24^ DR. E. P. PHTILir? 



importance is a close study of the veld undertaken in a 

 scientific manner on tbe most up-to-date ecological lines, 

 and such investigation is bound to retiect for good on the 

 prosperity and welfare of South Africa. (Quoting again 

 from Dr. (Cockayne • once the different classes of agri- 

 cultural land are segregated for the next scientific pro- 

 cess — intensive ecological investigations and ex}>erinieut — 

 then it can be truly said that the era of the New Agri 

 culture has ccmimenced and that the day of intensified 

 national prosperity has dawned". This particular field 

 of botanical investigation is so closely connected with 

 the future of all agricultural and pastoral countries and 

 its possibilities so great that it would require more spate 

 than is at my disposal to enlarge on the results which 

 could accrue. 



In the Union there are about 150 species of fio\yerin<; 

 plants which live as parasites on the native vegetati<m. 

 At any time an}^ ono or more of these parasites may be- 

 come a menace to the farming community. One of them, 

 the Witch weed or '• Rooibloem '' {^triga lutea] luis 

 caused much damage to the mealie crops. If we believe 

 in the axiom that " prevention is better than cure " 

 it is better to commence botanical investigatiims on these 

 plants noAv, their classification, distribution, mode of 

 dissemination, the host plants affected by them, etc., so 

 that if an outbreak did occur the man investigating the 

 particular problem would have some data on which to 

 start Avork. Such preliminary work falls within the 

 scope of the herbarium. 



In South Africa we have over 12,(M)0 species of flower 

 ing plants and quite a large number of these are known 

 or supi)osed to possess virtuous or ])oisonous properties. 

 The investigation of the native plants with the aid of the 

 ('henust from this point of view opens out all sorts (»f 

 possibilities. Very little real scientific work has been 

 done along these lines and as Dr. .Juritz i)ointed out in 

 1^15 " South Africa still remains as indifferent as in 

 Pap})e's day to the Pharmacological possibilities of its 



