750 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



THE EFFECTS OF STORMS ON CERTAIN FORESTS 

 IN THE TSOLO DISTRICT, CAPE PROVINCE. 



By J. S. NiBLOCK Stuart, Acting District Forest Officer, Umtata. 



During the early days of the present year two storms of exceptional 

 severity broke over the Ceka Group of Deinarcated Forests in the 

 Tsolo District of the Transkei, and the havoc wrought was so remark- 

 able that it is thought a short description of the storms and their 

 effects, illustrated by photographs, might prove of interest. 



The Ceka Forests are in the form of a half -moon, and are 

 situated on a range of hills about 25 miles to the north of Umtata 

 and 15 miles to the south-west of the village of Tsolo. 



It was on the 7th January, 1920, between midday and sunset, 

 that the storms raged in all their fury. According to sawyers work- 

 ing in the forests on that day, the morning was bright and sunny, 

 but at noon the sky became overcast and large drops of rain fell, 

 followed by terrific thunder and lightning, with a short spell of hail. 

 For two hours thereafter an exceptionally heavy downpour set in, 

 and then slowly abated until the rain almost subsided late in the 

 afternoon. But worse was to come, for a south-east wind heralded 

 another storm. This time overhanging storm-clouds seemed to burst 

 and to empty themselves with intense fury over the forests, continuing 

 until sunset, when the storm finally spent itself. During the whole 

 period of the storms there was a heavy, continuous roar, and it was 

 necessarj" to shout to be heard even at a short distance. 



The flood-water rushed over krantzes, dislodging huge boulders, 

 uprooting trees, and washing away tons of soil in its wild race down- 

 wards and towards the partially dried-up forest streams, which in a 

 short time were converted into raging torrents. The Ceka and Bam- 

 bunyoko streams, normally about five yards wide, soon overflowed 

 their banks, sweeping away all traces of native gardens, until they 

 were roaring rivers about 80 yards wide. 



The deluge caused extensive landslides, leaving open barren 

 gaps, forty to eighty yards wide, previously wooded, and masses of 

 trees, twisted and torn, boulders, soil, blue and bush buck, and all 

 manner of debris, were engulfed and swept out of the forests into 

 the Ceka and Bambunyoko Streams, and eventually into the Umtata 

 River, where they silted up at Luchaba Drift, fifteen miles away, 

 forming a huge barrier. This was fortunate, as the mass of timber 

 and debris might easily have carried away the girder bridge over the 

 Umtata River lower down. 



The trees on the lower slopes of the forests resisted the mass of 

 rocks, trees, and soil swept down, thereby forming barriers 15 to 

 20 feet high. The impact of the debris on these standing trees was 

 tremendous, and they were severely bruised up to a height of 15 feet. 

 In one instance a large stone was found imbedded in the trunk of 

 a big yellowwood {Podocaryiis sp.). It is curious to relate that nearly 



