Imperial Institute Handbooks The Agricultural and Forest Products of British West Africa

Abstract

SINCE the first edition of this handbook appeared in 1911 many changes have taken place. The development of British West Africa has experienced a serious set-back through the occurrence of the war, but useful lessons have been learned and many subjects have come forward or called for increased attention. The cultivation of cotton has been shown to be successful and profitable in Nigeria, in the northern provinces great progress has been made in perfecting a cotton originally grown from “American Upland” seed, while the southern provinces have produced increasing quantities of an improved native cotton of the type of “Middling American.” The products of the oil palm and especially the kernel of the nut have been in increased demand for edible purposes, but improved methods of extraction are still awaited, and the successful cultivation of the oil palm in the Dutch East Indies and British Malaya threatens to rival the industry in West Africa. Successful plantations of Para rubber have been established in Nigeria and in the Gold Coast, and the latter has become the chief cocoa producer of the world. The extension and improvement of the Agricultural Departments will be a factor in developing the possibilities of the various territories in West Africa for which Great Britain is now responsible. The handbook will serve as a guide to all who seek information on the agricultural and forest products of British West Africa.

Imperial Institute Handbooks. The Agricultural and Forest Products of British West Africa.

By Gerald C. Dudgeon Second edition. Pp. xii + 176 + plates. (London: J. Murray, 1922.) 7s. 6d. net.