=SHEA NUTS AND BUTTER.=—The export trade in shea nuts (_Butyrospermum Parkii_) was expected to develop with the extension of the railway through Ibadan and Ilorin to the Northern Provinces, but the exported product still has its main source from localities north of the Niger. The demand does not seem sufficient to induce expansion to a great extent (_Bull. Imp. Inst._, vol. vi. [1908]). The butter or fat is much appreciated in the country for culinary purposes, and has been found of value in Europe for soap and candle-making, as well as for the manufacture of vegetable butter. =KOLA.=—Two species of kola (_K. acuminata_ and _K. vera_) are cultivated, the latter being the indigenous Gold Coast form, the fruit of which is said to be especially valued in the Haussa countries to the north. The local native names are, respectively, “Obi abatta” and “Obi gbanja.” In general appearance the trees are similar, except that the former has narrower and smaller leaves. The “gbanja” form of nut is generally pink and divisible into from two to three parts (cotyledons), whereas the “abatta” form may vary in colour from deep crimson to white and be separable into from three to five parts. The price paid for kolas in Lagos is said to vary from 1_s_. 3_d_. to 5_s_. per hundred. Although a considerable number of trees have been planted and are bearing fruit in the Western Province, the demand for kolas for native consumption is so great that there is a large import trade from the Gold Coast. The kola nut is chewed in much the same manner as the betel nut in the East. It is greatly appreciated for its sustaining qualities, and forms a token of friendship exchanged among high-grade natives, as a preliminary to an important discussion of any kind. =FIBRE.=—Experiments have been made at the Olokemeji Botanic Station with indigenous fibres, and a small factory has been erected at Ilaro, where a machine capable of extracting fibre is said to have been instituted. The reports upon some of the local Hibiscus fibres have been satisfactory. These are capable of utilisation as jute substitutes, and it may be possible to grow them in the crop rotation of the country at some future time for the purpose of export. (See _Selected Reports from the Imperial Institute_, No. 1 “Fibres,” pp. 38, 52, 83, 89, and 114.) Piassava (_Raphia vinifera_) fibre is prepared and shipped, especially from Uwet in the Eastern Province, the export amounting to 319 tons in 1910. =LEATHER.=—A small trade in leather is done among the Yorubas, and tanners may be met with chiefly in the north of the Western Province. The process employed in the preparation of the goat and sheep skins used is similar to that of Northern Nigeria. (See Report on “Leather from Lagos,” _Bulletin of the Imperial Institute_, vol. iv. [1906], p. 366, and articles on “Native Leather of West Africa,” _Bulletin of the Imperial Institute_, vol. vi. [1908], pp. 175-81 and vol. viii. [1910], pp. 402.)