A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE VELD-BURNING 

 EXPERIMENTS AT GROENKLOOF, PRETORIA. 



By E. P. Phillips, M.A., D.Sc, F.L.S. 



With 3 Charts and Plates XXXI-XXXIII. 



Read July ii, 1919. 



The area under observation is situated on the Experimental 

 Farm at Groenkloof, and consists of an oblong^ piece of g^round 

 35.5 morgen in extent, and which is divided into five plots, as 

 indicated on the plan below.* 



When I tool< over the work jn August, 1918, the following 

 data were available : — 



A. Control plot and unburnt. 



B. Unburnt, but mown (no date). 



C. Burnt on 1 5-7-16 and 2-8-17. 



D. Burnt on 1-8-16 and 1-7-17. 



E. Burnt on 1-7-16 and 15-6- 17. 



I found, however, that the i)lot E had been burnt since June, 

 1917, evidently early in 1918, and that the burning- on one half 

 was of more recent date than on the other lialf. This being 

 so, the plot was subdivided into two parts, Ej and Eg, cor- 

 responding with the burns, and the more detailed work was done 

 on these portions. 



Each of the five plots was isolated from the adjoining 

 plots by a fire break, and in the same way the whole area was 

 isolated from the surrovmding veld. Through a misfortune, a 

 veld fire managed to cross the fire path and burnt the whole of 

 the control plot A. This happened between August 4th and 

 nth. 1918. 



Methods of Work. 



The great difficulty which presented itself was the fact that 

 I was unable to recognise the species in the very young state, 



* Tn the plan, the lettering Ei and E2 should be interchanged. 



