=FIELD CROPS.=—The soil throughout a large part of the forest country is very fertile, and no difficulty is experienced in producing sufficient crops for local needs from a small area of ground. The usual method is to cut down a piece of forest, leaving those trees which are too large to be removed or burnt, or which may yield one of the wild fruits which is appreciated. The stumps and roots are not removed when only maize (_Zea mays_) is intended to be grown, but are, to some extent, when yams (_Dioscorea sp._), or groundnuts (_Arachis hypogea_), are to be cultivated. The cut “bush” is permitted to dry in the sun for several weeks, when it is burned, and the ashes are sometimes scattered over the land. For plantations of maize, the soil is only turned up at the spots where the seed is to be put in, and very little cultivation is given for the remainder of the year, although weeding and earthing up are resorted to in a few places. For the cultivation of yams or groundnuts, the larger roots are dug out, and the whole field is dug with small hoes, the soil being scraped together into small mounds, on the top of which the yams or groundnuts are planted. In the case of the former, stakes are also put in, upon which the yams are trained to grow. In addition to this it is usual, in most places, to plant maize upon the sides of the mounds, and okra (_Hibiscus esculentus_) and peppers (_Capsicum sp._) in various parts of the field. Guinea corn (_Sorghum vulgare_) is rarely seen within the forest limits. Between the mounds, at wide intervals, plantains (_Musa sapientum_) are generally grown, and occupy the ground after all the other crops have been removed. In the country near the coast, as well as in the Volta district, cassava (_Manihot utilissima_) is a common terminal crop, although it is not frequently grown in Ashanti. The length of time during which the land usually continues to yield a grain or root crop, of the kinds above mentioned, seems limited to about three years. Koko yams (_Colocasia antiquorum_) are planted in damp places near the villages or beside streams, and, in the Volta district, sweet potatoes (_Ipomœa batatas_) are cultivated to a small extent. Small gourds (_Cucurbitaceæ_) are cultivated in the villages, but are not common, and pineapples, paw-paws, guavas, oranges, custard apples, sour-sops, and limes may be found growing in the places near the older European settlements.