264 



GARDENERS' CHROISICLE 



KIRSTENBOSCH NATURE 

 RESERVE 



In the richness and variety of its Hora the 

 Cape Peninsula somewhat resembles Califor- 

 nia. When the Winter rains set in, hillsides 

 and valleys are carpeted with flowers of all 

 descriptions. Many of these flowers arc 

 not to be found elsewhere. Every province 

 difl^ers in vegetation, but the Cape Peninsula 

 is especially qualified for a nature reserve 

 on account of the rarity and variety of its 

 floral specimens, and for the beautiful 

 scenery which gives it a fitting background. 



It is now 10 years since a gift from a pri- 

 vate individual formed the nucleus of what 

 is at present the Kirstenbosch Nature Re- 

 serve. Treated at first as a national bo- 

 tanic garden, it was kept exclusively for 

 South African indigenous plants. Thesi' 

 were obtained from all parts of the Union. 

 South West Africa, and Rhodesia. 



The protea collection is generally consid- 

 ered the most valuable. When in flower the 

 proteas; are inexpressibly beautiful. I )ne 

 may see the giant protea, with a bloom a> 

 large as a cabbage, its size ofi'set by the 

 wonderful delicacy of its velvety pink petals. 

 It is known commonly as the "Mountain 

 Rose," and grows on the mountain top^. 

 There are many other varieties of protea. 

 not quite so large, but equally beautiful. One 

 lovely specimen is of a creamy-white color, 

 tipped at the edges of the petals with, the 

 softest down of black hairs. It is a char- 

 acteristic of the protea family to have this 

 soft down on their petals, culminating 

 in their tops in a more vivid and 

 contrasting color. The leaves are generally 

 fleshy, and extend right up the stem to the 

 flower. 



The succulent plants are a unique part of 

 the Cape flora. In fact, they are so distinc- 

 tive in South Africa that it has been de- 

 cided to send a collection of succulent plants 

 to London for the Empire exhibition at 

 Wembley. 



Last year the florist department added an 

 extensive area to the already existing Kir.st- 

 enbosch Gardens, so that in all the National 

 Reserve now covers 1060 acres. The addi- 

 tional or new reserve continues right to the 

 top of the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. 



On the slopes of tlie mountain one may 

 see the famous silver-trees. They grow no- 

 where else in the world, and are not in- 

 digenous to any part of South .Africa except 

 the Cape Peninsula. Some of the finest 

 specimens are in the Kirstcnlxisch Reserve, 

 several feet in circumference. The tree does 

 not grow to a very great age. like the oak, 

 but is at its best in the full vigor of youth. 

 Its graceful shape would lose its beauty if 

 it took on the great massiveness of age. The 

 leaves of the silver-tree are long and nar- 

 row, and covered with a fine, silky down, 

 which when lying flat gives the appearance 

 of a silvery film. The down is alTected by 

 atmospheric conditions, so that at certain 

 times the tree appears much more silvery 

 than at others. The silvery-gray stems 

 greatly increase the illusion of the tree l>eing 

 made of silver. Besides the silver tree, the 

 ravines and slopes of the mountain 

 contain 40 other species of indigenous trees. 

 There arc also ferns and orchids, and 

 on the open spaces many different kinds of 

 heath. 



The Kirstenbosch Reserve is very near to 

 a large city. In Natal a large nature re- 

 serve has recently been set apart in the 

 Drakensberg Mountains, but it is rather dif- 

 ficult of access to the ordinary tourist and 

 docs not possess the variety of scenery of 

 the Kirstenbosch Reserve, where the moun- 

 tains look down upon the sea. Excellent 

 roads make automobile travel easy and pleas- 

 ant, and tourists from all over the world 

 come in increasing numbers to enj(jy the 

 Cape Peninsula and its beautiful flora. — 

 The Christian Science Monitor. 



DAHLIA SUGAR 



The cultivation of Dahlias has de\el- 

 oped so many beautiful varieties, and the 

 flower has been so much improved that it 

 comes with something of a shock to some 

 folks to learn that Dahlias are to be grown 

 on a commercial scale for the sugar to be 

 obtained from their bulbs. They will also 

 be surprised to learn that more Dahlia bulbs 

 can be raised to the acre in California than 

 Sugar Beets. Nor does it cost more to raise 

 them. However, the Dahlia bulb has less of 

 sugar content that the Sugar Beet so it will 

 likely cost tnore. 



The new sugar is one and one-half times 

 as sweet as cane or beet sugar and will hard- 

 ly be a rival to the other sugars, as it will 

 be more along the medicinal line. In this 

 connection it may be mentioned that sugar 

 was regarded as a medicine or a lu.xury in 

 Europe up until the time that tea and cof- 

 fee began to be universally used, and not a 

 necessity, as it is now regarded. 



The formula for making the Dahlia sugar 

 was worked out in the laboratories of the 

 LJniversity of Southern California, and the 

 head of this department, Dr. Laird Stabler, 

 states that it is now complete. The .Ameri- 

 can people consume more sugar than any na- 

 tion in the world, the consumption per capita 

 in the last year being nearly a hundred 

 pounds. This is an increase over the pre- 

 vious year. 



Perhaps when the Dahlia fields get to 

 growing, they will be allowed to flower, 

 though this is hardly likely, as it will prob- 

 ably appear that it would detract from the 

 amount of sugar stored up in the Dahlia 

 roots. — Scientific American. 



SOIL CONDITIONS INFLUENCE 

 NIGHT AIR TEMPERATURES 



A relation has been shown to exist between 

 the temperature of the soil and the ensuing 

 minimum temperature of the air immediately 

 above. Low night-air temperatures in gar- 

 den and truck farms may often be prevented 

 by the selection of soil in which there is a 

 sandy component, as sand and sandy loams 

 generally store up more heat during the day 

 than do most other soils and give off more 

 in the night-time by conduction to the air 

 above, thus diminishing the jirobability of 

 critical temperatures and the formation of 

 damaging frosts. The land in use should be 

 well drained of surplus moisture, as wet soils 

 are invariably cold soils and more suscep- 

 tible to frost damage. .Any soil, whether it 

 be sand, loam, or clay, is warmer when it is 

 clean and free from weeds and unnecessary 

 vegetation. 



Frost m.ay form on one side of a street and 

 not on the other, or in one section of a level 

 farm and not in another, for one or more of 

 several reasons, such as dilTerence in soils, 

 slight dilTerence in elevation, in moisture, or 

 in kind .•uid extent of surface covering, or 

 the amount of insulation received. I'rost 

 may appear in sections which have wet, cold 

 soils covered with heavy vegetation or un- 

 cultivated, while on the same night and mi- 

 der the same incteorological conditions it 

 docs not form on other ground close by 

 where the soil is relatively dry, w'arm and 

 clean. — ('. S. Weather Bureau. 



PLANT NAMES 



AND THEIR MEANINGS is the title of 

 ;i scrio i>I ;i nicies imw .tppfarinR in nie 

 AnuTJc'in Btttaiiist wlitrc a imiltitiule of 

 other thingH of interest to the plan! lover 

 are also discussed. Quarterly, $1.50 a year; 

 specimen cn|iy. 25 cents. 



THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 

 Joliet, 111. 



ANBOPEA 



Trees and 

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