34 



Oaks and Walnuts. Unfortunately it is very liable to 

 some obscure root trouble, that in S. Africa seems to take 

 it off at all ages. It flourishes on the hills above Funchal 

 and the experiment lias been triad of growing the Madeira 

 tree at the Cape. These, however, have given no better 

 results. For the present it seems best to regard the eating 

 chestnut as a half -hardy exotic, to be raised with care and 

 planted only in fertile situations. There are numerous 

 trees scattered through the damp woods on the flanks of 

 Table Mountain. There are about 10,000 nuts in a muid 

 sack of sweet chestnuts. 



Castanospermum Australe. AUSTRALIAN CHESTNUT. 



A beautiful semi-tropical tree that will succeed well only 

 in the warm moist parts of South Africa. The fruit is like 

 the European Horse-chestnut. There is one good tree in 

 the Municipal Gardens, Cape Town. It is only hardy, 

 however, with a mean temperature 10 above that of Cape 

 Colony, and is thus adapted for cultivation in the semi- 

 tropical interior. It furnishes a large useful timber but not 

 one of first-class quality. 



Casuarina equisetifolia,. FILAO BEEFWOOD. 



This is a tree with a great history, but as a tropical 

 species it is useless for planting purposes anywhere in Cape 

 Colony. It will be invaluable for Mashonaland and the 

 interior. Plantations of this tree on the sandy wastes of 

 the Madras coast form beautiful and valuable forests. 

 Simply by its vigorous growth it has fixed the sands there 

 in the most permanent and effective fashion. It requires 

 a mean temperature of from 72 to 82 Fah. to succeed 

 well. The mean temperature of the Southern coast of 

 Africa varies from 61 at Cape Town to 65 at East London. 

 From Natal northward Filao should do well. It grows 

 vigorously at Mauritius. 



