The increase in the productivity of the tropics, and especially of the tropical regions within the British Empire, is important, not only for the natives of those countries, and others who are actually engaged in tropical enterprise, but for the merchant and manufacturer at home. The preparation for general use of cotton and other fibres, of tea, coffee and cocoa, of oils, of tobacco, and of numerous other products exported from the tropics, provides the means of employment and livelihood for a very large proportion of the working population of this country, whilst every one at home is interested in securing an adequate supply at a moderate cost of these necessaries and luxuries of life. The subjects of these Handbooks, treated as they will be, as far as possible, in non-technical language, should therefore appeal to a large class of readers. The present Handbook deals with the Agricultural and Forest Products of British West Africa and serves as an introduction to this series. Mr. Dudgeon, who until lately was Inspector of Agriculture in the West African Colonies and Protectorates, writes with an unrivalled knowledge of his subject, and gives a comprehensive account of the vegetable products of that country, which will afford to the general reader some idea of the enormous possibilities of this British territory now in the process of rapid commercial development. WYNDHAM R. DUNSTAN. IMPERIAL INSTITUTE, S.W. _March 1911_. =CONTENTS= PART I PAGES THE GAMBIA 1-14 PART II SIERRA LEONE 15-42 PART III THE GOLD COAST, ASHANTI, AND THE NORTHERN TERRITORIES 43-92 PART IV NIGERIA—SOUTHERN PROVINCES 93-119 PART V NIGERIA—NORTHERN PROVINCES 120-164 INDEX 165-176 =LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS= SKETCH MAP OF BRITISH WEST AFRICA _Frontispiece_ GAMBIA AND SIERRA LEONE OPPOSITE PAGE JOLAH WITH NATIVE HAND-PLOUGH, BULLELAI, FOGNI 3 CANARY ISLAND PLOUGH, AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL, ABUKO 3 RUBBER TREE (_Ficus vogelii_) AT BATHURST 3 RUBBER VINE (_Landolphia heudelotii_) AT KOTOO 9 CEARA RUBBER TREE (_Manihot glaziovii_) AT BAKAU 9 RUBBER TREE (_Castilloa elastica_) AT KOTOO 9 FRUITS OF OIL PALMS, SIERRA LEONE 13