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UNIVERSITY OF GHANALIBRARYmiPBOCEOJ


April, 19U6.


G 0 N I E H T S.ParagraphIntroduction 1War-time Agriculture I4.Post-war Policy 12PALM-OIL PRODUCTS 16Oil-Palm Research Station 22COCOA i : 3kSwollen Shoot Disease 38SOIL FERTILITYU2Mixed Farming i±8Unit Farms (North} ...... 52Unit Farms (South) 62Green Manuring 77Artificial Fertilizers 88Composts 100Soil Regeneration ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 105Soil Conservation 110LIVESTOCKCattle - Shika Stock Farm K * *' *'iBB 1 1 5Cattle - Ilorin Stock Farm 122Pigs . 12USheep and Goats 138Dairies1U0Cattle Fattening 12|6Pastures and Fodders 11$POSSIBLE EXPORT CROPSRice ;. 155Onions 160PotatoesI6J4Bananas , 169Spices 176OTHER CROPSCitrus . . . . . . . . . 1 7 9Sugar 186Soya Beans • *-^4L_ "199Cassava 208MISCELLANEOUSBiltong 212Dried Blood 213Bone Ash 219Grain Storage 220Oil-expression - Soap-making 22UProcessing Machinery 231Acknowledgments 233APPENDIX I - Itinerary,


' i , REPORT ON A VISIT TO NIGERIA,•i • NOVEMBER-DECEMBER i9U5- *• -:i ' • by•A. GRuJaJWOOB; Senior Specialist,-•INTRODUCTION,.I visited Nigeria luring November and Deo-ember,1945, with instructions to report on such ,pa-p*fi <strong>of</strong> theDepartment <strong>of</strong> Agriculture's recent work as woula^be-Qfinterest and instruction to ourselves in framing our plans<strong>of</strong> research and development. It was hoped that in matters<strong>of</strong> research we might be able to avoid the duplication <strong>of</strong>effort which has been an unfortunate feature <strong>of</strong> past workin the West African Colonies; that in developing internalmarkets each Colony should be aware <strong>of</strong> the work doue bythe other; and that there should be collusion in the productionand marketing <strong>of</strong> any product for which__there wasa ready place in the world market.2. A provisional itinerary was pce-pared by you,and submitted to the Director <strong>of</strong> Agriculture, Nigeria.This was elaborated by the Deputy Director, Ibadan, andthe Assistant Director, Zaria,- wro made full plans forthe edification and che entertainment <strong>of</strong> my wife andmyself. We should like to express our sincere appreciation<strong>of</strong> the courtesy and patience with which our questionswere answered, and <strong>of</strong> the fund, <strong>of</strong> hospitality <strong>of</strong>fered usby BO many members <strong>of</strong> the Department3. I arrived in Nigeria on November 21st and lefton December 30th; a detailed itinerary is attached asAppendix I- I had the good fortune to serve in Nigeriabetween*1927 and 1931 > and to have been a representative<strong>of</strong> the Gold Coast at the Third West African AgriculturalConference held in Nigeria in 1938. At this Conferencea very complete account <strong>of</strong> the work <strong>of</strong> the NigerianDepartment was rendereds and this rep: . is principallyconcerned with subsequent developn'-nts in the programme'then outlined,WARTIME AGRICULTURE,\\. Whilst it has been possible to continue most<strong>of</strong> the ma jc r i n v 1 o-o-Mons then projected, and to ins + i-tute others, e. go research into oil-palms, the main work<strong>of</strong> the Department since 1938 has necessarily been directedto the war effort; to the reduction <strong>of</strong> imports by increasedself-sufficiency in native foodotuffs; to the production<strong>of</strong> European foods for a white population greatlyenlarged by military operations; end to increased exports<strong>of</strong> commodities vital to war needs.5* These tasks have sat more lightly on theNigerian Department than on ourselves, Pre-war imports<strong>of</strong> food (1932.-36) for Nigeria's population <strong>of</strong> 20,600,000were <strong>of</strong> the order <strong>of</strong> £1,500,000 per annum. ' The Gold Coastwith a population <strong>of</strong> 3,80C,OCO, imparted over the sameperiod frod to the value <strong>of</strong> £1,200,000 per annum. (Thesefigures include- spirits and tobaco? whose consumption isroughly proportional to total food imports, e.g. 1932Nigeria /


Nigeria £526,00, Gold (JoaW . l t ounnotbe claimed that this differej^%- In S e l ?f-surf-Lciencv'Shas arisen by <strong>of</strong>ficial iju>t«-iion <strong>of</strong> pol i c v > nie_\v4Uiting the established trade in °il-P^»«* productsthe ma^cr agrdc^Itura^ exports <strong>of</strong> Nigeria \ groundimto}--and the $al£ Coast (coco-a) have been estabX.-..-hed bynative enterprise, and have wj.xed and waned L a .-.^vto the remuneration <strong>of</strong>fered by the merchants. Wjjhedegi*ee to which export crops have competed with " vfarming in the Wist African Colonies has been largelydetermined by the nature and extent <strong>of</strong> the agriculturalland which has been put into good communicationwith the ports,6. The drivefcr self-sufficiency was, however,much further advanced in 1938 in Nigeria than in theother West African Colonies; a fact to which -theLeverhulme Commission drew attention in their TechnicalReport (page 31). With the Departmental organisationexisting at the outbreak <strong>of</strong> war it was possible tomake rapid progress in the development <strong>of</strong> many essen-.tial foodstuffs; particularly outstanding in the case<strong>of</strong> rice. . ;7. Very complete investigations into thepotentialities <strong>of</strong> rice production had been begun in1938> and full advantage <strong>of</strong> the knowledge: acquiredwas taken in 191+0 when, by the issue cf tested varieties,production was greatly increased in the.established rico-growing areas <strong>of</strong> Sckoto, Bida,Ilorin and Abeokuta, and the crop was successfullyintroduced to many parts <strong>of</strong> the Southern and easternProvinces. Production in 194-0 was estimated at1+0,OOC tons, and imports in that year were 2,700 tonscompared with 7,300 tons in 1939 and 15,000 tons in1936. In his Production report for 19UU the'Director<strong>of</strong> Agriculture says"Rice-planting has been extendedto Oyo and Ondo. In other partsjf the Southern Provinces it hasacquired its own momentum and •requires little propaganda from us".Requisitions for Military use were about 1+.3G0tons in i9UU, and in 191+1 800 tons were exported tothe Gambia. Whilst the country would now appearself-supporting it has been decided that the export <strong>of</strong>rice shall not be fostered until there is clear evidencetnst the home market is saturated.8. With its large indigeneue cattle population,its varied climate and large agricultural community,Nigeria has been able to supply its European war-timepopulation with enviable quantities <strong>of</strong> dairy and gardenproduce (a paradise clouded, in the opinion <strong>of</strong> someNigerians, only by the absence <strong>of</strong> an investigationalcentre such as the Accra Brewery). The development,<strong>of</strong> some commodities has reached a stage when export ispossible, and the import <strong>of</strong> Nigerian potatoes, onions,possibly .dairy-p^c"duc^, into other Jest African Coloniesmerits /


merits serious consideration in any scheme for theirunified development.9, Some war-time projects in European supply,Such as the Northern dairies, piggeries and sugarproduction, can be readily diverted to' improving thestandard <strong>of</strong> health <strong>of</strong> the African, Thereare,however, enterprises like the Southerh dairies andthe Age^e Stock Fattening Scheme-whose place in thepost-war programme cannot be decided without furtherexperiment under normal trade•conditions,10- Nigeria's major export crops, palm-oil,palm-kernels and groundnuts, were, <strong>of</strong> course, amongstwar priorities, and the maintenance <strong>of</strong> the pre-warvolume <strong>of</strong> exports has involved the Department notonly in considerable propaganda but;.-in essays infoodstuffs distribution and price stabilisation toprevent the producers <strong>of</strong> essential exports being luredfrom their task by the prospect <strong>of</strong> greater remunerationin fsod-farming. How successful these efforts weremay be judged by the Produce Inspection figures for1937-8 end 1941-2,Yea r Palm Oil Palm Kernels, Groundnuts.tons tons , .. tons.- .1937-8 129,162 282,9U7 207,391+1941-2 147,678 344,826 ; 239,309, 11. In company with the other. West African Colonies,Nigeria*has been called on to produce rubber, caster oilend other vital supplies, and the Department' is-to becongratulated on the results achieved. Our own Departmentowes a debt <strong>of</strong> gratitude to the late Director <strong>of</strong>Agriculture, Nigeria-, Cept. J,R. Mackie, who was the first,amongst th-e critics <strong>of</strong> this country/'.s early war efforts,to point out that in Nigeria war production'was shoulderedby a European staff <strong>of</strong> .58' (excluding Marketings .-; -..Officers) alii <strong>of</strong> whom, were exempt from combatant- 'service,whereas in the Gold Coast'ihe'available European staffwas 231 no less tftan 1.4 <strong>of</strong> Its ; abler members being onactive,service during the more vital years <strong>of</strong> production.POST-WAR POLICY. .; •. "...12. I-discussed'With the Director <strong>of</strong> Agriculturethe major aspects <strong>of</strong> 0H- n own post—war policy, which, areto safeguard such export crops as yie now possess, toaim for a greater degree <strong>of</strong> self-sufficiency i * fo^din respect both <strong>of</strong> quantity and nutritive quality, andto develop particularly such crops as coconuts, groundnutsand rice which will have potentiality as exportsonce the acute local demand is satisfied. .13. Mr,. Beattie sadd he was in cordial agreementwith %his policy, which was t&at: <strong>of</strong> .his predecessor, whoin'his-Annual Report' for i3^3 &aye--r~-.


1."The experience <strong>of</strong> the last yearor two tends to confirm that, in t.ia country cf the e;Lze cf Nigeria,with its diversity <strong>of</strong> eoil and . .•climate, the best results arecbtained by going all out for •, .•,!„ the maximum production <strong>of</strong> all• crops, and the retention <strong>of</strong> aproper balance between the cropsproduced for export and those. required.for local consumption,rather than by concentrating entirelyon one or two export crops.... •Our insistence on the need forfull experimental pro<strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong> thesoundness <strong>of</strong> the advice <strong>of</strong>fered •, to farmers and the resultant somewhatslow tempo «<strong>of</strong> our extensionwork, have recently been severelycriticised. Recent experience inproduction drives end the comparativefailure <strong>of</strong> more spectacularmethods have more than justified 1. this policy". I.11+. The programme for the agricultural development<strong>of</strong> Nigeria had not been announced at the time <strong>of</strong> my visit.A meeting <strong>of</strong> the Development Committee took place inDecember, but my request to be allowed to attend was notentertained with the seriousness which I thought it tomerit. Its findings will no doubt reach you throughmore formal channels. The Development Secretary,Mr. P. E. V. Smith,, very kindly discussed with me the prospectscf resuming the export <strong>of</strong> bananas from the GoldCoast and the extent to which this trade could be linkedwith the Cameroons 1 exports.15« The Nigerian Department is understaffed, thoughto a considerably less degree than ourselves, and recentcommittcentB have spread its personnel over a muoh widerradius than heret<strong>of</strong>ore. Unless the staff can bestrengthened, or its communication lines shortened, thereappears to be imminent danger <strong>of</strong> a constant migration<strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficers from one station to another. I make thisobservation with affectionate memories <strong>of</strong> the'solidarity<strong>of</strong> the pre-war Nigerian stations and with experience <strong>of</strong>the discontent which has been roused both in the Departmentand in .the farming community by the f i-equent, ohangesin personnel which were a pre-war feature <strong>of</strong> mostGold Gtast stations.PAJL.M-QIL PRODUCTS.Palm-oil and palm kernels still rank togetheras Nigeria's major agricultural export; shipmentsaveraged 11+0,000 and 350,000 tons per annum respectivelybetween 1934 a nd 1939. The values cf the principalexports were in 1937 s- Palm-oil £2,1+00,000 : Kernels£3,600,000 : Groundnuts £i+,OO0,000 : Cccoa £3,600,000,end in 1938 :- Palm-oil £979,000 : Kernels £2,191.000 !Groundnuts £1,300,000 : Cccoa £1,500,000.17. /


17* The Eastern Menace has loomed over the' 3 '' 1industry since the days <strong>of</strong> the First West Af rican > ;Conference (1927) when few <strong>of</strong> the delegates were- 7as sanguine as Mr. P.H. -Lamb/ who said "The •problem is whether low grade fruit and inefficient"methods <strong>of</strong> extraction with no overhead charges canexist in competition with high grade fruit and ve'ryefficient methods, but with high overhead charges'.2 ,Personally I believe they can," Mr. Lamb's pro-^"^pbecy, based on the increasing world 'consumptiori-Bfvegetable oils, has been fulfilled," a'nd- : a ^p&c'e^dn' 0 '' 5 "the market has been found both, for ^ama i tf i an so'ft• J bi!" n '^andj. at a considerable price discount, for Nigerian •'hard oil. ••


2T. i-t appears by nc meanp e-arttiin that the presentsystem <strong>of</strong> differentAoa Kra4ing will be ma-inta ined afterthe. war, and an effc rt to improve quality still furtherIs being made by the importation cf powers-driven mills.Twelve Nc.1 Pioneer Mills have been ordered, at a cost<strong>of</strong> £5,boC each, and the first is new being erected -atCkigwi. ,t.. '3r: '}'


7-A. Intercropping ; Benin Syfitern, G-r-•j?p.e&...2...yea-rs ;fajjj n» 7 - 9 yea re,B. Exhaustive Cropping- To be fallowed only-whenexhaust-ed.C. Weed cover. Cutlassed to knee height for directcomparison with leguminous coyer (E).D. Weed and bush cover. Establishment amongst regeneratedbushl Cutlassed ;nly once annually,at end rf rains, m addition to mulch effect• this appears to bo a good practice, as clearingtakes place at the time <strong>of</strong> maximum- sunlight,which oil-pa 1ms appear to relish.E. Standard practice. Leguminous cover. Pliers.riajavanica (slow growing) established throughfaster growing Calapcgonium.• Treatments A. 1940 yams- 1941 yams, 1942 fallow.B- 1940, 41, U2 Yamd 19U3 Early maize,cassava. 1944-45 cassava - replacedcoccyam October 1945-Nitrate Content. Highest under leguminous cover (E).Moisture Content. During dry season highest in D(significance doubtful ?).Costs. Lowest for D,: A and B not directly comparable: have proved most expensive despitesale <strong>of</strong> crops-Growth Rate. • Determined by count cf number <strong>of</strong> leavescn twe selections planted through area.Results are as yet tentative- Growth rateis sc far greatest cn cultivated plots A and B,and apparently greater under bush cover D thanunder leguminous cover E.26. Burning V. Non-burning, (FQ 2). 1940. - •' 2. Treatments j 7 Replicates?, Randomized :Plot Size i'acre s Determination <strong>of</strong> nitrate content,made by the Agricultural Chemist during 19^4 and 1945showed that nitrification was. despite very large plot-to—Plot variation, consistently (and probably significantly)higher on the hon-burnt plots-(Maximum values (March 1945) Non-burnt 22, r>urnt '16Minimum values (Oct.. 1944) Non-burnt Burnt 3parts per million nitric nitrogen.)27. Soil Covers (FQ. V, , iqa.3-9 Treatments ; 9 replicates : Plots 1/20th acre.Nine covers (i) Calapogcnium tli) Tephrbsia Candida (ill)Centrosema pubescens (iv) Centroaena plumieri (v) Puerariaavanica (vi) Weeds knee height (vti) Weeds untreatedviii) Elephant grass (ix) Acioa Barteri.Soil Covers /


Soil Gov.re (FQ 5H). 19UU-5 Treatments ; 9 replicates,(i) Wild canna (bidentata) (ii) Paeraria (3ij) AoioaBarteri ( iv) Clean weeding (v) Cassia alata.28. - Seed Testing. (FP). 191+1.Selected seed is planted cut for comparisonwith mixed seed from wild trees. Three methods <strong>of</strong> plantingare being tried (a) 3' x 3' x 3' planting hcles (b)ditto with heavy mulch in dry season (c) planting hcle3' square, 5' deep. Lower 2 ! feet <strong>of</strong> earth not replacedin hole, so that planting level is 2' below surface.This practice has been found (Sampson) successful withcoconuts in Ceylon in preventing subsequent baring <strong>of</strong> roots.29. Spacing Trials. Various Blocks. 120 acres. 191+2.6 Spacings : 12 replicates, Densities vary fram 22 to. - 111+ per acre.Triangular ( i) 21' ( ii) 25' (iii) 30' ( iv) 1+2'Square (v) 12' x 65' (vi) 21 f x 65' (vii) 30" x 65'(viii) 21 ' x 1+0 1 .Three covers (a) Elephant grass (b) Bush (c) Pueraria, areestablished. An estimate <strong>of</strong> the number <strong>of</strong> cattle thatcan be grazed on the covers is being made. Ultimatelythe area will be grazed and intercropped, using ploughs,between rows.Covers were planted in 191+2 t palms were planted in191+3, but wholesale replanting has been needed during 191+5.The reasons for such heavy failure are not fully known.Losses from bush-rats have been high, and every plant mustbe protected by a wire screen. Attempts to screen <strong>of</strong>fplots or portions <strong>of</strong> plots by stake hedge6 were not successful.30. Pcllina tion. The method <strong>of</strong> Hill and Mason (1925)modified by Smith (1929) has been further improved. Twcdays before they are judged about to- open male and 1 femaleflnwers are bagged after sterilisation with 1+ per cent formalin.Stout canvas bags with a celluloid observationwindow (or during war-time with a retractable corner) areused. ' The stem is trimmed and the Dag tied with its mouthfitting around a cotton-wool collar. Male flowers, whenfully open, are cut <strong>of</strong>f below the bag and- carried to thelaboratory, where the pollen is sifted and stored in smalltubes (selection) or Petri dishes (mass pollination) kept in0 desiccator. Female flowers are pollinated cne day beforethey appear receptive, and on the two succeeding days.Pollen is blown by an insufflator through a hole in thecelluloid window, which is then resealed by a plaster patch.Bags are left in position until all the stigmas are -withered(one to three weeks).!51. /


9"31. Breeding Programme,A- Improved. Seed for Farmers- Three types are beingpredueed frem mixed pollen from selected-trees(a) fpick-shelled k - ihicit shelled.. Primarilyfor kernel market, but parents selected fora high percentage <strong>of</strong> mesocarp.(b) Thick-shelled y. .Thin-shelled- A good all-roundtype* consisting <strong>of</strong> equal numbers <strong>of</strong> thick and,thin shelled:(o) Thick-shelled x. Pis ifera. Produces thin-shelledtype ("Congo 100 l /o ?) (Pis if era selfed = abortive.Thin-shelled faelfed = 25 Per cent pisifera).B* Uniform Seed for Experiments (Cultivations, etc ) Selfpollinatedthick shelled from selected trees.C. Studies in Inheritance, etc, Temporarily abandoned.The Ju-ju palm (var, id-latrica) with the inheritedcharacter <strong>of</strong> fused leaflets has promising uses indetermining the spread <strong>of</strong> pollen (cf, axil-spot incacar') .32< Germination. The problems <strong>of</strong> germination,so confounding that many <strong>of</strong> the older generation c:farmers still believe that the oil palm can be generatedonly by act <strong>of</strong> God, are far from selved. Aucbinleckand Waters (1927) reported that by soaking in warm waterfor a period <strong>of</strong> 7 days a germination <strong>of</strong> 80 p^r cent ln,>two to three months was obtained in Sumatra, in contrast jto the old rate <strong>of</strong> 60 per cent in 12 tc 11+ months : Barneshoped to improve this performance by evacuating the seedbefore wetting. The present syotem:in use at Benin hasgiven an average germination <strong>of</strong> only 50 per cent in 6 to9 months- The problem seems to call for an investigationcf the biochemical changes taking piece d'. ing ger^ na io" •,v, 4 +and rould appear sufficiently important to warrant theassistance <strong>of</strong> the Empire Products Research Council-'The method in use at O.P.K.S. is as follows ftJ,eeds are packed in charcoal in trays, • •8" x 13 V which hcid 600 tr.'in-sb«lledor 1+00 1 jin-ehelled seeds. . ihe traysare stacked in a series <strong>of</strong> ovens kepta t35 % IP.Q> by a wood fire. Aftersix weeks each tray is examined fortnightly,and seeds in which the plumuleis apparent are transferred toboxes from which thsy are removed tothe nursery in the eaKLy rsinsoji tb


trials with sterilized and non-sterilizedearths <strong>of</strong> different textures plus artificialand organic manures are in progress.,33 o Diseases.(a) Basal Rot, A root disease, not yet identifiedjwhich causes the loss <strong>of</strong> 50 per cent <strong>of</strong> nurseryseedlings during .the dry season,(b) Yellowing (Bronzing) Disease, Widespread :very prevalent at Nkwel'e. Yield falls,trees look sickly and eventually die,Nitrogen and phosphate treatments--provedineffective- Wood-ashes, at 90 lb, pertree, brought recovery within 12 months.Leaf analyses made for Messrs- U.A.G.suggested that plants suffered frompotassium deficiency. Application <strong>of</strong>30 lbs, sulphate <strong>of</strong> pc cash per tree hascaused two trees to recover in 12 months.q o o o A.(c) Lemon Frond. A bright yellow leaf discolorationapparently caused by swampy conditions,(d) Patch yellowing- Probably a fungoid diseasewhich produces on the leaves yellow patcheswhich drop out, leaving a vein net-work.34. Trinidad importations and progeny fro;.: « el ec tedNigerian seed are being tested, in conjunction with speotngtrials ( at the Departmental cocoa farms at I.N.A. (Ibadan)and Owena (Oildo) The necessity for preserving thesestrains, selected from 1931 onwards, wac enhanced when thediscovery <strong>of</strong> Swollen Shoot disease made the Scheme (1938"'for their multiplication' at Tafo for re-issue to Nigeriatemporarily infeasible. _JS^ ]35. Difficulty in establishing cocoa has been experiencedat both Stations s unsuitable soil conditions haveadded to the havoc wrought by oepsidsa At Owena, establishedin 1933 on the crest <strong>of</strong> a hill, replacements are stillneeded on account <strong>of</strong> the closeness <strong>of</strong> parent reck to- thesurface, which has involved considerable juggling with theoriginal planting holes. At I.r.A,, on the other hand,failure has been ascribed to planting on a slope with aooyer <strong>of</strong> transported sandy soil so deep that the moisturerequirements <strong>of</strong> cocoa cannot be satisfita. This findinghas been apparently justified by success in planting ona second area at the summit <strong>of</strong> the slope, where rootscan more quickly reach the clay horizon overlying parentrock. There are, however, some hearty survivors in theoriginal area, and ottn.r factors in establishment may alsohave been involved. Some recent supplios were sufferingfrom very acute iron chlorosis.36. /


36f At Owena Belect ion T3.8« a very robust performerir. the First Progeny Trial at Tafo, has shown the greatestpromise; 'it is being'multiplied at I,N«A for issue duringthe re-planting <strong>of</strong> areas bleared <strong>of</strong> Swollen Shootdisease Spacing trials from 8' x 6 ' to 1.5 : X 1; hS7o so fpointed to the advantage <strong>of</strong> close planting:'- 1r 37„ in 1945 an Entomologist from t&e West AfricanCacao Research Institute was attached to Owena to studycaps id problems Counts <strong>of</strong> D» theobroma and S- s^n;:,ula risare made or. five days cf the week by collectors workinga circle <strong>of</strong> 3 miles radius.. Collections are also madedaily on the Station cccoa. A sharp rise in the relativepercentage <strong>of</strong> D> theobroma in the latter collections ledto the discovery that t):3tantiella 'was feeding on citrus,whiah thus provided a reservoir for re-infestation if thePicked cocoa. Work on the host plants <strong>of</strong> both catsidsis in progress in the field end on petted, plants- Interestingrecordt jf parasitism i nd hype rpa res it ism are beingobtained from dissections, made twice weekly, <strong>of</strong> collections<strong>of</strong> Sahib erg el la, in three grewth-stages, end cf tho extractedEuohorus larvae. 3reeding trials and life-history studiescf the parasite Bap bo rus sanlbcrgel- . and the hype rpa rasiteUocbo rus- melano the rax are being toac r e-33- • Swcien Shoot .disease- ' Within a few months <strong>of</strong>the completion <strong>of</strong> the West -African Cacao Research Institutetraining course for Nigerian surveyors, Swollen Shoot diseasewas discovered in November, 944J at Egbeda, i3 mileseast <strong>of</strong> Ibadan-; .. This "outbreak is too largest yet disclosedand covers a triangle (EgbeJa~3&deku-.-Gbedun) with sides 2miles lorig. -a small infected a rea . ' Iware-jOIanj.a , was discoverednorth <strong>of</strong> Egbeda m January i945> wailso a thirdsmell area was found at Oda-Ona., south <strong>of</strong> Ibado:a;, in September19U5 At the on! <strong>of</strong> November. 1945 mfec tion'had beenfound in 2? 2 farms covering 317 acres- the affectec. treePopulation was estimated s^^^roTOOOc y^fesjtWgggae had notbeen discovered [outside Cyo Province:'VsJ_- ' ''I. ^^— *~1'"-'.39'. ' - i' visrte^lS^^^.b.'ribreaks a.t Qda-cta where infectionlw'a"s- itghjt and thS' hufslTu Of the t'^eesjiot yet .s^rir.ualyimpaired, and at Pas-hadfe-Badeku,, Here there has been progressivedie'oack since the outbreak was discovered- Onefarm (12/IV/14),, planned;. in,'. 1.922, had obviously been affectedfor many years* H'he.rje , were; few, surviving trees and from,1the' poor quality <strong>of</strong> 'sbbondary growth it .appeared unlikely1tho t Ooc-oa. cpuid bb 'sue'e essf uily • re-es tablished. ' Therewas a 'multiplicity <strong>of</strong> mbsai'c patterns, including voinc'learing and frosting, pin- pricks ' and' pa tch-clua r ing; onefarm (12/IV/24) containing no dead trees had a number <strong>of</strong>leaves. w;. icb showed mosaic in out half oniy : No roundedpods were seen, but dwarfed and mottled pods were common-Swellings were mair.ly confined to twigs


t12.that their clearance could be expedited. It was realised,However, that such a procedure might have unfortunate re—percussions in the Gold Coast, where it would be impossibleto <strong>of</strong>fer like compensation for the millions <strong>of</strong> affectedtrees. Arrangements had been made for a Political Officerfrom Oyo Province to visit the Gold Coast to discuss theco-ordination oi 1 policy and propaganda, and for a member<strong>of</strong> the West African Cacao Pesearch Institute staff todemonstrate in Nigeria the method <strong>of</strong> cutting-out adoptedin the Gold Ooast.1|1< I joined the Swollen Shoot hunt by examiningthe more obvious areas <strong>of</strong> dieback along the roadside. Myonly finds were two large patches <strong>of</strong> sickle-leaf, one 7miles south-cast <strong>of</strong> Ife on the Ondr> road, the other 8 milessouth-west or Ife on the Oyo Farm road. In both casessickle leaf was associated with acute iron chlorosis.SOILFERTILITY.SETTLEDFARMTNG.42, The farming systems which Faulkner introduced toNigeria in "1922, in an attempt to establisn a settled type<strong>of</strong> agriculture, are sufficiently well known to call foronly brief summary. Supported by many years <strong>of</strong> controlledexperimentation they park as classics In tropical agriculture.u3» In the Northern Provinces the value <strong>of</strong> manure,supplied by nomad Fulani Cattle, was well understood. Peasantfarmers vere induced to keep their own cattle,to usethem for ploughing, and to feed and bed them so that they produceda quantity <strong>of</strong> farmyard manure adequate for the extendedacreage which ploughing brought into cultivation. The scheme,which involved the Department in the buying and training <strong>of</strong>cattle, and in tie provision <strong>of</strong> credit for the purchase <strong>of</strong>cattle and ploughs (later taken over by the Native Administrations;made rapid progress, particularly when an iron ploughwas substituted for a wooden plough <strong>of</strong> local construction.It inspired our own work in the Northern Territories (see Lynn.Bulletin No.3J< ( 1937) ). During the war years the lot <strong>of</strong> theNigerian mixed farmer has been a happv one,Lk* It cannot however, be claimed that the problems <strong>of</strong>-the Northern Provinces are solved. As popula + ion increasesso must the unit-holding per family decrease in size. Asystem which wor'ks well on a farm <strong>of</strong> 15 acres cannot be expected•fee function on a farm <strong>of</strong> 4 acres, the accepted modal Bize inthe Kano area. Much remains to be done in soli-conservationand in the utilisation <strong>of</strong> waste matter.US', For the South, where trypanosomiasis forbade thekeeping <strong>of</strong> cattle, the digging-io <strong>of</strong> green manures was re-CQtnmendeda nn early set-back was encountered in parts cfthe Eastern Provinces where great difficulty in establishinglit,ominous covers was experienced. Greater success, particularlywith Mocuna util; §, was obtained in Oyo Province, butfor .various' reasons, some <strong>of</strong> which are discussed below, thesystem has not been adopted by the African farmer. Interplanting<strong>of</strong> cowpeas is, however, an established native practice,and in his Annual Report for 1938 the Director <strong>of</strong> Agriculture


13,"'There seems little doubt that farmers. (Cshogbu) are making mo re use <strong>of</strong> cowyeasto prevent soil wash and are thusattempting a modified form <strong>of</strong> greenmanuringwhich they are working outfor themselves",.46, A very valuable appraisement <strong>of</strong> the Department'swork on soil fertility has been presented in the TechnicalReport <strong>of</strong> the Leverhulme Commission. The authors(Mr. H.C. Sampson and Dr, E.M. Crowther) regret that inNigeria there appears to have been no pre-experimental survey<strong>of</strong> local agricultural systems comparable to that carriedcut in North Mamprusi (Lynn. Bulletin 34 (1937)). It wouldappear, mest desirable that to assess the value <strong>of</strong> an'improved' method the local method should be watched, notonly through all the courses <strong>of</strong> its rotation but throughvarious shifts <strong>of</strong> ground. There have been a number <strong>of</strong> culturaland manurial treatments which have given increments <strong>of</strong>the order <strong>of</strong> 100$ on poor land but in which the final yieldhad been below that <strong>of</strong> the farmer next door.u v s The obtaining <strong>of</strong> accurate information from thefarmer is not easy until his confidence has been gained byprolonged personal contact. But the difficulties appearto. have been exaggerated by Hill and Waters (1927) who say:-!'for definite information we have been compelled to employa system <strong>of</strong> espionage and even then we have had to avoid anysuggestion that we would like to weigh the produce which thefarmers reap : l .MIXEDFAPlimG.48. War conditions hove retarded the progress <strong>of</strong> mixed•farming in 1 ne Northern 'Provinces by reason <strong>of</strong> the increasedprice cf plough- and cuttle and by the diversion to otherduties <strong>of</strong> <strong>of</strong>ficers normally responsible for the supervision<strong>of</strong> the farms. The number <strong>of</strong> mixed farmers remained fairlyconstant at about 2,000 during the early war years and isnow estimated at 2.U00, The increased demand for meat hasgiven the established farmers handsome returns for theirfattened bulls, and a large number have been able to pay <strong>of</strong>ftheir advances and set up a credit balance.49* Some disappointment has been expressed that thet-rly phenomenal increase in the number <strong>of</strong> mixed farmershas not been maintained. Even with adequate staff thenumber <strong>of</strong> new farmers is not likely to exceed 250 per annumin the next 5 years; although it is heped that it will risetc 500 per annum in 1950-55.50. Two factors limit the rate <strong>of</strong> expansion. Thefirst is the selection <strong>of</strong> animals <strong>of</strong> the correct WorVing typeand <strong>of</strong> the best size for fattening (5^- - 6-cfft.), This hasbeen easier in war-time, owing to the large chol:e <strong>of</strong>feredat the central Army buying pool at Daudawa, than it . i l l bein peace-time, for the dealer's practice Is to sell all hiestock or none. The setting up <strong>of</strong> 250 farmers per annum callsfor 5-0 trained bulls; another 1,500 are needed annually toreplace Josses, due to mortality (10$), senescence and sales,in the existing trained stock <strong>of</strong> 5,000, :*ore rapid progresscould /


J14.could be expected if farmers would train their own bulls;a substantial increase in the Department's trainingcharge on each issue <strong>of</strong> stock subsequent to the firstmight lead experienced farmers to do their own training.51. Disease, particularly acute pleuro-pneumonia,is the second obstacle to progress, and past experiencehas shown that the bigger the cattle pool the greateris the mortality rate. A course <strong>of</strong> triple P.P. vaccine(paragrnph121) lasts 12 weeks, and it is unlikely thatnomadic cattle can be detained for this period. Theonus <strong>of</strong> treatment therefore falls on the Department.UNIT FARMS (NORTH).52. The economics <strong>of</strong> various types <strong>of</strong> mixed farmingrelative to hand f; rming are studied on unit farms fromwhich all details <strong>of</strong> the farmer's income and expenditureare collected. Incomes on mixed farms range from about£15 to £30 (where bullocks are sold during the year) :the lower income leaves the farmer with a margin <strong>of</strong> oneor two pounds after deducting the cost <strong>of</strong> clothing andfeeding his family and keeping his buildings in repair.I saw 3 types <strong>of</strong> mixed farm:-55. ( i) Daudawb (Obligatory Sash-g.ro-p•: Cotton).Daudawa serves as a multiplication farm for cottonseed. 64 mixed farmers are settled on plots <strong>of</strong> 15 eores,<strong>of</strong> which 8 acres are under cotton. The remaining 7acres are under food crops, <strong>of</strong> which 5 acres are usuallyguinea corn, the intention being that each farm shall producecorn for its own use and that <strong>of</strong> another family.(The consumption <strong>of</strong> corn is 1% lbs. per day per adultnutritive unit : the av re.ge number <strong>of</strong> persons per family4.4 (including children) a 3^5 unite requirement for 2 'families = 3,000 lbs. or 600 lbs. per acre)-^W54. Each farmer owns a pair <strong>of</strong> bullocks. Extrastock , amounting during the war years to an average <strong>of</strong> 2per farm, are kept for fattening. Cattle are fed ongroundnut haulms, bush hay, sweet potatoes, etc. : no cornis fed. Cotton-seed is available at 25/- per ton but israrely bought by the farmers. It has been found that thefuzz on local seed does not produce balling in cattle.55« The farms have been highly successful. Of theearly settlers 46 out <strong>of</strong> 49 had paid <strong>of</strong>f advances forhouse, stock and implements by the end <strong>of</strong> 1943 and hadthen a credit balance <strong>of</strong> £350. Mud houses costing £8pre-war (labour 6d. per day) were originally supplied.Annual repairs to walls and ro<strong>of</strong> cost 15/- pre-war. Atthe present price <strong>of</strong> lubour (8^d) annual repairs to houseand the rebuilding <strong>of</strong> the compound fence probably cost £2.A permanent stone house with corrugated iron ro<strong>of</strong> is nowbeing built at a cost <strong>of</strong> £53« The added expense <strong>of</strong> thepermanent type will be partly <strong>of</strong>fset by the chance <strong>of</strong>lucrative dry-season ('fadima) farming during the periodnow spent in collecting grass and mud. Experiments witha cheaper stone house fitted with a grass ro<strong>of</strong>, and withlive compound hedgeB, are being mr.de in the new N.A. ' Settlement(35 farms) at Daudawa.56. /


15=56 ( ii) Maigana (Optional Cash Cro/cV.In the Maigana farms the farmer grows foodstuffs andfodders in rotation; cash crops are <strong>of</strong> his own choice.Tobacco is at the moment the most paying crop. Yields(Virginia hybrid) are 500 lbs. per acre, at 6d. per lb.for Grade I leaf. 53J acres were under tobacco In theMaigana area in 1945«57 As at Daudawa the size <strong>of</strong> farm is about 15 acres.Optimum stock, to give 1'5 tons cf farmyard manure per annum,is 2 trained bulls, 1 cow, 3 <strong>of</strong>fspring a 5 adults at 3 tonsfarmyard manure each. A typical farm <strong>of</strong> 16 acres was croppedin 1945 as follows 5- 2 acres groundnuts : 2 acresMiscellaneous (Tobacco. Groundnuts, Sweet Potato, Cassava) :2 acres Cotton : 2 acres Guinea corn ; 2 acres Gero andGuinea corn : 6 acres Kiyasuwa (P- pedicellatum) and Pigeon pea.58. (ill) Kano. ' : '„ ; ' .Five Unit Farms were started at Kane in 1339• In theKano close farming area no land is availaolo for expansion,and the small size <strong>of</strong> the holdings males plcugaing uneconomic.Stock were kept on four hand-worked farms <strong>of</strong> 3 to 5 acreswith the object <strong>of</strong> providing milk, meat and manure; eachfarm was stocked with one milk cow and a varying number <strong>of</strong>goats. Donkey cultivation was tried on a larger farm <strong>of</strong> 6acres with the expectation that the owner <strong>of</strong> the donkeys (3)could make extra income by haulage in the dry season.59- The main object <strong>of</strong> the experiments was to decide( i) what head <strong>of</strong> stock could be stall-fed u the produce<strong>of</strong> a farm <strong>of</strong> this size. (ii) whether cattle c.nd goats wouldthrive and breed normally in confinement with r>-> grazing orexercise (iii) what size <strong>of</strong> holding would prove economic.60. Goats, consisting <strong>of</strong> 1 male and from 1 to 11 femalesper farm, were first kept on raised slatted floors in housesfitted with sun-parlours. Milk yields were very poor : deaths,due mainly to worms and pimply-gut (Oesopbpgcs torn is Bis) exceededbirths. Some reduction in mortality was obtained in 19 1 1-2—3 bychanging to e mud floor and sweeping out manure daily, butgoats were abandoned as a f< ilure in 1944 and replaced by onefattening bullock per farm. Donkeys were also abandoned after2 deaths and the disccv^ry that the farmer was too busy inthe dry season to hire the animals out,61. The farms, which carry various rotations giving aboutH acres guinea corn, 1 acre groundnuts,, $ acre millet, \ acrecassava, 3 acre sweet potatoes, and inter-plants <strong>of</strong> pigeon peasand cowmens, have proved capable <strong>of</strong> supporting man, wife, onechild and one animal-. Incomes in f9r44"45 ranged from£17.11. Cd. to £22= 7, 8d-, giving a minimum pr<strong>of</strong>it <strong>of</strong> £2after deducting family expenses and cost <strong>of</strong> buildings. Themain source <strong>of</strong> income woo the sale <strong>of</strong> milk at 3d. per bottle.62. /


t16.UNIT FARMS ( SOJTH.) .620 A series <strong>of</strong> eight Unit Farms was started atMoor Plantation, Ibadan, in 1944-45,, Each is managedby a peasant farmer and his family, fur whom nouses havebeen erected in the farms. Their object is to investigatethe economics <strong>of</strong> a self-contained farm using agreen-manure rotation and keeping livestock for sale endmanure The main differences from our Unit Food Farmsare the inclusion <strong>of</strong> E perennial cash crop, and managementby a settler rather than by paid labour.63. Unit Food Farms were laid down in the Gold Cc stin 1933. There were originally 11+ farms, each <strong>of</strong> 4 acres,distributed through the Eastern, Central and Vvestern Provinces-'and Ashanti. They were mainly experimental, theirobject being to determine whether fertility could be maintainedby the use <strong>of</strong> a green-manure rotation, with andwithout the help <strong>of</strong> small livestock, and what annual yield<strong>of</strong> food crops could be expected from a 4-acre form.64- In some farms a four or five course green-manurerotation was practised; in others four years <strong>of</strong> rotationalcropping were followed by two years <strong>of</strong> sheep folded, on acover <strong>of</strong> centrosema. A typical farm <strong>of</strong> the latter typeconsisted <strong>of</strong> eight 4-acre plots, <strong>of</strong> which rne was the paddockcontaining shepherd*e cottage, dipping—tank, sheep-shelter,poultry houses and citrus trees; one was pasture alternatingwith plantains over a 3-year period; the remaining six olotswere cropped 'in the following order ?- ( i) Yam-beans (ii)Maize - Oowpeas (ill) Cassava ( iv) Groundnuts - Sweet Potato(v) and (vi) Centrosema and sheep.65. The farms have served as distributing centres forimproved types cf cassava, beans, fowls, etc., and in somecases the growing <strong>of</strong> •'•demonstration cash crc r ? e.g. tobacco,has disturbed the original project, which was to grow onlyfood crops.. In the Central Province, v.here steep-foldinghas been practised, there "has" been "Tittle deviation from,•the original plan. Two <strong>of</strong> the three farms survive atMankessim and Achiasi (Asuansi diverted to vcr production1943) and have been sufficiently successful to indue 2 taState <strong>of</strong> Ass in Atnndrsu to open a farm <strong>of</strong> i + s own at Far .iNyankum 0 si,66. Expenditure in the Central Province f rms hasranged between £15 »nd ©36 per annum, and hae jsually beanroughly balanced by receipts, The Fanti ITyankunasi farmmade a pr<strong>of</strong>it <strong>of</strong> £12 in l9lr2&Lj3. Sheep and poultry bavshad their ups and downs. A fleck <strong>of</strong> 20 to 4O sheep hasbeen kept, with annual sales <strong>of</strong> about 12, and the averagehead <strong>of</strong> adult fowls has been about 4O,' 67. There has been no apparent falling <strong>of</strong>f in yield,early maize being maintained at about 2,000 lb- grain peracre, yams (3 varieties) at 4 to 8 tons, cassava (4 resistantvarieties) at 7 to 12 tens. Sheep are.- however, permittedsome grazing outside the forms, so that the fertilitycycle is not a closed one.68. /


17.68. A proposal to start Unit Farms in which a settlerand his family would grow both food and cash crops and receivefinancial assistance during their establishment wasmade in 19U1- It was considered (Mr. Waters) that a UnitFarm should consist <strong>of</strong> ( i) Arable land for the production<strong>of</strong> both food and cash crops ( ii) A plantation crop, includingfruit trees (iii) Livestock for ca6h and manure (iv)House and garden (v) A piece <strong>of</strong> secondary bush correspondingin size to the arable land. It was realized that provision<strong>of</strong> a piece <strong>of</strong> bush might be difficult in some places,but it was considered desirable, as lengthening the croppingperiod seemed a more practical goal than permanent cultivation: the bush would provide both browsing and firewood.69. Owing to shortage <strong>of</strong> staff these proposals werenot implemented. They are all embodied in the Nigeriansystem except the piece <strong>of</strong> bush, which is replaced by afirewood plantation <strong>of</strong> 1-g- acres per farm. Five farms areBtocked with sheep and poultry, one with pigs, one withworking and fattening cattle, one (coconuts) with both sheepand fattening cattle. With the exception <strong>of</strong> the last two,which are respectively 13-g- and 85 acres, the farms are 7iacres each.i70. The basic sheep farm (Nos. II and III) contains1 ram, 12 ewes and 25 head <strong>of</strong> poultry, and is divided into2 acres arable land : 3 acres permanent crops (fruit treesplus cocoa, rubber or oil palms) 1 acre grazing : 1-g- acresfuel plantation. Variants in stocking are 4 rams, 48ewes, no poultry (No. VII) : 1 ram, 2U ewes, 12 poultry(No. V) : 1 ram, 12 ewes, 60 poultry (No. IV). The lesttype <strong>of</strong> farm is meant for use near towns, and market vegetablesare included in a rotation <strong>of</strong> four -g-acre plots j-(1) poultry (ii) vegetables (iii) Guinea corn and/or maize(iv) Mucuna late maice. Other variants include (a) theuse <strong>of</strong> green manure v. sheep compost on the arable lend;sheep compost v. no manure on the permanent crops (b) increasingthe fruit-grazing area at the expense <strong>of</strong> arable land,the farmer buying Rtockfeed outside his farm.71. The pig farm is stocked with 1 bo*r and 2 sows.Six <strong>of</strong>fspring are kept for fattening, the remainder beingSold as weaners. The farm is divided into 1 acre arable(for farmer) : 3 acres arable (for pigs) : 1£ acres fruit :1-g- acres fuel : ^ acre paddock. One <strong>of</strong> the main problemsis to determine whether such a farm can be self-supportingin protein.72. The cattle farm consists <strong>of</strong> 4 acres arable : 1acre cocoa : 2 acres fruit trees : 3 acres grass for grazing ;2 acres grass for cutting : 1j acres fuel; and is stockedwith 3 cows and 2 work bulls, <strong>of</strong>fspring being sold. Thearable land is worked on two green-manure rotations A (1) Yams,cotton, cowpeas ( ii) early maize - mucuna (iii) 6weet potatoes(i v ) mucuna - guinea corn 1 B ( i) yams, cotton, cowpeas,( IK.) groundnuts - cassava (iii) cassava ( iv) mucuna - latemaize.73. 3 fattening cattle, 1 ram, 6 ewe6 and 12 hene arekept on Ui acres <strong>of</strong> established coconu-Ugrazing to whichbeen odded 1^ acres planted grass, I3: acres arable land and1£ acres fuel. Two <strong>of</strong> the cattle are allowed to graze : thethird is stall-fed with grass.74- /


18.74. The farms are- c^ coarse, expe-rJmexLtal, end manyproblems will need to be solved. Is it, for instance,possible to establish an isolated acre <strong>of</strong> cocoa withoutthe provision <strong>of</strong> more lateral protection than can be suppliedin farms <strong>of</strong> this size ? First plantings <strong>of</strong> oocoawere far from successful. And if these farms suoceed willthey give an estimate <strong>of</strong> the likely success <strong>of</strong> the systemin the hands <strong>of</strong> formers denied the close supervision, particularlyin matters <strong>of</strong> animal health, which appears to begiven at Moor Plantation ? The experiments will be watchedwith the very greatest interest.75« Three <strong>of</strong> the farms were first cropped in 1944}the others were started only in 1945. There will neoessa«»rily be a long interval before the other permanent cropsare sufficiently established to bring in incomes comparablewith that <strong>of</strong> the coconut farmero More immediate data could''be expected if an established plantation <strong>of</strong> mixed edonomlctrees could be carved into units, as suggested by theRev. H.M. Grace in the Achimota Agricultural Extension Scheme'for Bunsu in 1936, Such a scheme would, however, give littleinformation regarding the establishment <strong>of</strong> orchord crops,particularly <strong>of</strong> fruit trees, which it is desired to further.76. I feel strongly that wherever possible an area <strong>of</strong>secondary bush should be included in the units. If fertilitycannot be maintained by the present system <strong>of</strong> manuringor rotations (including the possible turning-up <strong>of</strong> the establishedpastures) it would then be possible to start a newsystem, embodying the findings <strong>of</strong> the first experiments, andtaking advantage <strong>of</strong> the laborious establishment <strong>of</strong> the permanentcrops, which would otherwise need to be abandoned.The exhausted arable plots would prove valuable sites forcarrying out experiments in regeneration <strong>of</strong> fertility,GREEN MANURING.77. The four-course green-manure rotation first tried(1922) at Moor Plantation was as follov.'3:-I Yams (November); Mucuna (July).II Mucuna (Self-sown and supplied); RidgedJune; Cotton (July).IllIVGroundnuts (March); Mucuna (August).Ridged March; Early Maize (April);Mucuna (June J"; Ridged October forYams Tl).Ridging includes digging-in <strong>of</strong> Mucuna,78. The rotation was continued till 1933. There wasno very marked decline in yield except in the case <strong>of</strong> cotton.Compared with average yields over the whole plantation thefollowing reductions In yield were observed :- Groundnuts •Maize - 10$, Yams - 17$» Cotton - 63$= The failure <strong>of</strong> cottonis <strong>of</strong> interest. Hardy has recently suggested (TropicalAgriculture XXII.7, page 119 (1945)) that a low carbon/ g°nn l t p oratio may promote vegetative growth at the expense <strong>of</strong> boiling.v.It/


•13.,is possible feat the continued digging-in <strong>of</strong> greenmanuremay have produced an excess <strong>of</strong> available nitrogenin these pLjits.7 9 . The system was not.taken up by the local farmer.Since mucuna is not edible (mucuna meal has givenpoor results as a cattle feed) the rotation produces onlyfour payable crops per annum. It might appear to haveno advantage over a four—year period <strong>of</strong> intensive croppingfollowed by a four-year bush fallow: data to contestthis point were not available. Its chief drawback wasthe amount <strong>of</strong> labour entailed in three ridgings in fouryears. Minor objections were that groundnuts were rarelygrown by the local farmer, and that cotton was nevergrown as a sole crop.8 0 . In a revised rotation, worked between 1934 and1 9 3 7 , Mucuna was largely replaced by Popondo (Phaseo 1 uslunatus = Apatram) and cropping was intensified to giveseven payable crops per annum. I ,. ;; '•'• *fl am «EH 'I Yams (February)*; Popondo (June); Burnt• . • and moulded February.II Early Maize (April) with Cotton (July); 1 ''Burnt February. f» • - 0 JIII Early Maize (April); Mucuna (July); ridgedAugust; Late Maize interplanted with------ Popondo (September); moulded February*7 7 IV Early Maize (April) with Popondo (June);Burnt and ridged January.81o • Under this rotation there was a rapid fall inyield. Yields <strong>of</strong> early maize which had been between1 , 0 0 0 and 1,900 lbs. per acre in the Old rotation ( paragraph7 7 ) "dropped from 971+ lbs. in 1 9 3 4 to 805 lbs. in1937....1 ihe cash value <strong>of</strong> the total crops was no greater,whilst labour costs for the new rotation were £ 2 perannumhigher than for the old (U acres at 1 / - per day).Popondo provided a poor cover, it proved not so popular7'an article <strong>of</strong> diet as was expected, and yields were eo"i^pw (So lbs. shelled beans per acre) as to be barely worthpicking. Compared with local practice the rotation<strong>of</strong>fered a poor, selection <strong>of</strong> crops.8 2 , Four new rotations were begun in 1 9 3 8 . Popondowas entirely ousted in favour <strong>of</strong> Mucuna, which was used, asan interplant rather than as a sole crop. Cassava .wasintroduced for the fir6t time whilst melons, okras, cowpeasand tobacco were included re interplante in one or other <strong>of</strong>the rotations. Two examples are given.B./Late planting <strong>of</strong> yams adopted to enable thedetection <strong>of</strong> efel-worm damage during stftreg«»


B. I Yams (Febr ua-rjr) linearis (July)II Groundnuts (March) f.b- Late Maizei.w- Mucuna ( September) IIII Early Maize (April) i.w- Cassaya (July)i»v/« Cowpea s (SeptemborjlIV Cassava (contd.) fsb. Mucuna (July) f.b.lobacco (September).C. I Yams (February^ i.w. Early Maize (^pril);Mucuna (July) -II Ee rly Ma ize (April) i.w. Melon f„b. Late- Ma ize i.wl? Mucuna (.September) -III Yams (February) i.w. Okra (March); Mucuna(July) .n • •.TV:,. Grc undnuts (March)' .'f.b. L'ate Ma ize ii**." '•1Mucuna TCeptember).8 3 o This rotation was being closed down at the time<strong>of</strong> my visit,. Mucuna c s an interplant has""not been successfuland has smothered both yams and 'early maize.'' Due provisionfo-r the type <strong>of</strong> mixed cropping represented In thisrotation has been made in the Unit Farms (paragraph 6 2 ) .A new series <strong>of</strong> four green-manure rotations, relying oncowpeas as an interplant and once- more using mucuna as asole orop, to be dug-in, was under preparation. Thesuggested scheme was ;-p —— 1R.Early Maize]QI :i Y A '•• II . H I 'Mucuna R.Yams Cassava (contd.)Cotton R.Late Maize Cassava Muc unaCowpet' BR. YarnsCowpeas- 1 • i jR.EaTly Maize. R.:Early Maito Cassava (contd.)Cotton Mucuna Cassava MucunaCowpeasCowpeasR R. Ea rly Ma ize R.Early-Maize Cassava (contd.)Cotton '\ " Mucuna Ca ess va Mucuna* i 'in/) iCowpbfcs ''* ' - 'IS jtf Cowpeas ..»•» - 1 1 v.S R.Early Maize R. Groundnuts R.Yams , Cassava (contd.,)• • V.-"t '"•CotWh . •i MiTobaooo Ca-esfvye • ii'ucuna " ] "'Cowpeas:,..,' . • j •. $ CowpeasRidged.. • ..ft ..The /


21Tbj&_jBa-iru-oompa risons in this'~'*riewii£i ares—P^v^S,the relative effects <strong>of</strong> yams and early-m5Tr*e--an inierplantedcotton; P v nE v., S the effect on yarns <strong>of</strong> theprevious crops (i) Mucuna - late maize? (ii) earlymaize - Mucuna, (iii) groundnuts toboccc (jtUiCtinathought to make yams liable to disease).84. .When green-manuring was first introducedit was thought that lack <strong>of</strong> available nitrogen mightbe the factor limiting growth. Little confirmation<strong>of</strong> .this belief was obta-ined in a, number <strong>of</strong> trialswith nitrogenous manures, many <strong>of</strong> which were 0£rriedout under conditions (e.g. after digging-in Mucunaor After a Tephrosio fallow) where a great responsecould not be expected. That mineral matter, ratherthan nitrogen, was the immediate deficiency was suggestedby an experiment, begun in 1932? in which mucunawas either dug-in green or burned? in the early yearsburning g£ ve significantly higher crop yields.85o These results were discussed at some lengthat the 1938 Conference. It. wus suggested that if thenitrogen status <strong>of</strong> some heavy yielding plots (School..\Farm) were any index, nitrogenous manuring would proy.ejeffective once the mineral deficit had been corrected.. •In 1939 the 'dug-in' plots were accidentally burnt:presumably on account <strong>of</strong> their higher nitrogen statusthey gave a much higher yield than the previouslyburnt plots. From 1941 onwards the originel performanceshave been reversed and significantly higheryields (increment <strong>of</strong> 153 lbs. over 1 fh2h lbs.) havebeen obtained from the dug-in plots86. Striking evidence th; t the modified rotations(paragraph 82) were failing to keep available nitrogenat an effective level was obtained in 1944 by superimposinga smell NPK trial (N = 2 cwt. sulphate <strong>of</strong>•ttmonis, P = 4 cwt. basic slag, K = 1 cwt. sulphate <strong>of</strong>P*tash). With early maize, sulphate <strong>of</strong> ammonia gave .an increase <strong>of</strong> 52$ over a non-manured yield <strong>of</strong> 940 lbs.dry grain per acre. Phosphate and potash gave nosignificant increase whether alone or in combinationwith nitrogen. These results suggest that in the MoorPlantation soil6, derived from crystalline rocks nineralrequirements can be la rgely met by a system <strong>of</strong> greenmanuringwhich provides cdeq.uate available nitrogen.87- It is hoped that information regarding theoptimum balance between minerals and nitrogen will begained from a series <strong>of</strong> mannrisl trials, which it isProposed to superimpose- on the new rotations P and s(paragraph 83).P: Artificials.0 = nil; N = 3 cwt. sulphate : ramonia.P = 2 cwt. super; PK = 2 cwt. super, i cwt.EM?late.-potash; NP : NPK.To be applied to Courses I and III.


22,tS ; Farmy; rd Irnure y Artificials-0 = nil; 3 tons f ? rmysi d^majwusej—ifdj^wq^--(NPK) equivalent to 5 tons f: rmya rd, manure.k tons fermywerd manure minerals equivalentto 4 tons farmyard manure.To be applied only to .early maize <strong>of</strong> Course II.The idea <strong>of</strong> following the trend <strong>of</strong> a rotation bymeans <strong>of</strong> an imposed trial <strong>of</strong> such a eize that the over-oilyield is not interfered with is an excellent one, and gnewhich we should be well advised to incorporate in our ownrotations,MANURESArtificialFertilisers.88. .i Attention has from time to time been directed tothe impoverishment <strong>of</strong> tropical soils and the parallelenrichment <strong>of</strong> British soils resultant, from the. export <strong>of</strong>oil-seeds whose protein and mineral matter are the mainstay<strong>of</strong> intensive British farming; The Leverhulme Commissionreminded us (p. 13) that before the war the British farmerbought in the form <strong>of</strong> imported feeding stuffs more nitrogenthan as fertilizers and as much phosphate and potash as insuperphosphate and potassic fertilizers,89.. There hove been occasional demands that this oneway traffic shall cease-. At the 1927 Conference Patersonstated a case for cocoa; he assessed the fertiliser equivalent<strong>of</strong> the 1926 oxpui»' ..em the Gold Coast (225,000 tone)BS 10,227 tons <strong>of</strong> sulphate <strong>of</strong> amrridmia, 4,252 tons <strong>of</strong> sulphate<strong>of</strong> potash and 13,973 tons <strong>of</strong> high-grade superphosphate.Similar figures could be presented to show the drain onNigerian soils caused by-the export <strong>of</strong> groundnuts and palmkernelB. The position in regard to palm-kcrnels is particularlyserious since the major.export comes from sandy eoilB(Benin Series) with sucr. low fertility reserves that theyyield economic crops only after a long period <strong>of</strong> bush fallow(paragraph 25 )


23.91. With oil-seeds there aru two courses. Thefirst is to express the seeds locally and to use thepress-cake to supply the protein and mineral requirements<strong>of</strong> people and stock. Treatment <strong>of</strong> the entiretonnage <strong>of</strong> oil-seeds new exported is clearly notpracticable under present conditions, but small-scaleexpression might well be encouraged to supply coconut,groundnut and palm kernel oils for local consumptionand processing, and press-oakes for cattle food(paragraph


2k.95. Rock phosphate is obtainable f rom Abeokuta.In contrast to superphosphate it has little effect oncrop yields on the near-neutral soils <strong>of</strong> the North. itweos hoped that it might prove effective on the acotl sands<strong>of</strong> tho Eastern Pr&vinces cr when used in the preparation<strong>of</strong> composts. Further experiments in this respect areneeded. In early experiments on Eastern soils it had nodirect effect on millet yields but increased the growth<strong>of</strong> a Mucuna cover which itself stepped up yields when dugin,,96. The issue cf imported artificial manures topeasant farmers has been generally condemned on the groundthat they are not economic. The c^Sts <strong>of</strong> manuring wittjartificials relative to the costs <strong>of</strong> mixed farming andgreen manuring need thorough investigation. " There wereindications before the war that the use <strong>of</strong> artificialsw,o>uid pay handsomely in intensive agriculture in the GoldCoast. Shallot growers in the Keta area we/re paying£ 1 , 1 3 . 6d,' per ton for dried cow-dung and 0i|.1O/- per tonfor bat guano ; the valuations cf these manures in fertiliserunits were respectively 12/3d> and £3. 5/- per ton.Comparative trials with local organic manures (cow-dungand fish meal) and artificials showed 0939) that an extraexpenditure <strong>of</strong> £1 9* 6 d r on artificials brought in anincreased return <strong>of</strong> £10. 5/-. (The manures were valuedat cost delivered to the field j - Sulphate <strong>of</strong> ammonia18/- s Sulphate <strong>of</strong> potash 2h/- : Superphosphate 1c/6d.per cwt.)o97. Fertiliser trials "in the Gold Coast have beenregrettably few, With the higher prices prevalent forfoods'tuffs, artificials make a better financial shewingthan in Nigeria, where only the more spectacular resultshave been published in terms <strong>of</strong> pounds, shillings and pencee.g. an application cf \ cwt. per acre <strong>of</strong> ammonium sulphateto early maize at Ibadan (BiiW) in 193d gave an increment(jf U70 lbs. . dry gra in over an urmanured yield <strong>of</strong> 1,000 lbs.Per acre. Cost <strong>of</strong> manure (landed Lagos) = 3 / 9 d . Value<strong>of</strong> 470 lbs. maize (3/6d. per'cwt.) = til/-. Translatedinto present &old Coast prices this would read ;- Cost<strong>of</strong> manure (landed Accra) = 9/-> Value <strong>of</strong> U70 lbs. maize(13/- per cwt.) m 52/-.98. The cost <strong>of</strong> transporting manures to the farms<strong>of</strong>ten exceeds their landed cost. Subsidies in respect <strong>of</strong>transport might well be granted in racpoot <strong>of</strong> areas in theEastern Provinces <strong>of</strong> Nigeria and in the Krobo District <strong>of</strong>the Gold Coast where extensive trials are most urgentlyneeded. Whether the import <strong>of</strong> fertilisers should be subsidisedby an export tax on oil-seeds is a question worthserious consideration if preliminary trials are foundsuccessful.COMPOSTS.99. Under primitive conditions plant wastes findtheir way to the soil as ashes, whilst faeces' and urinestay close to the surface in or around the compound, whichis <strong>of</strong> markedly higher fertility than the rest <strong>of</strong> the farmin districts such as Mamprusi, Under the system <strong>of</strong> sanitationnow practised in urban areas excrement is usuallyburied /


25.buried at greetri <strong>of</strong> faecalmatter is one <strong>of</strong> the- first"pr-oblems which needs to be tackled.100. Where there is house-to-house pailcollection the problem presents no difficulty,A very effective 6ystem has been in operation inone <strong>of</strong> the BuburbB »f Kano for the past five years andhas given an 'average output <strong>of</strong> 9,00C ton6 <strong>of</strong> compostper annum. It is eagerly bought at 1d« perdonkey load (about 1/8d. per ton) and the schemeis self-supporting,101. Owing to the present shortage <strong>of</strong> motortransport, lorries are used only for the dumping <strong>of</strong>street sweepings and garbage. Pans are head-loadedto the pits, one labourer making trips to 15 groups<strong>of</strong> five houses per day.The street sweepings (leaves, etc.) are pickedfree from tins and glass and spread in a 6" layeron the mixing floor. A 2" layer <strong>of</strong> faeces is thenspread, covered by a second 6" layer <strong>of</strong> garbage and themixture,, worked to a thick paste. (The labourers 1legs and feet are protected by wrappings). Thispaste is then spread on the floor cf a concrete pit10* x 50', and covered with a layer <strong>of</strong> dry sweepings sa email space is left to allow the pile to be turned,A second layer <strong>of</strong> paste and dry material is addedthe following day. There are 1 6 pits in the unit,102. The first turning takes place after 5days, when fly larvae have been driven by the heat<strong>of</strong> fermentation towards the top <strong>of</strong> the heap; theyare effectively killed by turning the hot materialover them. A second turning is given 10 days afterthe first and the manure is removed to stacks 15days after the Becond turning. There was a completeabsence <strong>of</strong> flies both over the pits and in the etaoks.103« Water is not easily available and is notadded. In a series <strong>of</strong> pits in a second Kano suburbwatering is being carried out to facilitate breakdown.At the Kaduna pits* which are kept uniformly moist bywatering and ro<strong>of</strong> ing, higher fermentation temperaturesand quicker breakdown have been obtained. Rapid breakdown'is ohtair.edby composting the <strong>of</strong>fal and stomach contentsfrom the Sebcn Gari (Kano) abattoir.10li. Anolyses <strong>of</strong> the composts were not available.They appear to give a performance similar .to that <strong>of</strong>farmyard manure e.g. Kano 1945. Unthreshed Guinea cornlb. per acre.No Manure • • , 1,080Farmyard Manure ... 1,400Offal Compost ... 1,540Faeces Compost ... 1,760The chief drawback <strong>of</strong> central compostfactories ia the coat <strong>of</strong> transport <strong>of</strong> such bulkymaterials where pBck animals are not available.SOIL REGENERATION./


26.30IL R^GEN^RAT10 H.A Jargfi nnrrth


27-There rem&in certain fields which are highly successfulin a dry year but failures in a wet year,, and it isbelieve^ that with present-day knowledge the originalterracing scheme could have been made more effective.111, The method <strong>of</strong> terracing used at Daudawa -a V-drag following a cattle-drawn plough - was demonstratedto us at Shika Stock Farm during the 1938Conference. The Agricultural Engineer, who has recentlytoured anti-erosion works in South Africa, was carryingout handworked terracing on Shika Farm at the time<strong>of</strong> my visit. Terraces 17 ft. wide, with a scoop <strong>of</strong>16", wore being constructed at contour intervals <strong>of</strong>2' 6"; due provision <strong>of</strong> water meadows to carry <strong>of</strong>funexpectedly heavy showers (over was being made.112. Working costs on the upper slopes had beenhigh due to the occurrence <strong>of</strong> ironstone induration;to the steep slope (n per cent, in places); and tothe dryness <strong>of</strong> the soil. . . 67 acres, with a terracelength <strong>of</strong> ' ; 0,223 yards, had been contoured betweenSeptember 18th and November 30th at a cost <strong>of</strong> h,48d.per yard or £3» 0, 6d, per acre. the cost per yardhad varied between 5»Ud. (ironstone) and 2,ud. (dry soil]As the sandy bottoms are approached the cost per yardwill fall, whilst the cost per acre will be furtherreduced by the decrease in slope.113« Major anti-erocion measures have been plannedfor the 'bad-lands' <strong>of</strong> the eastern Provinc-.s. 1 wasunable to visit this area but wa.s shown an impressiveaeries <strong>of</strong> photographs <strong>of</strong> the gullying which has beenproduced on these deep sandy soils. Operations awaitthe provision <strong>of</strong> men and machinery.114. There have been no IDOP«=••—•" d** «oti_wash+cand run-<strong>of</strong>f and the Agricul i Engineer a steed to be+ :kept in touc;. iv^th the lysiraeter work now proceedingat Zuarungu.SATTL:ShikaStock Farm.115. The Stock F rm at Shika was established In1928 with the object <strong>of</strong> j oving the confcmation andmilking capacity <strong>of</strong> local breeds <strong>of</strong> cattle, the ul-imateaim being to pro-'d^ hulls <strong>of</strong> hig, ..liking strains forissue to ..o... lie nerds, end to meet the deu-nd for betterquality beef in the South. For ten years two closedherds <strong>of</strong> 126 White Fulani and 50 Gudali were kept.There has been recent introduction <strong>of</strong> new blood, andtotal stock is now 750, including aOO adults.116. Rations appear satisfactory, the latestintroduction being' dried blood which has given excellentresults with unthrifty calves when fed ut the rate <strong>of</strong>k oz, per day. Half an acre <strong>of</strong> arable land is allowedPer head <strong>of</strong> stock end cropped in the ratio corn 2 ;hay 1 • sweet potatoes 1. The rotation is (1) Guineacorn, (2) Mucuna, (3) Guinea cor?, (1+) Green grom ploughedin /


In before sweet poterto; manured at 1+ tb^s-fs-naysrd manureper acre. Soya benns planted 1' apart on 5' ridges havegiven a hay yield rather less than that <strong>of</strong> mucuna. Forhay, as opposed to seed production, closer spacing or theIntroduction cf fodder types which are said !Macmillan)to reach a height <strong>of</strong> k to 5 feet,-* might be tried. Hayyields from the 9 :! x 9'* plantings at Pokcr.se will be <strong>of</strong>interest.117= The average milk yield for the herd is 250 gallonsper lactation period <strong>of</strong> 320 days, the record being500 gallonsc Breeding h: s increased the number yielding400 gallons or over from 2c5 Per cent, to 10 per cent.Conformation is considered good. Experiments in castrationhave shown that entire and treated beasts are <strong>of</strong> equal weightthe entire animal works better, but the bullock give6 beef<strong>of</strong> e better quality, the size and flavour <strong>of</strong> the prime cutsbeing markedly improved.113o A serious outbreak <strong>of</strong> t ry pa no son in s i a occurredat the end <strong>of</strong> 1944 when 200 head 'or . suspect <strong>of</strong> infectionand 15-20 per cent found positive (To vivaX 95 per cent :'JoQongolense - per cent). Or.Tachinoides was found nearrthe farm boundary, ics presence in an abnormally dry seasonbeing attributed to anti-fly clearance <strong>of</strong> bush in the neighbouringvillage <strong>of</strong> Guga. Tartar emetic lias been founduseless against TaCongolense and <strong>of</strong> doubtful value againstT«vivax. Phensnth ridIni urn is giving promising results inboth cases*119. Scour (Bocolj & So_lmanello enteritidiB ?) inpail-fed calves has been shown to be aggravated by flies,incidence being reduced from 77 to 52 and mortality from50 to 25 per cent in an experimentally screened pen. Anautogenous vaccine prepared by the Veterinary Officer reducedmortality by 50 per cent but had little effect onincidence. Suckling seemB desirable, but is difficult tocarry out in conjunction with yield records, In a recentexperiment the possibility <strong>of</strong> recording yield once weeklyinstead <strong>of</strong> daily is being tried out. Three sets <strong>of</strong> elvesare treated as follows :- (i) Peed from all teats for 6days - Btarved on 7th (recording) day, (ii) Peed from 2teats only (iii) Peed from 2 teats via pail. Calvesin treatment (i) were markedly bigger than those in treatment( iii) •120. /The yellow seeded variety, Malaya, is said tohave grown to shoulder height at Zonkwa.This variety grows only knee high in theNorthern Territories <strong>of</strong> the 0ld Coast, Ithas been reported to give an excellent grcundcry,... In Forth?rn Ashanti.


29-120. The closed Sh;LkiJ-J>9-rds had a low abortion raLte<strong>of</strong> 3 per cent- Consequent on the^ijitH^dtuxtion o'f new""stock the rate rose in 1943 to 9 per cent., and many caseswere recorded in Shika cows 6ent to the Lagos Dairy. ThisDairy is now stocked from Samaru, where a tested herd isbeing established. The herd is tested weekly and positivecoses slaughtered. Testing will continue for 3months after the last positive case <strong>of</strong> contagious abortionis disoovered.121. Pleuro-pneomonia. A triple vaccine is provingeffective.Injection 1 Attenuated Kenya strain. In Dewlap\2 " Nigerian " In Ta11 -3 Virulent " " In Tail.Intervals <strong>of</strong> 6 weeks between injections.Ilorln Stock Farm.'122. At Ilorin farm the inheritance <strong>of</strong> resistance,to trypanosomiasis is being studied in Gold Coast Shorthornsand N'damos. Deaths in the Shorthorn herd haveusually been traceable to low resistance in one <strong>of</strong> theparents; the Offspring <strong>of</strong> selected dams and sires areshowing a'greatly enhanced resistance. A great increasein oalf size has been effected by crossing Gold Coastwith Nigerian Shorthorns. Crossing N'dama with NigerianShorthorns and Borgawa is planned when sufficient N'damastock is available. One undesirable feature <strong>of</strong> theN'dama is the long period (about 480 days) between calves.There are indications that this interval may be reducedby alterations In management.123. A necessary preliminary to the upgrading <strong>of</strong>the dwarf cattle which at present roam free,ly, to the .detriment <strong>of</strong> crops and village sanitation, is theircollection into herds. The building <strong>of</strong> kraals and theprovision <strong>of</strong> herdsmen are being undertaken by theDepartment in some <strong>of</strong> the Southern Provinces (e.g. Ondo).A pure herd <strong>of</strong> Nigerian shorthorns is maintained andworked at Moor Plantation. They have been found difficultto train, and yield a very small quantity <strong>of</strong> manure.124. Early in the war the production <strong>of</strong> baoon andpork for the Nigerian market was undertaken by the VeterinaryDep i tment, who during the 4i years ending December,1944, had produced 160,000 lbs. <strong>of</strong> bacon and 125,000 lbs.<strong>of</strong> freah pork. The Agricultural Department took uplarge-scale pig-keeping in 1941, partly to supplementthe Vom production <strong>of</strong> bacon, sausages, etc., and partlywith the object <strong>of</strong> introducing improved pigs into nativehusbandry and diet. it was hoped that local pig-keeperswould eventually relieve the Department <strong>of</strong>;the need formass production, leaving the Department free to concentrateon experimental work. Privately owned piggerieshave accordingly been fostered, and their pigs marketedby the Department. Weaners for fattening have beenbought from supervised peasant farmers supplied withbreeding stock in Anchau and Bauchi.125. /


3012.5* The Aim has been to.Jvreed to a Large'Whlte "type,which runs to fat less readily than tb^Jiiddle White.Available breeding stock <strong>of</strong> bacon type ccnsls-ted in 19U1<strong>of</strong> only 16 mature sows and 67 gilts <strong>of</strong> mixed English breeds.By the importation <strong>of</strong> 59 sows <strong>of</strong> European origin from theCameroons and <strong>of</strong> 18 pedigree Large White boars from Englishherds (landed cost £90 each) breeding stock was rapidlymultiplied and is now stabilised at i+OC boars and sows*Total stock in the six Northern piggeries (Shika, Samaru,Bauchi, Minna, Zonkwa, Daudawa) is 3,200, valued at £11,000.Pew traces <strong>of</strong> breeds other than Large White are apparent inthe present stock.126. The production 400 pigs per month for theLegos market, the target originally aimed at, has recentlybeen achieved: railings were 1,261 in the three monthsAugust-October, 1945. Local sales were 256 for the firstsix monthB <strong>of</strong> 194-5* Weekly railings are made to Lagos,where'-ca rcases are handled by West African Cold Storage,Lagos, and Messrs. John Holt, Ebute Metta, who pay 8d- perlb. live weight free on rail for beroott^nd young porkers;6d. per lb. for old porkers (sausages)* Locally killedpork is sold at 11d. per lb. dressed carcase*.127. The stock is kept in unscreened sties, withoutany obvious detriment during the dry weather when my visitwas made. Plies were remarkably few in the Northern pensthough more numerous in Ibadan. Here fly infestation isa.serious problem between June and mid-November, Between4,000 and 5,000 flies (95$ Stomoxys spp.) have been trappedin 12 pens during a period <strong>of</strong> 24 hours;, a total <strong>of</strong> 250,000{30% Stomoxys) being caught in 12 pens at ibadan during 1943=The Senior Entomologist has found Ephesticide' (Flake 1 rubbe-(Ate) 3 : Shea butter 1) an effective fly-catcher. It issmeared on lengths <strong>of</strong> telephone wire which have the advantageover the piasfeaTa strands formerly used against cocoa-moththat they can be re-coated after burning <strong>of</strong>f the flies. Agreat reduction In the incidence <strong>of</strong> flies in Ibadan houseshas been effected by a regular issue <strong>of</strong> these fly-catchersto kitchens,.No serious occurrence <strong>of</strong> Trypano somia si s. has apparentlybeen recorded, although it hes been suggested that the demise<strong>of</strong> the entire stock <strong>of</strong> 8 pigs at Ondo Farm in November, 194^may have been caused by T.simiae.128. Some <strong>of</strong> the complaints from which' pigs haveti'iffered are : —( i) Iodine. Deficiency. Particularly prevalent"at Minna wnere goitre is commonc Symptomsare trouble in farrowing with occasional.;- ; deaths, and the production <strong>of</strong> hairless<strong>of</strong>fspring. One grain <strong>of</strong> potassium iodide...u, is fed daily to all sow6 (1 ounce KI in 1g..y gallon water : dose 1 te- spoonful per day)-(ii)


( ii) _ .go s ter u - ga rgs 1 s Para^y&is- <strong>of</strong> thebond—quapters has c-ocur^ed, particularlyin young sows, during the dryseason when green-stuff is in shortsupply. It is believed due toavitaminosis (A), Rapid recponseto green feed is obtained-, Palm-oilis no 1 " added to the ration at therate <strong>of</strong> 8 oz , per head per day. Paresishas; however, occurred in animalsreceiving palm-oil. A supplement <strong>of</strong>liver is being tried at Minna*(ill) Rash occurs when too large a proportion<strong>of</strong> palm-kernel meal is fed., It isquickly cured by omitting palm-kernelmeal from the diet.1 iv) Man-fro; Regular dipping <strong>of</strong> adults isneeded0 Affected piglets are smearedw Lth palm-oil.-,Rii warworn- Local ores taient VI2 :h iodine.terii is a tion <strong>of</strong> pens by b iv iff" •lamp.jlapsi :- Anus Caused ay toe dry afeed.-(vii) Piglet Mortality^ Average for 5 farms194.3s I 0 ',-:%•< Significant increase to23—26% in February, July and October.129. Many oxpetfcioiita were made before a satisfactorydiet was evolved. Animal protein was foundessential to rapid growth., Skim milk has given excellentresults, and serious troubles at Minna have beenusually associated with a suspension <strong>of</strong> supply (cf. alsoFrench, M.H. East African Journal X, 4, 234). Driedblood meal has given some amazing results in a number<strong>of</strong> controlled feeding trials at Shika. Fed at the rate<strong>of</strong> 1 oz. per day (2 oz, gave no further increment) itgave a weight increment <strong>of</strong> 117$ over controls, and reducedthe fattening period ( to 18O lbs.) from 44 to 28weeks, Reckoned in terms <strong>of</strong> live weight productionat 8d. per lb. 1 ton <strong>of</strong> blood meal had an intrinsicvalue <strong>of</strong> £800 per ton. The average age at v/hich baconpigs left Zaria was reduced -from. 42 weeks in November,1943 to 28-29 weeks in June, 1944c130* It seems surprising that at Pokor.se and theArmy Pig Farm, where skim milk is not obtainable, andwhere blood meal, rarely available,, is fed only tosuckling BOWE and not tc fatteners, the rate <strong>of</strong> increaseis the same as in the Nigerian piggeries 1,. e« with noaddition <strong>of</strong> animal protein tc the diet a nig <strong>of</strong> 180 lbs.weight is habitually produced in 24 to 26 weeks. (Atrace <strong>of</strong> animal protein may be added in the bone-meal,which is made from only partially burnt bones (boiledbones in Tamale) and may contain about 1 per cent, <strong>of</strong>nitrogen- In a 3 lb ration the weight, cf nitrogenwould be 1/100 oz, compared with i/9 oz, Nitrogen in1 02, blood-meal).The rations /


3 2 .Th~ rations used at Minna arc yprvciv below ; —Suckling sows andwernere.With Skim.Milk,WithoutSkim Milk.AllotherGuinea CornPalm-kernel mealCowpeasGroundnut Cake6U41o2k314221Mineral Mixture. To form 3 . 7 per cent, <strong>of</strong> ration. Groundbone ash I 8 i Lime-stone 6s Salt 9 : Kanwa 3 : Charcoal 8 .Supplement,per day*8 oa. palm-oil: 1 4 oz. blood meal per headare asfollowsrationsin use at Pokoase and Army Pig FarmGeneral RationWeaners (P). Fatteners (p) (Army Pig Form'MaizeCowpea 8Groundnut Cake ..Palm-kernel «,.. .Brewers ' Qrein.. - «Sr.lt ,,Limestone (Shell)Bone IlealWood AshCharcoalJfelm-oil50 64 5020 18 510 — Nuts 1010 i 0 20i 7r1511. 12 3 Soil 32 — 22 3 31 1 3£ gallon i gallon £ gallon.133. I failed to obtain figures showing the ooet <strong>of</strong> theMinna ration per added lb. <strong>of</strong> live weight. The daily consumptionby boars and dry pigs was said to be 5-6 lbs. per day and <strong>of</strong> sucklingsows end gilts 10-12 lbs. per day. These figures are inagreement with Pokoase figures and it can be assumed that, as atPokoase, the consumption during the weaning stage is about 3 lbs.and during the fattening stage about 5-6 lbs. per day.Minna prices are :-Palm-kernel med £ 5*10. Od, ^Apcpa£2*10. Od.)Groundnut cake , £10.12. Od. (£7 Kano)Cowpeas ( nd Guinea-cornabout £6 - £8 per ton.A very satisfactory pr<strong>of</strong>it con apparently be made by sellingat 84. live weight. The Assistant Director, Northern Provinces,has estimated that, discounting the cost <strong>of</strong> European supervision,the six Northern piggeries made a working pr<strong>of</strong>it <strong>of</strong> £i0,00e in1944-45-134. /


33.134. The normal practice at Minna is to castrateet 6 weeks. GiltB are, first served at 9^10-mc-nihs..,goarB were, to their detriment^-e-p4^iJaaJLly asked toservaO-^times weeklyt with increased stock serviceshave been ved^ay^JisZO^eJf^srnnm.. The number <strong>of</strong> pigletsreared per 'sownrs^been reduced to St in theearly days litters <strong>of</strong> up to 1U had been kept. AtSamaru gilts end dry 6Ce are given exercise, end turnedout to grass in the dry time.135* The Lagos curing industry, which ha* so farabsorbed the bulk <strong>of</strong> the Department's pig production,will need to produce unifojmly high class bacon andhams if it is to faoe outside competition without protection.I heard a number <strong>of</strong> oomplaints against the4$ality <strong>of</strong> the baoon now being made in Lagos. It ispossible that the firms now :undertaking curing will atsome date be equally interested in the sale <strong>of</strong> importedbacoh and hams. During December the demand from Lagcs, ,'.Was disconcertingly lower than the quota <strong>of</strong> 400 ready forrailing. Private piggeries (there are seven, includingone <strong>of</strong> 250 head at Kano),will shortly be producing 200.pigs per month, and they are to be given precedence inreilings. The Department proposes as a first measureto close the Zonkws piggery and concentrate the bestblood at the remaining centres.136. It is not expected that there will be immediatedifficulty in disposing Qf surplus stook as fresh pork.In Zaria district there is an unsatisfied demand for porkby Yorubes and pagans at 11d. per lbc In Niger Province(Minna), where there is an estimated native pig populationOf 20,000, disposal may not be so-easy, as the local priceOf pork Is said to be about 5d. iper lb. The NigerianPiggeries are not so fortunate as our own in being' heara large consuming centre. The possibility <strong>of</strong> preparingpickled pork for export to other West African coloniesIs now under consideration. ' ~J~^137* It is early to say what progress can be expectedin the improvement <strong>of</strong> native stock under peasant management.At Ibadan stock containing \ native bipod is beingbred for distribution. - Jhe tenant <strong>of</strong> the one Unit Farmto which plgB had been issued appeored to be keeping themOn the short commons on which our farmers expect pigs tothrive. It is realised that it may not be wise to. useonly the Large White as European parent and that it may ,later be advisable to bring hack Middle White or otherbreeds. A Dusia importation, which has Essex characteristicsand is an economic feeder, is being watched withinterest et Shika.SHEEP AND QQATS.1^8. Nigerian experiments in sheep-breeding havenot been highly successful. I BOW no flock as flourishingas those <strong>of</strong> our Central Provinces, which are fed mainlyon Centrosema, whose virtues were extolled by us at the''938 Conference.! •' 139. /


34.139- Reference hee--been mode to the failore <strong>of</strong> Btallrfed goats under the Kano Unit Farm Scheme. Exwrfraent*made at Sokoto erxwaced that compered with penned animalsgoats on free range -hove a higher--hirtb--rate and a lowerabortion - and death-rate. It was thought that leaves<strong>of</strong> certain bush-plants were needed to keep the goats ingood condition. An average milk yield <strong>of</strong> 70 lbs. ever alactation period <strong>of</strong> 117 days was obtained at Daure; thebest nanny produced 159 lbs. in 167 days. At Qnltsha thebest yields have been 160 lbs. in 119 days and 233 lbs. inI94 days. The quality <strong>of</strong> goat manure is said to be high 1no details <strong>of</strong> yield per animal were aveliable.D A I R I E S . - 1(a)NQrth.14©., Dairies relying on dally supplies <strong>of</strong> milk fromgroups pi mixed farmers and Fulani herdsmen have operatedvery successfully in many parts <strong>of</strong> the northern Territories,Notably at Kano, Maldugurl and Zaria; et each <strong>of</strong> these plasesupwards <strong>of</strong> 100 bottles <strong>of</strong> pasteurised milk have been solddally. The N.A. Dairy et Kano at one time produced 400bottles per dey, but it was later necessary to divert suppliesto butter-making. This dairy has marketed an average<strong>of</strong> 50,-000 lbs. <strong>of</strong> butter per annum during the past threeyears. " There has also been a small trade in cream cheese.141. There seems no reason why the butter industryshould not be developed after the war for the benefit <strong>of</strong>other West African Colonies, once regular shipping facilitiesare available. Butter-making has the following advantagesover a fresh-milk trade(1) Skim milk can be returned to thestook, thereby reducing the danger©f weakening the calves.• •142. Whilst milk is a desirable addition to native -diet it is difficult to decide how far one could riffordto organise B' trade in fresh milk. Unless distributionis closely supervised it will be difficult to preventadulteration by water at times <strong>of</strong> seasonal shortage; fivesamples collected from the uncontrolled milk trade inMaldugurl in early 1944 contained added water,ranging from15 to 36 per cent. Milk is an excellent medium for bacteria,and adulteration by polluted weter might have seriousconsequences.- It has been suggested that the Fulanipractice <strong>of</strong> consuming curd rather than fresh milk may havebeen Inspired by the inability <strong>of</strong> a number <strong>of</strong> pathogenicorganisms (including those <strong>of</strong> baclllsry dysentery, choleraand typhoid) to tolerate an acid medium (Nutrition in theColonial Empire, page 81). It would, therefore, seem wise,unless processing can be undertaken, to confine the consumption<strong>of</strong> ft—Ii milk to the producing areas.(b) South. /


35V-(b)South.11+3. A stall-fed milk cow housed in a fly-pro<strong>of</strong>byre was demonstrated to us at Moor Plantation in 1938.During the war screened byres stocked with selected Zebucows have been set up in a number <strong>of</strong> southern,towns(Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Okene) to supplement the milkration and to provide fresh milk for military and civilianhospitals; 100 cows were supplied for stocking asimilar dairy opened by the Veterinary Department inAccra in 1943¬144* With the exception <strong>of</strong> an outbreak <strong>of</strong> contagiousabortion in the Lagos Dairy (see para. 121) the cows haveremained in good health, end milk yields, about 5 lbs. perday, have been satisfactory. Difficulty has been experiencedin securing effective services by the bull, and it isbelieved that some measure <strong>of</strong> exercise is needed .to makethe cow receptive. At Ibadan the cows are now let out at7.30 p.m. to ro<strong>of</strong>ed pens, where green fodder is stackedon racks; they are returned to the screened byres at daybreak.In Lagos It has been found more expedient to senddry cows back to Samaru in exchange for cows in milk.This measure has in part been dictated by the need toestablish a tested herd at Samaru.145' The Lagos price for milk is 6d. per pint wholesaleand 8d. per pint retail. The Lagos Dairy contained58 cows at the time <strong>of</strong> my visit, and the output was 27gallons per day. it can obviously supply only a fraction<strong>of</strong> the community, and priority has been given to childrenand hospital cases. It is not claimed that the Southerndairies are self-supporting: regular veterinary attentionand provision <strong>of</strong> railway transport are services which aprivate dairy farmer could doubtfully afford. It should,however, be remembered that the trade is a luxury one,and that there is a fair margin between 8d. and 1/1d.,the pre-war retail price for imported pasteurised Englishmilk. A Syrian dairy farmer has operated (presumablynot at a lose) in Ibadan over a period <strong>of</strong> five years.CATTLE FASTENING.146. The fattening <strong>of</strong> working ^attle and extrabeasts for the meat market has during the wer broughtin a large part <strong>of</strong> the mixed farmer's income. TheArmy has been supplied in the North With beef <strong>of</strong> goodQuality. Fattened cattle railed to Lagos have, however,lost eo muah weight during the journey that Lagos beefhas been <strong>of</strong> a low standard. In April, 1944, a StockFattening Scheme was started at Age-ge (15 miles north <strong>of</strong>Lagos').. Railed cattle were to be fattened locally,'slaughter tests being carried out to determine the optimumage and type <strong>of</strong> beast.Fattening in the South has the advantage^thatgreen fodder is available throughout the year andprices <strong>of</strong> palm-kernels and cotton-seed are low.147. /


11+7* The farm consists <strong>of</strong> 250 acres and has beenplanted with various fodders. Seven screened shedshave accommodation for 170 cattle which are stall-fedon concentrates and green stuff. Provision was madefor the regular railing <strong>of</strong>"one wagon <strong>of</strong> 2d cattle perf ortnigh b.11+8. The scheme has suffered several setbacks,the most serious being the strike <strong>of</strong> June, 191+5, whenthe farm served as a cattle reserve for Lago6, and atone time housed .1+50 head.. The scheme was being overhauledat the time <strong>of</strong> my visit, and fattening costs werenot available. Selling prices <strong>of</strong> fattened cattle were3-Jd. per lb. live-weight; l+-gd. dead-weight and 7^d.dressed carcase.PASTURES AI?D FODDERS.11+9. Nigerian pasture and fodder research is tobe the subject <strong>of</strong> a technical report by Mr. J.H. Hinds,who left for Nigeria soon after my return to Accra.These notes are <strong>of</strong> only a general nature.150. In the classification <strong>of</strong> local grasses Nigerianwork appears no more advanced than our own: the identity<strong>of</strong> many <strong>of</strong> the Northern and Southern grasses is stillbeing worked out. There have, however, been a largenumber <strong>of</strong> importations <strong>of</strong> pasture and fodder grasses, andat most experiment stations there is a scries cf plotsto test the effect <strong>of</strong> cutting, annual yield, survivalduring dry season etc., <strong>of</strong> the uypes most promising underlocal conditions.151. The use <strong>of</strong> grasses in soil regeneration, andthe application <strong>of</strong> manures has been briefly discussed(para. 108). Applications <strong>of</strong> 1, 2, 3, 1+ tons farmyard*manure per annum were made at Maigana over a period <strong>of</strong>six years on a ley <strong>of</strong> elephant grass. Maximum yields<strong>of</strong> green fodder were obtained in the second year afterPlanting: thereafter they declined (second year 12,803lbs.; sixth year, kfC0O lbs. at 1 ton farmyard manure).Yields throughout varied directly as the rate <strong>of</strong> applicationcf manure, the annual increment <strong>of</strong> green foddercorresponding to 1 ton farmyard manure being 1,000 lbs.over the six year period. The effect <strong>of</strong> lime (1 ton peracre) and farmyard manure (1+ tons per acre) on ( i) Molassesgrass ( ii) Centrosema (iii) Setaria megaphylla (. iv) A.gayanu6(v) A. tec to rum (vl) Guinea grass, was determined atUmuahia in 191+1+. Large increases due to farmyard muhttrewere observed with all fodders, and there was little or n<strong>of</strong>urther increment from lime plus farmyard manure. Limealone gave substantial increases only with the twu Gasiba'.grassesand guinea grass. The experiments were not replicated,152. Mucuna still remains, with sweet potato tops,the most valuable dry-season fodder in the North, and atSamaru there are variety trials in progress to try to finda type which will remain green throughout the dry seasonand possibly re-seed itself. Sunflowers were grown as awar export venture, and the surplus is being used inmaking /


37.making silage: a mixture <strong>of</strong> 3 pa-rt^^iwfitri^er^ Tvew'Lyflowered, and 2 paH^g^ciT^-bea-n, cut at the snap podstage, appeared promising. Lucerne survives the dryseason at Samaru; it has flowered but has not set se©4^it can be propagated for trial by root splitting. Ibrought back from Samaru samples <strong>of</strong> a newly arrivedPalestine Lucerne and mixed seed from South Africanlucernes seeding at Ibadan. I also brought seed^<strong>of</strong>upinus tennis but was unable to obtain seed <strong>of</strong> SullaHedysarum coronarium) , a fodder newly introducedfrom Malta.1 5 3 . The ex9tic Star—weed, Acanthospermum hlspidum,whieh is a serious enough pest in our Northern Territoriesis particularly prevalent in the Kano area, where largeareas <strong>of</strong> grazing have been ruined. Tests made in 19uUshowed that 5% sulphuric acid would destroy the weedwithout damaging the pasture grasses. In 19U5 comparativetests were made with acids <strong>of</strong> 5, 3 . 3 and 1.7per cent, strength. Three monthly sprayings (July,August, September) at 200 gallons per acre were made.At the time <strong>of</strong> my visit-the 1*7 per cent, acid appearedto have been as effective as the 5f»» The cost per acrefor treatment with the weakest acid was :- acid £11;labour £ii. (These figures would suggest that the sulphuricacid, bought in small quantities, had cost 22/-per gallon (10 gallons = £11). The Senior Chemisthad obtained home quotations <strong>of</strong> £6.12/- per ton or about1/- t>er gallon <strong>of</strong> 18 lbs. Allowing an increase <strong>of</strong> 100%for transport the cost for acid should not exceed £1per acre, and it seems likely that with mobile sprayequipment a very large reduction in labour costs couldbe effected).15U. Trials with a proprietary weed-killer,Methoxone, were in progress on a small scale. It wastoo early to judge its efficacy. Plame-throwers which,if used in the csrrect season, might prove very efficacious,have not been available; their use has beenadvocated by a number <strong>of</strong> pyrotechniciets, includingMr. Hinds and myself. Aoanthoapermum hispidum (morecommonly known under its telling Hausa name <strong>of</strong>Kashin yawo) was listed under noxiou6 weed6 in NigerianGazette No.56 <strong>of</strong> 28th September, 19Ui+.^ *POSSIBLE EXPORT CROPS.155. The rapid expansion <strong>of</strong> Nigeria's rice industryduring the war years has been briefly described (para. 7) •With continued development it is likely that Nigerianrice will soon be available for the world market.I saw rice-growing only in swamps at Ondo, one <strong>of</strong>the last Frovinces to which the Department has introducedthe crop; the irrigation .


een largely ousted by G..E. B, 24, which tillers andhas a more popular flavour* G79» which givea about2,000 lbs- paddy per acr-e as against 1,000 lbe, forthe native varieties, is .rapidly gaining favour.,(G79 gave a yield <strong>of</strong> 4;00G lbs- paddy per acre atDaudawa in 1943)*156. The present Badeggi (Bida) Mill was fittedwith a 25 h.p. engine in January 1945 and consists <strong>of</strong>two No.7 Grant Hullep-Polishers and a separator. Theplant is used for cleaning rice husked locally in mortars.It has a capacity <strong>of</strong> 2 tons per day and handled360 tons dirty rice in March-November 1945» withan out-turn <strong>of</strong> 270 tons whole milled rice. Nativepreparedrice is bought for the factory et a commission<strong>of</strong> 10/- per ton by Messrs. John Holts and UnitedAfrica Company who gaid'£11.13. 4d» per ton in 1945es against £9. 6* 8u. in 1944. Clean rice was soldex factory for £17.16. 8d. per ton in 1945 and £15.10/-in 1944c Prices for broken rice and bran wererespectively £15.10/- and £3.tO/- per ^on in 1945*157v A survey <strong>of</strong> the Gold Coast rice industrywas made by Mr. R.R. Glanville in October, 1943. Itwas estimated that annual production then amounted to3,000 tons <strong>of</strong> clean' rice surplus to the requirements<strong>of</strong> the growers. pre-war imports to the Gold-Coastwere 12,000 tons at filp, per ton. Mr. Glanvilleconsidered-that Buffieient suitable land was svaliableto make thefi^ld Coast self-Bupportlng within afew years if the price could be maintained at upwards<strong>of</strong> £15 per ton. He considered the prevalent retailprice <strong>of</strong> £37 per ton (Sekondi) to be a luxury one inrelation to staples such a6 cassava and mai«e, andPointed out that the survival <strong>of</strong> the industry afterthe war would probably depend cn the degree to whichincreased production brought down prices towards thelevel <strong>of</strong> Sierra Leone (and Nigerian?) export prices.15ft. Since Mr. Glaville's report rice productionhss been greatly increased. In November, 1945, totalpnduetion in the Gold Coast wae estimated at 9,000tons clean rice per annum. There haB, however, beenno indication <strong>of</strong> a fell in prices. Prices paid perton <strong>of</strong> clean rice to producers in the main growingareas were then j- Togoland £27: Aahanti £23-£37:Western Province £3©• In the Eesfern Province (productlor small) the price received by producers hasbeen ae high BB £65 per ton, and the retail price hasat times reached Od. per lb.159. There has been a parallel increase in theprice <strong>of</strong> staplea aince Mr. OlanTille 1 e visit, and itis early to prophesy the pr_ce level at which farmersare likely to ^ivAe*. production when food priceB returnto normal. it is clear that we are not likely to competein the export market for a number <strong>of</strong> years Vo come.160. /


39-Q N I 0 N S.160. Pre-war production <strong>of</strong> Nigerian -onions for localsupply was on a large scale. It has been expanded to meetmilitary requirements and a considerable surplus shouldpresently be available for export. Railments in 1944 were2,022 tons. A request for supplies for sierra Leone wasthen refused, as It waa considered that exports would affectlocal supplies.161. There a,re four main producing areas :-(a) Kano. The main crop is planted inthe dry season, the harvest beginsin February, and peak productionoccurs between March and September.The onion is large, white and flabby,and does not store fgp more thanthree months. •(b) Sokoto (Gusau). A dry-season 'o rop,T.haryested between February ahd June.•'; - The onion is small and firm'and• •> .. storeB well. , '& ,( d)-iZar^a. There are two crops j-( 1) Dry-season - large flat'onion harvested inJanuary-April; cropsmall.(11) Wet-season - a round onionwith reddish skin, peakperiod October-Dec ember.(d) Middle N;lfier Valley. A dry-season crop<strong>of</strong> large long cnidns, white or brown,harvested between December and March.162. Regular eoniigiments were made during 1942 tothe R.A.P., Takoradi. Losses in transit were at firstheavy but they were finally reduced to 7 er J per cent,by improved methods <strong>of</strong> packing and drying. The followingestimate <strong>of</strong> the cost <strong>of</strong> Nigerian onions landed atTakoradi is based on costings <strong>of</strong> twe consignments <strong>of</strong> 7cwtsi each sent from Gusau in 1942 :-Cost per tornTo Grower (6/6d. per owt.) £ 6.10. Od.Baskets 40 @ 5d , -.16. fld.Twine and handles ' -. 6.10d.Railway freight Apapa3. 0, Od.Ocean freight Apapa-Ta oradi v ..... 1. 8. 9d.Surcharge (50«s) -,l4. 5cLHarbour charges, stamp, etc...Apapa and Takoradi-.15. Od.Middleman and Handling3. 6. Od.£16.11. 8d.163./


40.163. The growers' price quoted- fcHr^-$usajt-^n--4942appears to be much lower than recent price*. Railings<strong>of</strong>. tbe., Ze^Tls,, wet-Beason crop .-were :-1914-1-42 ... 455 tons?^ 10/- per cwt.1942- 43 ... 456 «' ri n [15/- " " "i1943- 44 ... 366 " " 24/- ! .'- "The crop in 19U3-U4 was an unusually poor one. Anaverage price is about 15/" per cwt. which would mean alanded post Gold Coast <strong>of</strong> about £25 per ton'or 2.7d. perlb. Pre-war (1939) imports <strong>of</strong> onions into the Gold Coastwere 400 tons . valued at £10 per ton. i .POTATOES.'16ix. Pre-war imports <strong>of</strong> potatoes into Nigeria wereabout 500 tons per annum., et a landed cost <strong>of</strong> £12 per ton,or 1o3d- Per lb. For some years prior to the war therehad been production on the Plateau (-Jos) and in the Cameroons,which satisfied only l&cal demands. An increaseddemand for potatoes for- supply; tc the Forces and to otherWest African Colonies[waB envisaged in 1940, and a target<strong>of</strong> 1,000 tons was aimed at. Exclusive r>f local consumptionrailings from producing centres were j- 1941.638 tons: 1942.. 825 tons: i943. 1,451 tons. Presentproduction, including consumption in producing centres, isestimated at-1,700 tons per annum. Consequent on thewithdrawal <strong>of</strong> milita ry -personnel" there will be a large surplusavailable for export. The, chief producing centre lastill Joe, but there ha6 been a. big increase in productionin Zaria Province, and it is likely that the bulk <strong>of</strong> futureproduction will come from Zcria,, since the crop needs manure,and the r elations between Fulani and Hausa are morecordial in Zaria than on the Plateau.165, » The .varieties; tested-Include: Kinfe: Edward, ArranBanner,. Great* Scot, Ir iSh:Cbbbler, Up to Date, Creig'sDefiance. ,,, The last two varieties hatoe been faund mostsatisfactory, Craig's Defiance being the earlier sprouter.90 tons, pf imported seed w,ere distributed In. 1943* nd the8•present;policy is tp^multlpiy new;introductions at SamaruPanjii before distribution. With 2-tons <strong>of</strong> f.y.m. per' aere, ;crope <strong>of</strong> up to 4 tons per acre have jbeen grown; acrop <strong>of</strong> 2 tons per acre gives an adequate pr<strong>of</strong>it at Id.. per ,lt>. \ K * '»


167 • There have been regular ..railings to Lagos,and quality has been high since Grading Regulationswere introduced in August i942. Lagcs prices havebeen about Id. per lb. above growers prices. Slattedwooden cases to hold 56 lbs. cost 2s» 2d. each and havenow been replaced by baskets costing 6d. each- Consignments<strong>of</strong> 10 tons in September, 1941 and 1 ton inAugust, 1942 were made to the Gold Coast and arrivedin good condition. The following estimate <strong>of</strong> landedcost, Takoradi, is based on consignments bought inJ06 in 19410POSTS PER TON.To Grower • '(logjd. per lb..) £14. 0. 0.Baskets 40 at 6d. 1. 3. 0*Transport to Rail 1.0. 0,Handling charges, Inspection etc. 2.12. 0.Railway freight Apapa 3. 0. 0?Landed Lagos (Apapa) ff21.12. 0.Ocean freight Apapd-Tekoradi ~~1. 8* 9°Surcharge (50fi) -.14. 5-Harbour charges, stamp etc. Apapa —. 7. 6.do. do. Takoradi -. 7. 6«Landed Takoradi iae^-l-a,—a. £24.10.2The above charges would need to be increased byabout £1 per ton if the supervision ne-w exercised bythe Department were undertaken by private persons.Handling charges at Apapa and Takoradi would amountto about £2, giving a landed price <strong>of</strong> about £27 perton or 3d- per lb,168. Pre-war imports <strong>of</strong> potatoes into the GoldCoast were 600 tone per annum at £12 per ton. Ourlocal production is 7 r tons per annum at a wholesaleprice <strong>of</strong> 4do and "a retail price <strong>of</strong> 6d„ per lb. V7ecould, therefore, abeorb a part <strong>of</strong> the Nigerian surplusavailable during the months <strong>of</strong> August-December.Imports from other sources would be needed during therest <strong>of</strong> the year, when production is net likely to beeconomic in Nigerie itself.B A N A N A S .169. At your request I interviewed Mr. F.S.'V. Smith,Development Secretary, at the Secretariat in Lagos. Itold Mr. Smith that the revival <strong>of</strong> 'our "carina exportswas under consideration, and'th.t before any shippingcontracts were made we wished to find whether Takoradi,given suitable cold storage, could be served by thefleet which would carry bananas from the Cameroons.170. /


42,170. I gave Mr* Smith a short history <strong>of</strong> our bans^trade from 19.36 to 1941* Early shipments/ which consistedalmost entirely <strong>of</strong> Cavendish'bananas, had_.-con6latentlyfailed to pay :•' the first small pr<strong>of</strong>it bad' been made atthe beginning <strong>of</strong> 1939 when the percentage <strong>of</strong> Gros Michelbananas'had risen from &% to 52%, If the industry wererevived our exports would consist entirely <strong>of</strong> Gros Michel.171= Production would probably be in the neighbourhood<strong>of</strong> TOO,000 bunches per annum, rising to 200,000 bunchesin 2 years* There was considerable interest amongstthe farmers themselves, who appeared satisfied with thepre-war price <strong>of</strong> 1/- per 9-^and bunch, The contract shippingcharge, never lower than 2/- per bunch, had seemedhigh compared with total costs e.g. in one <strong>of</strong> the moresuccessful shipments (No. 21/38-39) costs per bunch were i -local 16.15d : shipping 24d : England 12-89d : 'Total 53.04d.Receipts "55-OUeuH172* ' Mr, Smith said that he could not state with certaintywhat the future <strong>of</strong> the Cameroons banana trade would:be until it had been decided how the country wag to beadministered, if Nigeria were made responsible he thoughta contract for handling the whole <strong>of</strong> the Cameroons cropwould be giv n to one <strong>of</strong> the Banana Companies, The shallowdraught <strong>of</strong> boats serving the Cameroons would limit theircapacity to about 80,000 bunches. Running a weekly servloethe Company would need upwards <strong>of</strong> 4 million bunches ayear for successful operation : it was thought that theCameroons could produce this quantity-173* Mr. Snith thought no company would be attraotedby the prospect <strong>of</strong> taking on an extra 2 C000 bunches a weekat Takoradi, At 2s. 6d. a bunch the receipts would be£250* Against this must be set the extra mileage ,and IOBS<strong>of</strong> time in diverting the ship; the danger and expense <strong>of</strong>opening, the cool-rooms two or three days after loading themain cargo (or the provision <strong>of</strong> a separately insulatedcool-room) ;.• and the payment <strong>of</strong> harbour ..dues. The, last- .item alone would probably be prohibitive, as the bananaboats would have neither the time nor the facilities forhandling cargo other than bananas. .174. In Mr. Smith's opinion our only hope <strong>of</strong> shippingbananas would be to make a contract, as heret<strong>of</strong>ore, with aline whose ships worked Takoradi regularly,, The charge <strong>of</strong>2/- per stem did not appear excessive; as far as he remembered,pre-war charges in the West Indies were between2s. 3d, and 2s* 6d. per stem. The Custodian <strong>of</strong> EnemyProperty had paid 2s. 6d. per stem for Cameroons bananasshipped to the United Kingdom in 1939-40*175- Compared with our local price <strong>of</strong> 1/- per9-hand bunch Jamaica produc ;.rs w .. now being paid4s. 6d* free on rail, which would be about 5s. 9d« f.o.b.It should be remembered that these were boom prioee*176. /


i+3.SPICES.176. Nigeria nee made two notable efforts to enterthe spice trade. An industry in cured white ginger hasbeen nursed in southern zaria since 1930: exports reacheda maximum <strong>of</strong> 380 tons in 1935. Despite an exacting system<strong>of</strong> grading the product failed to meet trade requirements.The area under crop wse therefore restricted in 1939, whenby carrying out chemical analysis in the field the gingerwse brought to B.P. standard for the first time: expertsin that year were only 85 tons.177. Yellow ginger haB been grown from 1940 onwardsand 8bout 50 tons per annum were exported between 1941 and19U3* It has been found easier to cure than white ginger,and quality has been well up to standard, although it hasnever secured the price paid for Jamaican ginger <strong>of</strong> theseme grade. Supervision cf preparation and regular analysishave been needed; in recent years exports have beenreduced by local demand, and it was necessary to advancethe price from Ud. to 6d. per lb. Grade I in 19UU-U5. Itis doubted whether cured ginger is now a payable proposition,and it is proposed to permit the export <strong>of</strong> rough scrapedginger, trial consignments <strong>of</strong> which have received favourablereports.178. Trial shipments <strong>of</strong> Japanese (Birdseye) Chillies,made in 19U1 after a careful programme <strong>of</strong> selection andbreeding, received most encouraging trade reports. Exports,mainly from Oyo and Benue Provinces, were 25 tons in 1942-43,83 tons in 1943-44 and 122 tons in 1944-45. The o*cp payswell, yielding 5 to 6 cwt. per acre at £4 per owt. Nigeriahopes to retain a share in the post-war market. The marketis a restricted one and we are advised not to compete.With Nigeria's experience <strong>of</strong> the exactions <strong>of</strong> the spicemarket we may assume that this advice is disinterested.CITRUS.179. I examined as many citrus farms as poaelble tosee whether I could find any cases <strong>of</strong> the 'sudden-death'which has occurred on sweet citrus budded on Sour Orangeat Asuansi or <strong>of</strong> the general ^e-back from which limes inAbakrempa-Aeebu are suffering. Citcus plots were inspectedat Agege, Ibadan, Owena, Benin, Samaru and Kano.180. Sour Orange is in general use ae a stock bothwith budded rlants imported as such (Moor Plantation Y 5)and with buddings made locally on stocks grown from seedimported from Florida end orinidadc (<strong>Open</strong> pollinatedSeed produced in Nigeria from these importations is nowbeing used for the production <strong>of</strong> stocks at Asuansi.)N5. .


44°No case <strong>of</strong> sadden death ^as been observed. The or-iy CVMBparablesymptoms, the production <strong>of</strong> ssaalX oiil^wtic leavesend die-back <strong>of</strong> branches, were s.^n in one Sweet Orangebudded on Rough Lemon (M.P Stock Trial A6).,181° There were few ca6ea <strong>of</strong> chlorosis. There wasmarked mottling and poor growth in two Sateuma-Trifoliateorange trees (M,P. B6). This would appear due to incompatibility: similar symptoms occur on a grapefruit -Citropsis budding at Asuansi. Mild chlorosis was apparenton a few leaves <strong>of</strong> healthy Sweet. Orange - Rough Lemon andGrapefruit-Rough Lemon trees at Ibadan, At samaru a generalspotted chlorosis which the Botanist cad thought due to mineraldeficiency appeared to arise from insect damage, puncturesbeing visible in the centre <strong>of</strong> the spots. Basal yellowingnoticed at Samaru on Grapefruit-Rough Lemon in the dry seasonwas also apparent on mango and is probably seasonal.182. Pruning wounds on most farms were clean, thepractice being to treat immediately with So lignum and againafter an interval <strong>of</strong> 14 days. The exception was Owenawhere the number <strong>of</strong> hacked and broken branches was no lessthan on our lime farras : no serious consequences have ensued.No bracket fungi were seen on eny farm. At Moor Plantationthere were two trees, Sicilian Lemon and Grapefruit; on RoughLemon stock, which had fallen down; no fungus was found onthe roots.183. Dead lower branches, ascribed by Shepherd at Asuansito interlocking, occurred chiefly on the larger treeB e g.Lemon-Sour Orange at Ibadan, and although the trees (27 x 27')!were not yet touching, death may, as Shepherd has suggested,be due to lack <strong>of</strong> light. At Owens uranch die-back has beenconrected with a severe dry-season,184« Periodic records <strong>of</strong> gummosis are kept at Agegeend Moor Plantation, We6t gives the average incidence onstocks at Agege as Sweet Orange 75% : Mandarin 75% :Tangelo 5~% : Grapefruit 48% : Acid Lime 45% Tangerine 40% :Rough Lemon 34% : Shaddock 23% : Sour Orange 15%. A highincidence <strong>of</strong> gummo&ls in some <strong>of</strong> the imported American buddedstock (M.P. M.B6) has been due to budding too lew, with theresult that affection has begun in the scion and worked downto the stock. The Nigerian practice is to bud the stock st18" from the ground; to plant in loose earth slightly aboveground level s© that on consolidation the crown roots areraised from the ground; to fork the scion at not leas than48" from the ground to avoid blanketing <strong>of</strong> the trunk by over¬hanging branches-185« Seeds <strong>of</strong> Lake Tangelo and Samson Tangelo werebrought back for trial at Asuansi. Both have grown andfruited well at Moor Plantation, Samson being more proneto scab than Lake, A third variety <strong>of</strong> Tangelo, Thornton,planted with the other varieties in i935> has made good growthbut has not yet fruited. other introductions which will', beworth making later are Llxoonla poggei. as yet only in theSeedling stage, and a strain <strong>of</strong> Nigerian Green Orange which isbelieved to be resistant to gummosis.Sugar /


SUGAR.' *': 186. The Nigerian suga r-industry is <strong>of</strong> particularinterest to .us,^ since *e have been repeatedly asked in, th.^-.Rress and elsewhere why, if Nigeria can produce sugara^.,.3dfi'„per lb.,., we cannot follow suit.187. Experiments were made in the Gold Coast atAbakrampa, a fairly big ,cane growing-area, at the beginning<strong>of</strong> 192+1. By using double rollers and a simple process <strong>of</strong>defecation it wasfound easy to make crystal 6ugar= Thewholesale price <strong>of</strong> cane was then 1.d. per stick <strong>of</strong> about5 lbs., the retail,price in the neighbouring town <strong>of</strong> CapeCoast being about 3 lbs. per penny, 1 lb. <strong>of</strong> crystalsugar and 1 lb. <strong>of</strong> molasses were produced from 22+ lbs, <strong>of</strong>cane. The control price <strong>of</strong> Tate cube 6ugar was then 5d.per. ,1b., so that the cost <strong>of</strong> the cane needed to produceT .lb. <strong>of</strong> brown crystals was itself as. high as, that <strong>of</strong> 1 lb.,\<strong>of</strong> refined sugars . . .. i . .'; e\'~ o • '188. Thet>proc0,08""Of sugar making was demonstratedto" large numbers <strong>of</strong> people at Tafo and-.R-umasi s there has,as far as'is known, been;no production. An ox-driven' triple.. roller <strong>of</strong> the Nigerian type was installed in theKeta district in 1942. Sugar could .not be made economically,the price <strong>of</strong> cane rocketing to 2 lb. per penny asthe demand increased- It was concluded that a small-scale.industry, could not .be pr<strong>of</strong> itable so long as there was alarge unsatisfied demand for chewing-stick. , . ••'189. The Nigerian sugar industry ha6 been describedby Watson (Farm, &. Forest, June i9U2, p.92).. A few oxor horse-driven mills <strong>of</strong> Indian type (Kirloskar Kumar)had ^een operated by .the G.M.S.. in..Zaria Province duringthe 1914-18 war. . A: large,, number,, <strong>of</strong> crushers has beenimported from,.194l onwa rds,* a ndf.lt As estimated that thereare now 160 crugbers, with an annual output <strong>of</strong> 2,000 tons<strong>of</strong> sugar, in operation. ;190. The,-,prepa.ration is simple. The juice is boileddown in 1+4-"illor? drums cut along their length and mountedin swish fireplaces. It is continually stirred and skimmedand when pfythe.correct density it Is ladled into tincash bowls <strong>of</strong> various sizes, where it sets into cakes <strong>of</strong> afine-grained candy (gur)^ . .This.is the form in which thesugar eomes on the market- . .jt.is hygroscopic, and can behandled easily only in a dry:climate. Unless kept in a.sealed container it becomes sticky and liable to mould inthe 'South.a.1 '- .' •191. Gocdban (Farm


46.depreciation on the co».t (£36) <strong>of</strong> plant ; the average productionper crasher was 8 tons per annum. It might beexpected either that cane is much chea per in'Nigeria thanin the Gold Coast or that the yield <strong>of</strong> sugar is higher. :••192. Neither is the case. Near Maigana crusherswere buying cane in,the field at £1. 7s. 9d. per ton or7 lbB. per penny. The retail price <strong>of</strong> cane in Zaria'Province was ^-d. to .1d. per stick and a handsome pr<strong>of</strong>itcould be made by railing (at 1/- per ton) to Jos where theselling price wa6 1d. to 2d. per stick. Goodban recordsthat towards the end <strong>of</strong> the 1944 season many operatorsabandoned crushing in favour <strong>of</strong> the fresh-cane trade.Army requirements <strong>of</strong> sugar at 3d. 'per lb. could not be fulfilledin 1945 since local retail prices were at least Ud.per lb. I paid id. each, or upwards <strong>of</strong> 6d. per lb., directto a crusher at Puntua for 3" cakes weighing a little over2 oz. Zaria sugar railed to Kano is retailed at upwards<strong>of</strong> 9d. per lb.193. Goodban gives the yield <strong>of</strong> slab-sugar asM lb.per 11f lb. cane. This i6 almost identical with our Abakrempayield, where 1 lb. <strong>of</strong> molasSes-plus-sugar was obtainedfrom 12 lbs. oene. Orystel sugar has been made on« small scale in Nigeria by the use <strong>of</strong> centrifugals. Juieebought from crushers at the equivalent <strong>of</strong> 3d. per lb. <strong>of</strong>Sugar yielded two parts <strong>of</strong>.molas6es to one Of crystals,and no pr<strong>of</strong>it could be made, unless the sugar were sold for6d. - 6jd. per lb. and the molasse6 for 5d. per lb.194. The present Gold Coast control prices ereTate Cube 7d, j Congo crystal : South Afriosn crystal5d. per lb ; . Landed cost <strong>of</strong> Tate Cube pre-war was 1j4. •per lb. duty free. It is clear, as we have repeatedlyheld, that a local sugar industry cannot hope to competewith estates in the production <strong>of</strong> crystal auger. ;195- Slab-sugar is, however, not a competitor witheryetal sugar. It .is in rivalry as a sweetmeat withchewing-stiek end as such la reaching a community to whoasugar would otherwise have been unknown. How large thiscommunity Is may be judged from the fact that pre-war lsvports<strong>of</strong> sugar into Nigeria (9,000 tone per annum) werelittle greater than those <strong>of</strong> the Gold Coast with a populationone-fifth <strong>of</strong> Nigeria's.196. The waiting-list for crushera la a long one,and a rapid expansion in production is prophesied whenfurther supplies are available. The impetus -to canegrowinghas been remarkable, the additional area <strong>of</strong> cropCorresponding to sugar production being in the neighbourhood<strong>of</strong> 4,-000 aores (6 tons per acre). Although It mayhave taken an entirely unforeseen course there is no doubtthat the sugar-Indus try will prove amongst the more lastingend successful <strong>of</strong> Nigeria's war efforts.197. /


197. Tho**© i«. however, r-c -eason to believethat a similar schene would have made any headwayin our own Northern Territories, where the amoiuit<strong>of</strong> d^y-season farming land (fadama) is extremelylimited and cane prices are as high as 1d. per lb.Sugar- is not an essential constituent <strong>of</strong> diet, andthere are many more useful crops to which 6pare land,if an;/, might be devoted. The demand for sweetmeatscan, when conditions are normal, be met again by theImport <strong>of</strong> boiled sweets or by the local manufacture<strong>of</strong> sweets from imported sugar.Addendum,-(Na tal papers please copy).X X X XEDITORIAL - GOLD COASX "SPECTATOR DAILY"FEBRUARY 12TH, 194"oT198. But the country has now a worse experience;Congo sugar seems to have been withdrawn from the marketand replaced by another granulated sugar, called Natalsugar which is today in large supply in the country. Ithas dark brown eolour; very much sandy and tasteless.A small pinch <strong>of</strong> it in a quantity <strong>of</strong> water is sufficientto tinge the water brown. Perhaps the crudest processis used in producing the commodity. It is unfit forhuman consumption. The people should not be helped tostake their life on it. The Natal sugar should bewithdrawn in the interest <strong>of</strong> the health <strong>of</strong> the people.Anything Bhould not be considered good for the people.SOYABEANS.199. Like ourselves the Nigerian Department hasdevoted a deal <strong>of</strong> attention to "oya beans since 1942 :like our own the results have been very variable, accordingto the variety grown and the time <strong>of</strong> planting. Underfavourable conditions yields, as in the Gold Coast, haveranged from about 500 to 1,000 lb. per acre.200. A large number <strong>of</strong> varieties has been undertest. 33 varieties were tried at Moor Plantation in1944, the highest yielder bring Trinidad, at 56O lb. peracre. A notable omission from the list is the black-seededFort Lamy, which has given the most consistently highyields in the Cold Coast forest belt.201. /


48,201. Of 34 varieties tested at Samaru in 1944, 16<strong>of</strong> the more promising were under trial in 1945. In theNorth, Trinidad has not been the highest yielder, althoughit is popular because <strong>of</strong> its even maturation which allowsthe crop to be harvested in three pickings. In 1945 ityielded et samaru only 540 lb. per acre as against 900 lb.from each <strong>of</strong> the varieties Malaya, Benares, Dixie andPhilippine 92X (yields corrected for missing stands j1 ton farm yard manure per acre). At Ilorin in 1944relative yields were Benares 615 s Malaya 575 j Trinidad470 lb, per acre.202. There have been many experiments in time <strong>of</strong>planting. The best results have been obtained when seedhas matured in the dry season, considerable loss by mouldbeing obtained if the plants ripen in the rains. InIbadan early planting leads to loss through insect attack,and early August is thought the best planting time. Somevarieties (particularly Trinidad and Benares) rapidly loseviabilityif stored through the rains, and the planting <strong>of</strong>an early crop for seed purposes has been recommended.203. Losses through mould are apt to be particularlyhigh if plants are harvested by cutting at ground leveljust before ripening and stored until the pods dry out.This practice had been recommended in South Africa to reducelabour costs, and losses due to self-shelling. Ithas been found impracticable at Yanvlev and Maigana withvarieties which ripen in the reins. At Ilorin cutlassedplants contained a high proportion <strong>of</strong> immature seed, andalthough the costs <strong>of</strong> picking and threshing were 1.9 timesgreater than those <strong>of</strong> cutlassing and threshing the yieldsfrom picking were 36 per cent, greater than from cutlassing.204= At Ilorin 12" x 36" spacing has given significantlyhigher yields than 18" x 36", but at Ibadan nosignificant difference was obtained between spacingsranging .from 6" to 24" on 3' ridges. There are apparentlyno records <strong>of</strong> the effect <strong>of</strong> spacing on hay yields-,205. Propaganda to popularize the beans has beenCarried out et a number <strong>of</strong> places. The flavour ia saltto be more acceptable than that <strong>of</strong> cowpeas, but even afterboiling 4 hours the beans do not ma6h ae easily «a eewpees.The most popular recipes so far evolved are :- Zonkwa :Soak overnight. Boil 3 hours, drein, add guinea-corn,palm-oil and salt, rebcil one hour. Ibadan : Soak overnight,remove testa, grind together one measure <strong>of</strong> soyaand two measures <strong>of</strong> maize, add seasoning, wrap in leavesend boil.206. The period <strong>of</strong> cooking needed to make the beanstender is likely to restrict their use in the many placeswhere firewood is at a premium. A similar problem arisesin the use <strong>of</strong> dried oi^/eon peas- This appears to havebeen solved by Mr. Asolo <strong>of</strong> Samaru by the invocation <strong>of</strong>the /


49-the magic tablet <strong>of</strong> packet peas. He tried two comparativetreatments with pigeon peas (a) soaked for 20 minutesin lukewarm water containing a pinch <strong>of</strong> Kanwa (potash),boiled for 20 minutes (b) -boiled for 3 hours. He recordsthat treatment (a) gave delicious tender peas whilst treatment(b) produced tougher peas with a bitter flavour.207. The use <strong>of</strong> alkaline s<strong>of</strong>teners is well worthtrial with soya beans. rhe production <strong>of</strong> bean sproutswhich would seem the best use to which the beans can beput, appears to have been demonstrated neither in Nigerianor the Gold Coast, possibly because <strong>of</strong> the rapid loss <strong>of</strong>viability.C A S S A V A .208. The production <strong>of</strong> varieties <strong>of</strong> cassava resistantto virus disease has been carried out independently in theGold Coast and Nigeria since 1931. There would be greatsaving <strong>of</strong> effort if future work could be more closelystandardized, or directed by one person-209- At Moor Plantation varieties are at presentbeing tested by budding with infected material. None <strong>of</strong>the resistant varieties so far tested has been found immuneto mosaic. The only Gold Coa'st variety given extensivefield trial is 997B (Garri) which has been the best performerat some places (Maigana) and the wor6t at others(Minna: infection said to be 77 per cent.). Interestingdifferences in reaction have been observed between Northand South. None <strong>of</strong> the common Northern varieties isaffected by virus when grown in the North: when sent toIbadan in 1932 all showed infection and the average yieldper stand was less than 13 lbs. compared with 16-24 lbs.for the Ibadan hybrids. (The commonest Northern variety,dan Itarrj, whose name suggests a southern origin, wasapparently not tested). Conversely all the Ibadan selectionshave shown mosaic when tried in the North. Thevector (Bemisja nigeriensjs, Corbert) is common to Northend South. It is possible either that resistance cay beimpaired by ohange <strong>of</strong> climate or that different- strains<strong>of</strong> virus exist in North and South.210. Nigeria has 6hown less respect than ourselvesfor the prussic acid content <strong>of</strong> ca6savaB, and unboiled andunpeeled roots have been fed to pigs at a number <strong>of</strong> stations.At Gndo the feeding <strong>of</strong> cassava from the resistance trialplots appeared to coincide with the death <strong>of</strong> the entire herdOf pigs (para. 127)* A large number <strong>of</strong> deaths due to feedingraw cassava to sheep was reported from Ibadan in- February,1945. We cave found dangerous quantities <strong>of</strong> prussic acidIn unboiled samples <strong>of</strong> some <strong>of</strong> our resistant hybrids, whereasthe local varieties are usually safe.211. /


50.211. Experiments made in Ibadan in 1942 showedthat at the prevailing price <strong>of</strong> cassava, i+d. per cwt,,cassava starch could be pr<strong>of</strong>itably made (woman labour5d. per day) to meet the demand for export at £11+ perton f.o.b. (£12. 3/- Lagos). In the Gold Coast the, cost <strong>of</strong> cassava was then 1/- per cwt. and the cost <strong>of</strong>making cassava starch was found to be 1.8d. per lb.The. retail price was 3d. per lb. and only trial lotswere made for export. Nigerian production <strong>of</strong> starchwas 223 tons in 1941-42 and 5,262 tons in 1942-43,the bulk <strong>of</strong> production coming from Warrl Province.Exports were discontinued in May 1943-B I L T O N G .MISCELLANEOUS.212. The United Africa Company Limited hasestablished a factory for the manufacture <strong>of</strong> biltongfrom beef and goat-flesh in Kano. . The output in1944-45 was 169 tons beef biltong and 135 tons goatbiltong, <strong>of</strong> which 288 tons were sold to the Army and16 tons to civilians. Carcases are boned, stripped<strong>of</strong> skin and fat and cut into long narrow strips whichare rolled in salt and cayenne pepper and hung up todry in a large diry shed. Drying takes three to fourdays in the dry season and six to seven days in therains. The average loss on drying is 66% for beefand 60% for goat-flesh. The average bullock gives2 cwt. boned wet meat uv 75 lbs. biltong. (1 tonBiltong =i 30 bullocks). The industry should servea very useful purpose in supplying animal protein toareas where the biltong can be marketed without risk<strong>of</strong> deterioration. Messrs. United Africa CompanyLimited give the landed cost Acera -as 1/31. per lb;they supply a pamphlet describing methods <strong>of</strong> cooking.DRIED BLOOD.213. Reference has been made to the excellentresults obtained by the inclusion <strong>of</strong> animal protein,in the form <strong>of</strong> dried blood, in the diet <strong>of</strong> pigs, andcattle.214- The production <strong>of</strong> dried blood was, at thesuggestion <strong>of</strong> the agricultural Department, undertakenby the Veterinary and Health Departments in Kano inFebruary, 19n4. A very complete account <strong>of</strong>; the processhas been given by Dr. E.C. Gilles (Farm and ForestVI.2. p.60 (1945)).215. Animals to be slaughtered are arranged withthe^r heads in a circle around the drainage slope leadingto the blood sump. Slaughtering, by cutting thethroat, begins at a signal when all the animals ere inposition (6.0 to 7«0 a.m.). Carcases may not be washedwith water until the blood has been collected in thesump and its entry channel sealed.216. /


51-216. The blood Is boiled down, with constant stirring,in double walled containers made by riveting a 44-gallonoil-*drum inside a slightly larger drum. The boilders areset in a clay fireplace, clayed to within 9" <strong>of</strong> their topand fired by town refuse, corn stalks and (if the refusesupply is short) coal. The blood is first boiled to-theconsistency and colour <strong>of</strong> boiled liver. It then frie6in its own fat (110-115°C) to a granular mass which isspread nn a drying floor where it is broken by a rakehandleinto small lumps. It dries to a non-»dorousblack lustrous material which is then broken down in amortar. It is marketed in produce (cocoa) bags <strong>of</strong> about180 lbs. at £9 per ton.217. There are in Kano a 4-boiler unit which servesthe City Abattoir, where about 90 cattle and 2k sheep andgoats are slaughtered daily, and a single bo'iler unit whichdeals with the blood from the 12 cattle and 2k sheep andpigs which are killed daily in the Sebongari market. Thetotal output, from 100-120 gallons <strong>of</strong> blood per day, i6about 5 tons dried blood per month. The production duringApril-September, 19U5» was 26 tons.218. There is an obvious need for controlled feedingtrials <strong>of</strong> dried blaod to pigs in the Gold Coast in view<strong>of</strong> the apparently normal weight increases which have beenobtained without the use <strong>of</strong> animal protein (p. 130)*It is doubtful whether any abattoir in the Gold Coastcan supply quantities <strong>of</strong> blood commensurate with those<strong>of</strong> the Kano slaughter houses. In the Northern Territoriesevery ounce <strong>of</strong> blood is eagerly seized and consumed by thepeople; and anyone who has put hi6 nose over the bloodboilerB, and has at the same time a fondness for haggisor other black puddings, will enquire whether surplusblood, if any, should be diverted from human to cattleconsumption. Material is, however, available for experiment.The Kuraasi abattoir, with a daily kill <strong>of</strong> 12beasts and US sheep and goats, could supply a singleboiler unit similar to that <strong>of</strong> Sabongsri, Kano, and theauthorities promise co-operation with the Department.BONE ASH.219. Bone-ash is made at the City Abattoir in Kano.The largest bones are left behind, and their fat-contentmakes them readily inflammable. They are fired togetherwith horna etc., by guinea corn stalks; boiled bones fromthe town refuse are added when the fires' is well 6tarted.The calcined bones are then pounded in mortars, repeatedlyscreened and repounded. The ash is marketed insalt-bags at £9 per ton. The output during April-September, 1945 was 10 tone, a quantity in excess <strong>of</strong>the requirements cf the Department's stock farms. Bygrinding in a hammer-mill it will probably be possibleto bring down the cost <strong>of</strong> production to a figure atwhich the ash may be pr<strong>of</strong>itably used as a manure.220. /


52.GRuINSTORAGE.220. The normal pricefor grain in Kano is 0.6d.per lb. at harvest and 0i8d. to 1.0d. per lb.-duringthe rest <strong>of</strong> the year, .In 1943 hoarding by middlemenafter a light harvest led to serious inflation: guineacorn rose from 6/l1d, per cwt. in January to 25/- inJuly.' Grain stores were erected by the Native Administrationwith the object <strong>of</strong> stabilising prices by therelease <strong>of</strong> grain at the time <strong>of</strong> scarcity (June-July);thus ensuring that farmers should not. be scared intocorn-growing at the expense <strong>of</strong>. the groundnut crop.221. Fifteen sheds, jsch holding 250 tons <strong>of</strong>bagged grain, were built alongside the Kano railwayBiding eta cost <strong>of</strong> £200 each. Grain was .hurriedlybought in Maiduguri, but transport by circuitous meansmore than trebled the cost price, and the Kano landedprice was £14. 2/- per ton. It,became heavily infestedwith weevil and was sold at £3.10/- per ton. Since itsinception the storage scheme, has involved the NativeAdministration in a loss <strong>of</strong> £20,000 exclusive <strong>of</strong> thecost <strong>of</strong> buildings.222. In 1944 grain was bought at Katsina at £5per ton, and cost £7-11/- delivered to store, including,bags and staff expenses. At the time <strong>of</strong> my visit84u tons <strong>of</strong> old grain remained in store. It was beingsold to licensed market retailers et 16/- per bag (bagworth 1/- to 1/6d.) or about £8 per ton. The maximumdaily release was fixed at 10 tons; actual buyings werebetween 4 and 8 tonr;. 'Weevil damage in a sampleinspected was about 10 per cent,223. The shedo had been patched in readinessfor fumigation <strong>of</strong> the new crop, <strong>of</strong> which 2,000 tons<strong>of</strong> millet end guinea corn were to be bought. TheSenior Entomologist had pointed out the difficulty<strong>of</strong> making a rectangular building pro<strong>of</strong> against reinfestation,and cylindrical tanks with a domed ro<strong>of</strong>had been designed for new storage centres at Adamawa,Jos and Gusau. Fumigation would be carried out bypcuring a non-inflammable mixture <strong>of</strong> carbon tetrachlorideand ethylene ditidoride through an openingin the ro<strong>of</strong> leading to a system cf evaporating guttersfixed above the grain. The Public Works'Department considered that the erection <strong>of</strong> cylindricaltanks was beyond- the capabilities <strong>of</strong> localworkers in ferro-concrete, and the final shape <strong>of</strong>the buildings had not been decided when I left Nigeria.OIL dXPd^SoION; /


53.OIL EXPRESSION : 'SOAP MAKING. ' ' :224. The fatuity cf re-irnporting part <strong>of</strong> our export<strong>of</strong> oils in the form *f common soap was perhaps moat apparentin the early days <strong>of</strong> the war, when valuable shippingapace was used in eupplying us with a commodity whichGreet Britain could i l l spare and which we could make bythe import <strong>of</strong> caustic soda taking up one-twentieth <strong>of</strong>the volume occupied by oil and soap together.225. The small-scale preparation <strong>of</strong> soap by thecold-drawn process, using coconut or palm-kernel oilswith or without .the admixture <strong>of</strong> other oils, was practisedin the Gold Coast before the war and has increasedconsiderably during the war years. The practice was<strong>of</strong>ficially frowned on, since both copra and palm-kernelswere amongst the most urgent <strong>of</strong> war-time needs. Butexperts have had to v/ait on local requirements. The GoldCoest exported 2,541 tons cf copra at £9.17.3d. per ton in1936: locally made coconut oil was then 7/6d. per 4 gallontin. Despite propaganda for copra production, and alarge interim increase in the area under bearing coconuts,exports <strong>of</strong> copra in 1944 were 841 tons at a controlledprice <strong>of</strong> £10.12.6d. per ton, the price <strong>of</strong> coconut oilthen being £1. per tin in production centres. The fallin copra exports is explained by ohe equation : - 1 tinoil (20/r) = 300 nuts m 100 lbs. ccpra (9/6d).226. A strong plea for the erection <strong>of</strong> an oil expressionplant in the Gold Coast was made by some <strong>of</strong> us at atime when the chances <strong>of</strong> being able to ship the cocoa-cropwere small. It was thought that the plant could be keptpermanently occupied in post-war years in extracting cocoabutter from the increasing percentage <strong>of</strong> low-grade cocoawhich tightened grading regulations would render unexporteble.If such a plant had been provided it could havesupplied cocoa-butter, coconut and palm-kernels oils at.a cost far below that cf the laborious local methods; itWould have had an efficiency <strong>of</strong> 90-95j- in contrast to thewasteful 50-70% <strong>of</strong> local methods; it would have given uspress-cakes <strong>of</strong> value a6 stock-feed, whereas the nativemethods yield unusable residues in the case <strong>of</strong> cocoa andpalm-kernels, and a product with too high a fat/prcteinratio in the case <strong>of</strong> coconuts (poonac). It was notprovided.227. I. was interested to meet in Kano Mr. GeorgesCalil, whese application to erect an expression plant inthe Gold Coast in early 1945 had been refused ori thegrounds that oil-seeds were still a war priority and thata large expression plant would compete with local indu- •strie6. The Department had recommended the applicationfor the reasons outlined in the previous paragraph.Whilst soap-making is a local industry worth promotingthere /


54.there is little to be said for the encouragement <strong>of</strong> theextraction <strong>of</strong> cils by wasteful and tedious localmethods; our experience during the campaign forextracting cocoa-butter from unexportable cocoa westhat oil-making was regarded as • drudgery- countenanced*only for the purpose <strong>of</strong> obta thing' sosrp', ^~'£he firstact <strong>of</strong> many <strong>of</strong> our departed tra inees; at ;i*afb' wa6 towrite to enquire where they could buy crcc-p-butter.228. Mr. Calil was using an expeller "press with-groundnuts and obtaining a yield <strong>of</strong> 34 per cent, <strong>of</strong>high class salad 6 i l (P. P.A; 0; 25% wi'th frestrnuts-, -rising to', 3,0%'ln'/nuts stored 'till July) by single -expression; *>' further 1L per'cent.; Of second'' grade 'oil was obtained by repressing the''first' cake-V - his ; 1 :price for fir6t grade pll was 30/- per 4 gallon tinand for press-cake £7 Per ton.' The plant had a capacity<strong>of</strong> 2,0.00 tons <strong>of</strong>" nuts per- arintfm>' arid, extra plant •


155.express palm-kernels had apparently been granted to theApapa Soap Works (Messrs. Unilever) and press-cake -at£2.10/- per ton ex factory has been <strong>of</strong> great help to theNigerian Department and ourselves.PROCESSINGMACHINERY.231. One <strong>of</strong> the more striking differences betweenNigeria and the Gold Coast is the extent to which thetwo countries have been mechanised. Whereas the smallestsouthern Gold Coast town has at least one power-drivencorn-mill which performs operations, such as the grinding<strong>of</strong> palm kernels and cocoa prior to oil-extraction, whichwould surprise its makers, Nigeria still expects its womenfolkto spend their days pounding in mortars and grindingon stoOes.The most glaring failure to appreciate this differencewas our anachronistic introduction <strong>of</strong> an ox-driven sugarmillto Keta in 1942. This mill functioned after the oxenhad been duly procured and trained: it could have given avery good immediate performance if suitably harnessed tothe many engines waiting for it.232. When the Nigerian Department in 1941 startedmilling wheat grown under irrigation in the North, aflour mill was erected in Kano; the management was handedover to the Lissabi Mills Ltd. I paid a most interestingvisit to the Lissabi Mills Lagos, with the proprietor,Mr. J.K- Ladlpo, a former member <strong>of</strong> the Nigerian Department.The mill was then engaged in milling wheat, maize, rice,c<strong>of</strong>fee and cocoa and in marketing flours, wheat flakes,mixed cereals and cocoa powder. A large number <strong>of</strong> themachines, including flour-driers, c<strong>of</strong>fee-roasters andbottle-driers, had not only been designed by Mr. Ladipobut had been assembled with great ingenuity from suchscrap material as had been available during the war-yeare.I would sincerely recommend a visit to these mills by allwho claim that the African is lacking in initiative.A CKNO WL LP GMLN TS.233. I am conscious that this report contains manylacunae; that it is tedious in parts interesting to myselfend sketchy in many parts which may be <strong>of</strong> interest to others.With the subject <strong>of</strong> Agricultural Education, which has latelybeen investigated by a number <strong>of</strong> visiting bodies, I have notdealt. 1 was impressed by the work <strong>of</strong> the Oyo Farm School,and recommend the report contained in "Africa Advancing"(Friendship Press, New York, 1945)-234. In Appendix I. I have indicated the sources fromwhich my information was derived, and I am assured thatNigerian <strong>of</strong>ficers would be glad to correspond with interestedmembers <strong>of</strong> our own Department. To the persons named in theAppendix I tender my best thanks for their information and ":help.DAB.


APPENDIX I.I T I N E R A R Y.November 21st Arrive Agege from Cotonou." 22nd Agege Strck Fattening Scheme, Citrus,Cocoa and Grass plots on Agege Stationwith Mr. H.O. Otuka, AgriculturalAssistant. Arrive Ibadan." 23rd Discussions with Mr. A.G. Beattie, Director<strong>of</strong> Agriculture, Grass plots andDairy, Moor Plantation." « 24th Discussions with J.D. Brown, DeputyDirector, Mr. F.L. Buckley, ActingAssistant Dire^/^r and Dr. H. Vine,Acting Senior Chemist. Visit AgriculturalShow, Oyo." 26th Experimental Plots end Unit Farms, MoorPlantation, with Mr. P.H. Richard6,Agricultural Officer, Discussionswith Mr. G.K.G. Campbell, Botanist.Visit to Citrus Plots." 27th With Dr. Vine and Mr. Campbell to I.N.A.Cocoa Farm and to Swollen Shoot outbreakat Oda-Ona." 28th Ibadan to Jobba via Ilorin Farm." 29th Jebba to Bida." 30th Bida Farm, Badeggi Rice Mill; Rrjpe,twine and mat makers Badeggi and Bida,with Mallam Chadu.December 1st Bide to Minna. Minna Piggeries withMr. R. Turner, Agricultural Officer.Minna to Zaria." 2nd Arrive Samuru. Visits to Dairy andPiggery with Mr. I.E. James, AssistantDirector." 3rd Samuru Farm with Mr. T.N. Greeves, AgriculturalOfficer; Chemical and BotanicalLaboratories, Botanist's Plots withMr. w.S. Freeman, Acting Senior Botanist.Uth Shika stock Farm with Mr. R.D. Ross,Acting Principal Agricultural Officer,and Mr. S.E. Ryall, Agricultural Officer;Anti-erosion work, Shika, with Mr. G.BrowneAgricultural Engineer.5th Daudawa Farm and N.A. Settlement Scheme;Sugar-making at Funtua with AssistantDirector and Mr. J.W. Goodban, .agriculturalOfficer.11 ^oth Meigana Perm with Mr. Freeman.December 7th /


2.December 7th Zaria to Kano. Unit Parma withMr. D.B. Sabision, Senior AgriculturalOfficer.-« 8th Animal Health Department; Dried Bloodand Bone ash making with Mr, A.W.Hart,Veterinary Officer." 9th Night-soil compoat pits with Dr. Saxton,Medical Officer <strong>of</strong> Health." 10th Menguissoglou soap factory and Star-weedplots." 11*h • Kalil. oil-expression plant; Grain Stora-• ge shed6: Biltong factory with Mr.Sabieton.'» 11-13th Kano to Ibadan.1Uth - Discussions with Mr. K.f. Hartley, Senior. ' Chemist, and Dr. Vine.15-l6th Ibadan to O.P.H.S. via Akure.17th Experimental Plots O.P.H.S. with Mr.P.W. TooveySenior Botanist, and Mr. A.C. Trueblood,Bote nist.18th Germinators and Nurseries O.P.R. S. Pollinationsat Ogba Farm, Benin City withMr. foovey.II19th O.P.R. S. to Qndo." 20th Owena Farm with Mr. A.F.W. Sheffield,•'. Agricultural Officer and Mr. F.E. Deoker,Assistant Entomologist, W.A. C.R.I." 21st Ondo to Ibadan." 22-2h/th Collection data from Departmental Reports.M25th Rotations and Manurial Trials, Moor Plante-• • tion with Mr. Hartley and Dr. Vine.2{5th Swollen shoot outbreaks Pa shade and Badokuwith Mr. T.At Rusaell, Agricultural Officer,Cocoa Survey.27th Ibedan to Lagos. Visit Lagos Dairy, interviewMr. . F.E. V. Smith, Development Secretary.28th Discussions with Mr. E. McL. Watson, Chief• • Marketing Officer; and Miss M.E.Bro ugh ton,Marketing Officer.29th Visit Lissabi Mills (Mr. J.K. Ladlpo).3^th • Leave Lagos' for Cotonou,.-.DAB.

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