2. ns of the former we were at once able to identify - ine 
Portada: bilip račia; the “ Butter and Tallow tree” of 
Leone, which was first described in the year 1824 by Mr. iida 
Sabine in the Transactions of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
He says “the yellow greasy juice . . . isgiven out copiously 
when the fruit is cut or opened, . . . it is not, however, 
much used by the settlers on account of a strong turpent ine 
flavour which belongs to it; this juice is more abundant in the 
seeds than in any other part of the frui 
3. As far as I know the seeds have eie been introduced into 
commerce as a source of oil. But I can see no reason why, 
the tree is abundant in the colony, they og ngs not E utilised. For 
this purpose the best plan would be induce some oil-seed 
crusher at Liverpool to give them an experimenta trial, and to 
consi 
4. Probably Messrs. James Samuelson & foem Ltd., Scottish 
Chambers, 48 Castle Street, Livestiodh would be willing to take 
the matter in hand. 
I have, etc., 
(Signed) W. T. MES 
ector 
The Hon. Sir Robert "usi KCB. 
Colonial Offi 
Do Bots Street, S.W. 
CURATOR, BOTANIC STATION, SIERRA LEONE, TO ROYAL 
GARDENS, KEW 
Botanical Station, Sierra Leone, 
4th April, 1896. 
SIR, 
I HAVE the honour to forward by this mail steamer, a box 
containing Tes of Pentadesma butyracea, the butter and tallow 
tree of Sierra Leone. 
* * aE Li * 
I am going. to procure a further quantity of seeds of the “ butter 
tree,” for the experiment as to their oil value which vm suggested 
in your letter of January 13th last, to the Colonial O 
The native tribes around here ce agp an oil item. the seeds 
and use it for cooking in the way as they do palm-oil. 
I have been informed by some nod that they prefer it to palm- 
oil on account of its better flavour. The season for the seeds is 
March and April. Then the natives prepare and store a sufficient 
aeey of the oil to last until the next season, The oil is 
