46 



It is satisfactory to note that in 1905,* less than five years after 

 its inception, the Revenue of the Department was : — 



" (a) For major forest produce (timber), £6,302 17 4 

 " (b) For minor forest produce (rubber), £653 10 



giving a total of £6,956 Is. 4d. against an expenditure during the 

 same period of £8,444. 



The position as regards Northern Nigeria is conveyed in the 

 following note communicated to the Director of Kew in May, 1907, 

 by Mr. W. R. Elliott, the Conservator of Forests :— " A piece of 

 Forest situated near Lokoja was declared a Forest Reserve and our 

 main efforts have been devoted so far to the propagation and 

 planting of the different rubbers, especially Funtumia elastica. 



" At the beginning of 1907 large nurseries of Funtumia were 

 formed, and later on over 100 acres of the Lokoja Reserve, which 

 is about 250 acres in extent, were planted up and the remainder 

 will be done this year. In addition to this 40 acres of forest were 

 planted up on the Guara river where we have a Reserve of over 

 100 square miles, and a further 40 acres in Dakino in the Bassa 

 province. The idea we are working on is to get the natives to 

 plant up the forest surrounding their towns and villages with 

 Funtumia. 



" Our Forest Reserve on the Guara river is full of splendid 

 mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) and ebony {Diospyros mespili- 

 f or mis), as well as many other valuable timber trees. By the 

 new Forestry Proclamation the cutting of these trees is forbidden 

 excepting under the supervision of the Forestry Department, and 

 it is hoped that a stop will be put to the cutting of the young 

 trees for firewood." 



Speaking generally of the forests, Mr. Elliott says :— " They are 

 mostly found in the provinces south of the Benue and Niger, 

 viz. : Illorin, Kabba, and Bassa ; in the Nassarawa province, which 

 is north of the Benue, and on the banks of some of the larger 

 rivers, such as the Niger, Benue, and the Guara. They do not 

 cover such enormous stretches as they do in the Niger delta, 

 and every effort should be made to preserve them. It is in 

 these southern provinces that I consider most useful work can 

 be done at once by the Forestry Department, and the formation 

 of reserves of both timber and rubber should be taken in hand."| 



The vacancy in the office of Conservator of Forests, owing to 

 Mr. Elliott's death in March, 1908, has been filled by the appoint- 

 ment of Mr. B. E. B. Shaw, formerly Assistant Conservator. The 

 latter post has been filled by the appointment of Mr. A. M. McKee. 



The Protection of the Forests and Forest Produce in Northern 

 Nigeria is now provided for in Proclamation No. 6, 1906, enacted 

 by the High Commissioner (Sir Frederick Lugard), which came 

 into operation on the 25th April, 1906. 



Col. Rep., Ann., No. 512, 1906, for 1905, p. 27. 

 Kew Bulletin, 1907, p. 248. 



