238 



TREES. 



paper than straw, esparto or wood pulp, and its 

 superiority to other African basts, has been ac- 

 knowledged in England. 1 The Mpingo (Dalbergia 

 Melanoxylum) gives a purple timber, not a little 

 like rosewood. The c African oak,' a species of 

 teak, is reported to exist; but this tree does 

 not extend far north of Mozambique. The 'P'hun' 

 is a stately growth, whose noble shaft, often 80 

 feet high, springs without knot or branch, till 

 its head expands into a mighty parachute. It 

 is more ornamental than useful, — the wood is soft, 

 full of sap, like our summer timber, and subject 

 to white ants. In these hot, wet, and windy 

 tropical regions some trees, especially those 

 without gum or resinous sap, grow too fast, and 

 are liable to rot, whilst others take many 

 years to mature, and are almost unmanageably 

 hard and heavy. Hence we have had timber- 

 cutting establishments set up by our Govern- 

 ment at a large expense in the Brazil and in 

 West Africa, but the produce never paid the 

 voyage to England. 



1 According to my friend Mr P. L. Simmonds (The Journal 

 of Applied Science) this bast fetches readily £14 to £15 per ton, 

 and' although the paper makers will buy any quantity brought 

 to market, it is to be regretted that they will offer no combined 

 assistance to facilitate the obtaining larger supplies of this im- 

 portant product.' 



