"The Weeds of South Africa." 75 



the. ])laiits show above ground ; never allow them to develop leaves. 

 Eeniember that the leaves are tlie lungs of the plant, and without 

 tliem it must die. Even old-established plants will, by this treatment, 

 be eradicated in two years; a proper vigilance will prevent the pest 

 ever again obtaining a foothold. 



" The expense and trouble will be more than repaid by the result, 

 i.e. extermination, and that will be more clieaply and niore easily 

 effected now than some years hence. The ' Canada Thistle ' never 

 dies out. Slowly but surely its roots penetrate in all directions, and 

 if the farmer does not eradicate the thistle, the thistle will eradicate 

 the farmer." 



South African Gum. 



Gum tragacanth is a species of gum produced in Asia Minor and 

 used in calico printing, medical compounds, leather manufacture, etc. 

 The present price locally of the gum is from 15s. to 20s. per lb. 

 Finding it difficult to obtain a supply for use in his tannery and boot- 

 making factory at Silverton, near Pretoria, where the gum is used as 

 a finishing compound for putting a gloss on leather, Mr. Chas. Maggs 

 approached this Department for assistance in an endeavour to secure 

 raw supplies in the Union. Tlie matter was at once taken in hand 

 by Dr. Pole Evans, the Chief of tlie Division of Botany, who was 

 able in a very short space of time to provide a gum, the product of 

 our local vegetation, Avhich after severe tests was pronounced by 

 Mr. Maggs to be highly suitable, and satisfactory for his purpose. 

 Observations made by the Botanical Division show that the local gum 

 has better keeping qualities than the imported article. There is a 

 large demand for gums of this nature, and a sample has been sent 

 to the Imperial Institute for valuation on the London market. The 

 local gum was obtained from the tree known botanically as Covi- 

 hretum. salicifolimn and locally as the " Rodeblad," " Vaderlands- 

 wilg," or " Bosveld-wilg," which groAv^; plentifully in the neighbour- 

 hood of Pretoria, seeds freely, and is apparently easily raised from 

 seed. 



It may be added that in appreciation of tlie many services 

 rendered him by the Division of Botany and of its valuable work in 

 exploiting the natural resources of our country, as instanced above, 

 Mr. Maggs has sent Dr. Pole Evans a cheque for £100 to be devoted 

 towards the furtherance of botanical research work, for which there 

 is such a wide field in the Union. 



