piiesidknt's address. 13 



Mull., the Ebony Diospyros mespiliformis Hochst. , the Kooi 

 Essehout TricJiilia emetica Valii., the ^Nlingerhout Adina Golpinii 

 Oliv., the White Pear Apochjtes dimidiata E. Mey., and the 

 bastard ironwood Cijclostemon arcfUHtus Muell. Eirst-rate timber 

 for poles and mine props can be obtained from the Knoppiesdoco, 

 Acacia pollens, or from Acacia Welivitschii and Acacia rostrata. 



Tanning materials are obtainable from at leaiSt three different 

 kinds of Mangrove, viz. : — Rhizophora mucronata Lam., 

 Bruguiera gymnorrhiza Lam., and Ceriops Ca^idolleana Arn. 

 Trees of Acacia Bcnthami are extremely plentiful throughout the 

 area and yield an abundance of pods w^hich serve as a valuable 

 article for tanning purposes and also as a cattle food. 



Fibres are obtained from the bark of the trees Ficus utilis 

 Sim, and Seciiridaca loiigipcdiDiculata Fres., and from the stems 

 of Hibiscus cainuthiniis and otlier members of the order 

 Malvaceae. 



The tall grasses in this region furnish material which is 

 eminently suitable for paper-making. 



The fruits of Trichilia emetica Vahl., Ximenia americana 

 Linn., and XantJwxyluni capense Sim., all yield a high percentage 

 of oil. 



Landolphia Kirkii, Dyer, which occurs from the Umhlatusi 

 in Natal to the Limpopo, yields excellent rubber, while gums of 

 good quality might well be obtained from the different species of 

 Acacia, Comhretum, and Commiphora. 



3.— The Eastern Grass Veld {Plates F, VI). 



Lying between the coast veld and the Great Escarpment, 

 fro^m an altitude of 1,000 ft. upwards, is a fairly extensive tract of 

 terraced country, well covered with grass, which may be termed 

 the Eastern Grass Veld. 



The Sundays River may be taken as its southern l)oundary, 

 while its northern limit extends to the Tugela River Valley and 

 is cO'Utinued thence along the north-eastern slopes and foothills 

 of the Drakensberg. 



The country on the whole is much dissected by streams and 

 rivers which rise on the Great Escarpment and flow direct to the 

 Indian Ocean. In the south the veld produces many plants 

 which are typical of the Cape, the Karroo' and the Karroo boschjes 

 veld, while in the north many tropical forms occur. 



The average rainfall throughout the region is between 25 and 

 40 inches, most of which fallsi during the summer months, and 

 as both rainfall and temperatvu'e increase northwards, the 

 vegetation becomes correspondingly more luxuriant. 



The Eastern Grass Veld may be sub-divided into a lower and 

 upper region — The Thorn Veld and the Berg Veld respectively- 



The Thorn Veld occupies the country between the coast veld 

 and the foothills O'f the escarpment up to an altitude of 4,000 ft., 

 while the Berg Veld comprises the vegetation on the eastern 

 slopes of the escarpment from 4,000 ft. upwards. The former is 

 frequently referred to as " sweet veld," while the latter is spoken 

 of as " sour veld. " 



