tresident's ai)])ress. 33 



Neaier the coast, where several of the rivers disappear under 

 the sand dunes, their underground courses can frequently be 

 detected by the presence of the Naras (Acantlwstcyos hoirida) 

 and the Tamarisk {Tamarix articulata) amongst the dunes. The 

 Tamarisk has not received the attention which it deserves from 

 an economic standpoint. It grows splendidly in the sand dunes 

 and also' in saline and alkaline soils, while it yields valuable 

 timber and a plentiful supply of " galls " very rich in tannin; it 

 also' is very resistant tO' heat and drought. In North Africa the 

 small fruits are much esteemed by the natives for medicinal 

 purposes on account of the amount of turpentine which they 

 contain. 



In view of the facts set forth in this brief and all too sketchy 

 and incomplete account of the veld, it is obvious that South 

 Africa is first and foremost a pastoral country, and as such her 

 stock-raising potentialities are mainly dependent on the veld. The 

 greater portion of the natural grazing land throughout South 

 Africa is subject to extremes of climate, periods of drought and 

 harsh treatment at the hands of man, but in spite of all this its 

 recuperative poweris are untold. 



The most outstanding and convincing of the facts which are 

 brought to light by the preliminary survey of the veld is the 

 need for its closer study, which should include amongst other 

 things the careful mapping of the chief types of plants and their 

 associated soils. One of the aims of the Botanical Survey of 

 South Africa, recently established by the Government of the 

 Union, will be the recording and mapping of these plants, while 

 it is hoped that the mapping of soils will be undertaken by the 

 long advocated Soil Survey. It is both pleasing and encouraging 

 to note that provision has been made on the Estimates ol 

 Expenditure now before the House of Assembly for the salary of 

 a Director of the Soil Survey. 



If progress is to be made in the solution of the problems 

 before us the closest co-operation must exist between the botanist 

 and the chemist. For this purpose, permanent stations for veld 

 research should be established in each of the different botanical 

 regions, and this the Botanical Survey hopes, in the course of 

 time, to do. In his preface to Memoir No'. 1 of the Botanical 

 Survey, the Secretary for Agriculture wisely remarks: " As time 

 proceeds and as soon as the foundations are securely laid, it is 

 hoped that whole-time officers will be appointed in the different 

 areas, who will at first work under the direction of their more 

 experienced colleagues, and will then later on become proficient 

 and render valuable service on the Survey." 



The ]\Iemoir referred to above has been the subject of a most 

 favourable review in a recent number of the Kov Bulletin, in 

 which the concluding paragraph is as follows: "" The publication 

 of so useful a memoir by the Government of the Union of South 

 Africa affords welcome evidence of the enlightened view held by 

 that Government of the value of science, and also indicates that 

 they realise fully the need of acquiring an intimate knowledge 

 of the resources of the country by the development and proper 

 application of scientific method." 



