113 The cotton growing industry in the Gash Delta (Iassala) showed further steady expansion under the stimulation of high prices.

A crop of 22,780 kantars of seed cotton was produced and was purchased, ginned, and forwarded to England for sale on behalf of the Government with excellent results.

No legislation of a serious nature Darticularlv afl'ecting agriculture was undertaken during the year.

9. Irrigation Works.

Work on the Blue Nile Dam at Makwar had to be practically shut down early in the war owing to the shortage of staff and the difficulty of obtaining plant and machinery.

A fresh start was made in 1917 and 1918 with revised estimates, owing to tlie greatly increased cost of all materials, and considerable progress was made with preliniinary building.

The work at Jebel Aulia on the White Nile was confined during the war to the collection of data and the prepai-ation of the site.

10. Forests.

The Sub-Department of Forests was of necessity greatly limited in its activity during the war owing to the necessity of diverting its staff to the control and organisation of the fuel supply.

Early in 1918 the demand for wood fuel, owing to the high price of coal, became so great that considerable difficulty w'as experienced in obtaining adequate supplies from the forests on the White and Blue Niles. The question is largely one of transport, and the control of the whole supply of firewood was therefore placed by Government in the hands of the Railway Department. The forests in the immediate vicinity of Khartoum had been extensively cut since the re-conquest, and it was found necessary to make a survey of the remaining forest areas within 200 miles of Khartoum, both on the White and Blue Niles, and also in the Berber province. This was completed during 1918, and a careful allocation was made to meet the requirements of the various interests during the present emergency.

Apart from this there has been a certain amount of progress in the exploitation of forest produce which has been regulated by licence since new Forestry Regulations were put into force in 1918.

The following paragraphs deal with the principal items of forest produce, including fuel:— Timber.—The total quantity obtained in the period amounted to 108,000 cubic feet, from the forests of the Bahr-el-Ghazal and the Lado.

Firewood.—The total quantity consumed was :— Kantars of 100 lb. By Government departments ... ... ... 4,773,760 Private purchasers... ... ... ... 6,642,000 Total 11,415,760 Charcoal.

Tons. Value in £E. Exported to Egypt ... ... 17,680 176,800 Used in the Soudan ... ... 4,320 25,920 22,000 202,720 Gum.—The total value of gum exported amounted to 82,790 tons valued at £E. 3,311,600.

Senna.—The export trade in senna during the war amounted to 39,600 cwt., valued at £E. 114,446.

Tannin.—Owing to the supply of tannin being cut off from Asia Minor, Egypt was obliged to turn to the Soudan for her needs. The total quantity of “ garad ” (pods of acacia arabica) exported to Egypt amounted to 86,306 cwt., valued at £E. 33,260.

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