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The need for provincial gardens like the one at Durban and for 
experimental botanic stations, which is now apparent and which was 
referred to by Professor Pearson in his presidential address before 
the South African Association for the Advancement of Science in 
1910, will be even more keenly realised when the importance and 
possibilities of the National Garden come to be fully appreciated. 
The choice of the Kirstenbosch Estate as the site for the 
National Botanic Garden was a particularly happy one and there 
can be no doubt that the selection of this site for the purpose 
would have met’ with the approval of Cecil Rhodes himself. The 
establishment of the Garden under such auspicious circumstances 
may therefore in large measure be regarded as an additional 
memorial to his wisdom and munificence. 
The existence of so suitable a site for the garden as is this 
portion of the es Estate would, however, have been of little 
value but for the far-sightedness of General Botha and his Govern- 
ment in consequence of which the scheme has passed from the 
region of proposition and discussion into the realm of fact. 
When the question of the establishment of a National Garden 
was prominently raised by Professor Pearson in 1910 proposals 
till then somewhat tentative and vague assumed a more definite 
character, and a meeting held in Cape Town on March 8th, 1912, under 
the presidency of Lord de Villiers, Chief Justice of South Africa, 
placed the matter on a practical basis. The object of the mecting 
was to advocate the formation of a National Botanical Society of 
South Africa whose ultimate aim should be the establishment of a 
the first suggestion of a Botanic Garden in 1847 is due; other 
represeptative people included Senator Schreiner, Sir Meiring 
Beck, the Rt. Hon. J. X. Merriman, the Mayor of Cape Town 
(Sir Frederick Smith), Mr. T. Bolus, Mr. E. Pillans and others. 
The resolution was carried unanimously and a committee was 
formed to consider the formation of a National Botanical Society 
and to prepare the details of a scheme for the establishment of a 
National Botanic Garden within the peninsula. 
Ti e following were elected to serve on the committee: Lord de 
Villiers, Sir Meiring Beck, Mr. Pillans, Professor Pearson, 
Mr. Struben, Dr. Marloth, Mr. L. Mansergh, Miss Fairbridge, 
Mr. G. B. van Zyl, Mr. F. Cartwright, Mr. Ridley, Mr. Nash, 
Mr. Arderne and the Mayor of Cape Town, with power to add to 
their number. 
A deputation representing this committee waited on the Prime 
_ Minister (General Botha) on April 4th, 1912, Mr. Malan, Minister 
of Education, being also present, and was sympathetically received. 
An estimate of the annual cost of the maintenance of a Botanic 
Garden and definite suggestions as to the nature of its control were 
asked for before any decision could be given by the Government. 
It was in the course of this interview that the suitability of the 
Kirstenbosch Estate for the purposes of a Botanic Garden was 
pointed out. ee ee 
