Notes. «5 



Pirbright Cattle Testing Station, 



We liave been favoured .with extracts from letters written by a 

 prominent exporter of cattle Avbo recently visited the Pirbright Cattle 

 Testing Station, Surrey, England, where pure-bred stock for South 

 Africa are tested prior to export, to satisfy himself that the animals 

 there were well cared for. In relating his visit he writes: "I have 

 nothing but a most flattering report to send you of my visit. . . . 

 The premises are ideal, out in the open country, the loose boxes are 

 built of brick, whitewashed inside, and the woodwork creosoted ; they 

 (the stock) seem to be getting an abundance of good hay, and a ration 

 of 2 lb. linseed cake, 2 lb. bruised oats, and 4 lb. bran daily, plus 

 14 lb. of roots, and good water ad lib. is at their disposal. Every- 

 thing is clean and comfortable ; the animals are all isolated from each 

 other ; the boxes are beautifully ventilated ; the doors are in two 

 halves ; the upper half can be opened and left open at pleasure when 

 the weather is fine. There are two ranges of loose boxes, with a fine 

 stretch of grass paddock between the two rows, where the animals 

 can be individually exercised. The cattle are conveyed to and from 

 the station by cattle floats." 



The Gift of the Late Mr. H. G. Flanagan. 



The National Herbarium has been enriched by the acquisition of 

 Mr. Flanag-an's herbarium, which he bequeathed to the ITnion Govern- 

 ment. The value of this collection cannot be estimated in money, as 

 it contains a great many types and unique specimens of South African 

 plants. 



Tlie late Mr. Flanagan was a well-known farmer in the Komgha 

 District, and was a partner in the firm of Messrs. Flanagan Brothers. 

 He was not only a successful farmer but a man of very wide tastes in 

 scientific matters. He was a keen botanical collector, and was con- 

 sidered by some herbarium workers to have excelled any of his con- 

 temporaries in the excellent manner in which he prepared his 

 specimens. For many years he was a constant correspondent on 

 botanical matters with tlie late Professor MacOwan, and then with the 

 late Dr. Bolus. He built up a very fine herbarium, wliich is an almost 

 complete record of the flora of the Komgha District, but his collection 

 also contains plants from the Molteno District, Witzieshoek in the 

 Orange Free State, the Mont-aux-Sources, Rhodesia, and Pondoland. 

 By exchanges his herbarium was enriched by specimens from other 

 parts of South Africa. Many South African plants were collected 

 for the first time by Mr. Flanagan, and in glancing through the 

 recent volumes of the " Flora Capensis " and other botanical publica- 

 tions this is evidenced by the large number of species named after 

 him. 



