l8 SCIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



But such planting was naturally limited, and practically 

 did not extend beyond the planting of trees for ornament and 

 shade. With the discovery of the Johannesburg goldfields there 

 came a change. It was recognised at once that pit timber was one 

 of the most expensive items in working the mines, and the mine- 

 owners laid down considerable areas of timber plantations, mostly 

 in the neighbourhood of Johannesburg. Unfortunately, altogether 

 fallacious estimates were based on the profits to be realised from 

 these plantations. The rapid growth of isolated and avenue trees 

 was taken as a basis for the growth of trees in masses. Sufficient 

 allowance was not made for the reduced growth consequent on the 

 increased drain on subsoil moisture when trees were planted in 

 dense forest. It was often assumed that so many trees planted 

 per acre would leave a nearly equal number of trees to fell at the 

 final cutting ; and, worst of all, there was little climatic selection. 

 Fifteen years ago we were positively assured that all the trees 

 that grow at the Cape would succeed at Johannesburg ! This 

 was an astonishing assumption ! 



It was assumed that trees growing naturally near the sea with 

 winter rains would succeed on an inland plateau, between 4,000 

 and 6,000 feet above sea level, and where the rains fall entirely in 

 summer. The countries to which one would naturally look to 

 furnish trees for the Transvaal are not winter rainfall areas such 

 as the Mediterranean and California, but summer rainfall areas 

 such as Mexico, the drier western Himalayas, and part of the 

 Argentine ; while for test purposes, trees should be tried from 

 the more southerly latitudes of inland eastern Australia. The 

 slopes of the Andes will also supply certain trees. The failure of 

 much of the early planting done around Johannesburg must not 

 be considered any criterion of the prospects of future Forestry in 

 the Transvaal. The largest of these mining timber plantations 

 are at Bramfontein, near Johannesburg ; the Willows (H. Struben) 

 near Pretoria; and just across the border at Vereeniging (S. Mark's). 

 In the latter an open, low-lying, damp, soil makes up, to a large 

 extent, for the deficient rainfall. 



In 1903 I visited the Transvaal and framed a forest scheme, 

 which was published in a report to the Transvaal Government 

 (Pretoria, 1903). This scheme contemplated an expenditure of 

 100,000 yearly for six years. The report gave a list of over 450 

 species of timber trees suitable for cultivation in the Transvaal. 

 Of these only a small proportion are already growing there. The 

 following year I again visited the Transvaal, and this was foil: wed 

 by the appointment of Mr. Charles Legat as Conservator of Forests, 

 with a moderate staff of assistants. Mr. Legat himself is a 

 former member of the Cape Forest Department. 



During the short time that the Transvaal Forest Department 

 has been in existence a central nursery and seed store has been 

 established at Irene, in charge of a Forest Officer who was also for 

 some time in the Cape Forest Department. This nursery during 

 its first season (summer 1904-1905) had a revenue of 2,000 from 



