Skctk.x C— BAC ri<:kl()L()GY, BOTANY, Zool.UCiV. 

 A(iKRL'l/rL'KI<:. I-()RI-:S'I"RV. IM1VS1()!,()(;\\ \\\- 



c;ii<:xi': and saxitakv science. 



Pkksiuent of Till-. Six iioN : I. B. I'ole I^Aaxs, M.A.. B.Sc, 



F.L.S. 



irEDN/iSn.lV. IVLY 



The 1 'resident delivered the followini,^ address: — 



The subject which I liave chosen for niy address is — 



A Skktcti of TiiK Risk, Growth, and Devf.lopmknt of 

 M^'(■oLO(;^■ ix Sotth Africa. 



But before doing so, i would first ask to be permitted to 

 ])av niv personal tribute to the venerable and celebrated botanist 

 of this Province, whose loss we have sustained since this 

 Association last met. 



Tohn Medley Wood i)assed away on .\ugust 26th, h^i.S. 

 while still employed as Director of the Natal Herbarium. Not 

 onl}- did he luake a name for himself in connection with the ])ha- 

 nerogamic tiora of Natal, but as I hope to show to-day, he is 

 almost solely responsible for our present knowledge of the fungi 

 of Natal. 



Working for the most part under exceptional difficulties, 

 with little encouragement from either the State or the general 

 public, he is an example to many of us as to what can be accom- 

 plished by individual effort and energy. Often had he quite 

 pathetically told me that he hoped that he might never become 

 too infirm to work. The end came as he wished. On the evening 

 prior to his death he had been busy with a description of Cotyle- 

 don orbiciilala for\'ol.7 of his "Natal Plants." He was then in his 

 88th year. To those of you of this Province who have followed his 

 career and have taken more or less interest in his work, it must 

 be some source of satisfaction to know that the foundations 

 which he has laid are being built on, and a laboratory specially 

 equipped for the investigation of phytopathological problems is 

 already established at the Natal Herbarium, Durban. 



South African mycology falls naturally into three i)eriods : 

 The pre-Darwinian period, which embraces collections of fungi 

 made by the early travellers and botanists. This we may regard 

 as the rise of South African mycology. 



The post-Darwinian period, in which the labours of Mac- 

 Owan ancl Medley Wood added largely to our knowledge of the 

 fungus flora of the country, and which ma\- be looked upon as 

 the growth of the science. 



The present epoch, dating from the time (1905) at which 

 mycology was first officiall)' recognised as a distinct branch of 

 research. 



