Miscellaneous. 



144 



[February, 1910. 



Attention may also be drawn to an 

 interesting investigation which was 

 commenced during the year with a view 

 to determining the commercial possi- 

 bilities of the "wild silk " produced by 

 species of Anaphe in West and East 

 Africa. In this connection the Institute 

 had the advantage of the great know- 

 ledge of the late Sir Thomas Wardle, by 

 whose death the Institute has lost a 

 valuable referee on all matters connected 

 with silk. 



Another subject of much importance 

 to several Colonies is the production of 

 tobacco, and this has received con- 

 siderable attention during the year with 

 the help of the principal tobacco manu- 

 facturers in this country. The examin- 

 ation at the Imperial Institute of native, 

 and experimentally grown tobacco 

 having indicated the probability of the 

 success of tobacco cultivation in several 

 districts of West and East Africa, the 

 Government approved the recommend- 

 ation of the Director that a tobacco 

 expert should be appointed in order to 

 conduct systematic experiments and 

 afford advice in tobacco cultivation and 

 curing in Uganda and East Africa. In 

 both these countries, and especially in 

 the former the prospects of a tobacco 

 industry are very favourable. Mention 

 may also be made of the success which 

 has attended the growth of tobacco of 

 American and of Turkish type in Rho- 

 desia, and to the satisfactory indication 

 which have been obtained as to the pos- 

 sibility of successful tobacco cultivation 

 in Northern and Southern Nigeria and 

 in Sierra Leone. 



The improvement of the native 

 methods ot obtaining and preparing 

 " wild" rubber in West Africa has 

 been specially studied, and the question 

 as to the steps which should be taken 

 to secure the adoption of improved 

 methods is under consideration. If 

 better methods were adopted the com- 

 mercial value of West African rubber 

 would be more than doubled. 



One of the principal and most remu- 

 nerative industries in the coastal 

 regions of West Africa is the produc- 

 tion of palm oil, which has long been 

 conducted by the natives, who still 

 employ primitive and wasteful methods. 

 In view of the great demand in Europe 

 for this product, and the probability 

 that important uses can be found for 

 it if prepared in a better manner, an 

 investigation has been commenced at 

 the Imperial Institute in co-operation 

 with the Agricultural Departments of 

 the Colonies concerned with a view 

 to the improvement of this industry. 

 The quantity and quality of the oil 



furnished by the fruits and kernels of 

 the serveral varieties of oil palm which 

 occur in West Africa will be determined, 

 and steps will be taken to devise, if 

 possible, a suitable method for the 

 better preparation of the oil from the 

 fruits. 



In consequence of representations 

 made to the Imperial Institute by 

 manufacturing firms in this country and 

 abroad as to the increasing demand 

 for vegetable oils and fats suitable for 

 tho manufacture of butter substitutes, 

 a large number of new and little kuown 

 oil seeds have been investigated and 

 afterwards submitted to technical 

 trials by manufacturers. An investiga- 

 tion is being conducted for the Govern- 

 ment of India in connection with the 

 utilisation of* Indian cotton seed oil for 

 similar purposes, A special article sum- 

 marising the commercial possibilities 

 of a number of new and little-known 

 oil seeds has been printed in the "Bul- 

 letin of the Imperial Institute," Vol VI., 

 (1908), No. 4, pp. 353-380. 



The Inspector of Agriculture for 

 British West Africa (Mr. G. C. Dudgeon) 

 has rendered valuable service to the 

 Institute in collecting special inform- 

 ation and materials for investigation, 

 and also in directing local enquiries and 

 experimental work in the several West 

 African Colonies. The value of the 

 work of this officer will be greatly 

 enhanced when the Agricultural Depart- 

 ments now in process of organisation 

 are in operation, since these depart- 

 ments will provide the means for syste- 

 matic and continuous experimental work 

 in agriculture which is necessary for the 

 successful development of these Colonies. 



The economic resources of the Sey- 

 chelles have continued to receive con- 

 siderable attention, especially in connec- 

 tion with the vanilla industry, the 

 production of essential oils, and the 

 utilisation of canning materials. A sum- 

 mary of the more important investi- 

 gations conducted for the Seychelles 

 has been printed in the " Bulletin of the 

 Imperial Institute," Vol. VI (1908), No. 2, 

 pp. 107-126. 



In the subject of minerals much im- 

 portant work has been accomplished 

 during the year, especially through the 

 examination and commercial valuation 

 of the minerals collected during the 

 mineral surveys which are being con- 

 ducted in several Colonies in co-oper- 

 ation with the Imperial Institute. In 

 addition to the investigations for the 

 surveys in Ceylon, Northern Nigeria, 

 Southern Nigeria, and Nyasaland, which 

 have been in progress for some years, 



