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1."The experience of the last yearor two tends to confirm that, in t.ia country cf the e;Lze cf Nigeria,with its diversity of eoil and . .•climate, the best results arecbtained by going all out for •, .•,!„ the maximum production of all• crops, and the retention of 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 proof of thesoundness of the advice offered •, to farmers and the resultant somewhatslow tempo «of our extensionwork, have recently been severelycriticised. Recent experience inproduction drives end the comparativefailure of more spectacularmethods have more than justified 1. this policy". I.11+. The programme for the agricultural developmentof Nigeria had not been announced at the time of my visit.A meeting of 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 of 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 heretofore. Unless the staff can bestrengthened, or its communication lines shortened, thereappears to be imminent danger of a constant migrationof officers from one station to another. I make thisobservation with affectionate memories of the'solidarityof the pre-war Nigerian stations and with experience ofthe 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 of 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. /