IMPORrANCF OF STATE HERBARIUM 23 



the agricnltiiral and geological map of the land must be 

 prejiared; the soil must be analysed, native plants 

 catalogued, foreign ones introduced, the best selected, 

 and rtnally methods adopted to in every way advise and 

 assist the colonists". The importance of Botanical 

 Science as an aid in opening up a new country is here 

 fully realised. We also have an example in East Africa 

 where the Germans soon after their occupation published 

 a bulky volume on the Botany of German East Africa, 

 cr>ntaining not only a systematic account of the flora but 

 also classified information in the various groups of 

 economic plants. This information was the outcome of 

 assiduous collection by their botanists. 



The accusation of lack of appreciation of the value of 

 l>()tanical Science was made against the Cape by men 

 wlio had extensive experience of the benefits conferred 

 by Botany in various parts of the world and were com- 

 jsetent to pass judgement. For instance Mr. J. S. Gamble, 

 F.R.S., a distinguished Indian botanist and forester who 

 visited the Cape in T890 remarked on the little interest 

 taken by the Colony in Botanical Science, which points 

 to a want of appreciation of the benefits a really well 

 conducted botanical headquarters station can confer on 

 a country which is, after all, chiefly agricultural. Like- 

 wise the Director of Kew in 1895 wrote ''at the present 

 moment Cape Colony is the only important British 

 Possession which does not possess a fully equipped 

 Botanical Institution — it has no central authority deal- 

 ing with the practical aspects of the science of botany''. 

 Since then conditions have changed somewhat but the 

 value of the Science is still far from being fully recog- 

 nised. 



Some botanical problems in South Africa. 



The Union Government has recently sanctioned a 

 Botanical Survey of the country, which should result in 

 inany discoveries of economic importance. Of prime 



