14 SCIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



ranks second after that of Cape Colony. A list of reserved forest 

 trees has been published, and a modification of the Cape Forest Act 

 embodied in the Forest Regulations. Game reserves under the 

 charge of the Conservator of Forests have been established in Natal. 

 There is an area of about 20,000 acres in the wild country near 

 Giant's Castle, at the headwaters of the Bushman's and Tugela 

 Rivers in the Drakensberg. There are also game reserves in Zulu- 

 land. 



At Cedara, lying at an altitude of between 3,500 and 5,ooo feet, 

 in the strip of well-watered country immediately north of Maritz- 

 burg, are being formed a large distributing nursery, forest arboreta 

 and forest plantations. An area of 407 acres here has been planted, 

 100,000 trees have been issued from the nursery, and 170,000 re- 

 main in stock (1904). 



On the semi-tropical coast lands of Zululand a plantation has 

 been formed at Empangeni, with a nursery for the supply of plants 

 to the public. Cocoanuts and Dates are amongst the trees being 

 planted in this warm country. Attention is also being given to 

 the cultivation (here and elsewhere in Zululand) of the Rubber 

 Vine (Landolphia kirkii), and interesting figures regarding the 

 good natural reproduction and growth of this rubber producing 

 tree in Zululand are given in Mr. Sim's report referred to above. 



Private Plantations in Natal. 



There is more forest planting on private plantations in Natal 

 than anywhere else in South Africa. Round many of the substantial 

 homesteads forest arboreta have been formed which I found of 

 greater interest and variety than anything I have yet seen in South 

 Africa outside the Government timber plantations in Cape Colony. 

 The area of private timber plantations in Natal is estimated to 

 amount to not less than 5,000 acres ; these plantations, though 

 embracing a great variety of trees, are in the main composed of Euca- 

 lypts. Besides this, in Natal is to be seen the most remarkable and 

 successful instance of private timber planting in the modern world. 

 The plantations of Black Wattle in Natal now embrace an area of 

 25,000 acres, and give a return of 100,000 yearly. They are being 

 extended steadily. The Black Wattle used almost exclusively in 

 Natal is Acacia decurrens var. mollis. I have seen the open-leaved 

 variety (Acacia decurrens var. normalis) on some of the plantations, 

 but it is stated that this does not give as good a result as the mollis 

 variety. The Black Wattle plantations occupy the middle districts 

 of Natal on a belt extending north and south above Maritzburg. 

 In 1886 thirty-nine packages of Black Wattle bark were exported 

 to the value of 11 ! During the three years, 1901-1903, an average 

 of 13,814 tons of bark, valued at 71,662 has been exported, the 

 average value being thus about 5 per ton. The great rise in value 

 of the Wattle plantations that has taken place in recent years is due 

 to the good prices obtained for the poles concurrently with the bark. 

 From the Railway returns it appears that about 20,000 tons of 



