30 PRESIDKXT's A1)])RESS. 



mountainous districts in the south-west corner, and the Valley of 

 the Orange liiver, the country is one of lable-landscapes and vast 

 plateaux and plains. Semi-desert conditions prevail throughout, 

 and with the exception of the Orange and part of its chief 

 tributary, the Great Fish Fdver, the river beds and water-courses 

 are dry throughout the greater part of the year. 



The rainfall over practically the whole area is under 10 inches, 

 most of which falls during the winter mouths. 



The region as a whole may be described as one of vast arid 

 and stony wastes. 



The rocky mountains in the south-west corner of the region, 

 except for the presence of the Kokerboom and a few succulents, 

 are almost bare and destitute of vegetation. 



The high plateaux to the east of the western escarpment are 

 covered with grass, which is mostly short, of a tufted habit, and 

 does not form a unifomi covering, but leaves bare spaces between 

 the individual plants. The chief grasses on these high plateaux 

 are Aristida dregeana, Aristrida obtusa, and Aristida subacaulis. 



As companions to che grass are isolated bushes of Driedoorn 

 (Rhigozum trichotonvLtn) and a few succulents such as the 

 Bushman's Candle Saictcaulon Buniia^Dii) and Euphorbia 

 7iamibensis. 



Further east, on the sandy plains, lying at the foothills of the 

 high plateaux, a rather different type of grass flora is frequently 

 met with. Here the plains are covered with the Toa Grass 

 {Aristida. brevifolia) which has a much more tufted or even bushy 

 habit. 



The greater portion of the country to the east, which lies at 

 an elevation of 3,000 to 4,000 ft. above sea level and consists 

 mostly of vast undulating and stony plains, only broken here and 

 there by the presence of dolorite kopjes, is clothed with a scanty 

 covering of xerophytic shrubs, the chief of which are Parlcinsonia 

 africana, the Haakdoorn (Acacia detincus), the Nonnie Bosch 

 {Boscia foefida), Catapliractcs Alcxandii, the Driedoorn 

 (Rhigozum irichotonnnn), ZijgopJujllum }norgsana, Hermannia 

 spinosa, and the Ngaap {Houdia Gordoni). 



The latter is one of the most characteristic succulents on the 

 flat sandy plains m Great Namaqualand. 



Further east, where the plains of Great Xainaqualand merge 

 intO' the Kalahari region, and the area is one of internal drainage, 

 there are vast extensive flats, which only support a growth of 

 Ganna (Salsola aphijlla) bush, indicating tlie brackish nature of tlie 

 soil. In the low-lying valleys, which are below 3,000 ft. in 

 altitude, the Aggennys Euphorbia bush {E. gregaria) is nearly 

 always dominant, and is usually associated with bushes, shrubs, 

 and shrublets of Parkinsonia africana, Acacia detinens, Boscia 

 fortida, Cataphractcs Alcxandri. Bhigoznm tricliotoimim and 

 Pteronia glauca. Various species of Aristida grass also occur 

 here. 



In the Orange Eiver Valley the character of vegetation is 

 more pronounced than elsewhere. Along the edge of the river 

 the dominant trees and shrubs are SaJix capensis, Zizyphus 



