=BEESWAX.=—A small amount of beeswax is collected in the Protectorate, and instruction has been given to the natives in some localities with a view to the improvement of the methods employed by them. The Government has arranged for the instruction of some of the local officials while on leave in England in practical bee-keeping. The bee found in Sierra Leone is identical with the variety of _Apis mellifera_ found throughout West Africa, and is named var. _Adansonii_. It is rather small, but produces an excellent honey, which is much appreciated. =OIL SEEDS.=—A tall tree bearing a large flattened legume, known to the Mendi people as “Fai,” or “Fawe,” has been sent for examination to the Imperial Institute on account of the oil contained in the seed. This tree was identified as _Pentaclethra macrophylla_, and, although common throughout the forested zone, is not seen in profusion anywhere. The oil has been tested, and is said to be capable of utilisation for the manufacture of soap and candles, but not for alimentary purposes. The difficulties in connection with the collection of the seed in large quantities and the extraction of the kernel from the outer horny shell, hinder the creation of a remunerative export trade. Another vegetable oil is that obtained from the fruit of _Pentadesma butyracea_, a tree found in some parts of Bullom and in the Port Lokko district. The fat extracted from the ripe fruit is occasionally brought for sale to Freetown, where it is known as Mandingo butter. It does not occur in sufficient quantities to be commercially useful, although it yields an edible oil. _Lophira alata_, which is widely distributed throughout the grass country in the north, and is replaced by a nearly allied species, _L. procera_, in the forest zone, bears a seed which contains a large percentage of oil, which can be used for soap manufacture. The difficulty of decorticating the seeds and their preservation during transport are disadvantages in the establishment of an export trade. Analyses of the fats or oils yielded by these and other West African oil seeds, and information as to their quality, possible uses and value will be found in _Selected Reports from the Imperial Institute_, Pt. V., Oil Seeds (cf. also _Bull. Imp. Inst._, 1912, 1913, 1915, 1917, 1918). =Progress in Agriculture.=—In 1910 the Agricultural Department was reorganised on a better basis than formerly, and the purely forestry work, which had been previously carried on by the Agricultural Superintendent, in addition to his other duties, was then transferred to a Forestry Department formed in that year. Briefly, the scheme of work laid down by the new Department of Agriculture may be said to be on the following chief lines: (i) The introduction of a cheap and effective organic manure, and the demonstration of its value in such a manner as to induce the people to use it on their land, and thereby to employ more economical means for the production of food, etc.