200 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



Of 814,683 bags allotted to private exporting firms, applications 

 for railing 551,610 bags were made to the end of December, while 

 the Railway Administration states that it was able and willing to rail 

 at any time more than it was asked to do. 



The system of permits for the export of maize was withdrawn on 

 the 23rd November, 1920. Between 1st December, 1920, and the 

 31st January, 1921, the quantity railed to the coast for export was : — 



Maize 292,207 bags. 



Maize products 100,390 bags. 



Total 392,597 bags. 



Veld Burning and Overstocking. 



It is not surprising that a matter of such moment to a pastoral 

 country as the preservation of its pasturage should form the subject 

 of much discussion and speculation by those whose prosperity depends 

 principally on the vegetation of the veld. Indeed, it is strange that 

 more serious thought has not been given to the proper study and 

 investigation of the many problems connected with the veld which 

 mean so much to stock raising- in South Africa. As it is, veld burn- 

 ing for the purpose of assisting nature in replenishing the pasturage, 

 a practice which has been in vogue since the early days of South 

 Africa's history, has been discussed by generations of our farmers, 

 and while some are convinced that the practice is beneficial, there 

 are others again who strongly denounce it and join to their own 

 experience the evidence seen in parts of the country, formerly covered, 

 according to the writings of early travellers, with luxuriant vegeta- 

 tion, and now of sadly diminished stock-feeding capacity, due, so it 

 is ascribed, to veld burning and overstocking, each producing sub- 

 sidiary effects leading eventually to a changed vegetation. 



The keen obseiwation of the farmer has led to many shrewd theories 

 on some of the problems which still confront us and on those which, 

 happily, have now been solved, but on the subject of veld burning- 

 there is no general consensus, and the question is likely to be a vexed 

 one until it has been thoroughly investigated in a scientific manner. 

 It is pleasing to know, therefore, that a problem which has exercised 

 the minds of our farmers for many years, and of which the solving 

 will be fraught with incalculable benefits to the country, is now 

 receiving the special attention of the Department, and the necessary 

 research is being carried out by the Botanical Survey under the 

 directorship of Dr. Pole Evans, Chief of the Division of Botany. The 

 investigation is in progress, and two stages have already been reached 

 in a series of experiments on veld burning which are being conducted 

 by Dr. Phillips, of the Botanical Division. The results so far obtained 

 are published (a) in the South African Journal of Science, Yol. 

 XYI, January-March, 1920, under the title, " A Preliminary Eeport 

 on the Veld-burning Experiments at Groenkloof, Pretoria," and 

 (b) in Science Bulletin No. 17 (1920), " Veld-burning Experiments 

 at Groenkloof " (Second Report).* Both articles are written by Dr. 

 Phillips. 



* Obtainable from this office, price Sd.. prepaid. 



