2O SCIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



the sale of young trees, which is the largest revenue of any 

 forest nursery in South Africa. 



Government plantations have been established in the following 

 five localities : 

 t Lichtenberg. 



Ermelo. 



Pan. 



Potchefstroom. 



Belfast. 



In these plantations excellent work has already been done. 

 It is anticipated that 2,000 acres will be planted next season. 

 Hardly any Mexican trees have yet been planted owing to the 

 great difficulty in obtaining seeds of forest trees from that country. 

 Difficulty has been experienced also in obtaining Deodar and other 

 Himalayan seeds from India. A small plantation (350 acres), 

 successful but costly, near Pretoria, was taken over from the late 

 Government ; and a fine estate near Johannesburg has been mape 

 over to the Transvaal Government by Messrs. Wehrner, Beit and Co. 

 A considerable portion of this princely gift has already been planted 

 with forest trees. Test planting is being also undertaken in and 

 around the indigenous forest at Woodbush, at Sabi and at Pil- 

 grim's Rest. Here the climatic conditions are of the best and 

 there is every prospect that some of the finest timbers of the extra- 

 tropics will succeed, notably many of the noble Conifers of Japan. 



During its first complete working year the Transvaal Forest De- 

 partment raised i| million young trees, and ij million were distri- 

 buted to the public and various Government institutions. There were 

 also nearly 1,000 Ibs. of tree seed sold. In the various plantations 

 there was a total area of 682 acres planted, the greater part of this 

 planting being at Pan, a favourably-situated locality on the Delagoa 

 Bay line, not far from Belfast. 



Good progress has been made with the demarcation of the 

 indigenous forest in the north-east of the Transvaal, an area of 

 about 14,000 acres having already been brought into the Forest 

 Reserves. This forest possesses peculiar interest. It lies at an 

 elevation of from 4,000 to 6,000 feet, and marks the northern end 

 of the dense evergreen indigenous Yellowwood forest of South 

 Africa. North of this, across the great valley of the Limpopo, 

 occurs forest of quite another character, the dry, open, leaf-shedding 

 scrub-like forest of semi-tropical Rhodesia. 



TIMBER IMPORTED INTO THE TRANSVAAL. 



In his last annual report, the Conservator of Forests gives the 

 following return of timber imported into the Transvaal : 



Unmanufactured. Manufactured. 



1896 271,868 .. .. 328,947 



1897 178,145 258,741 



1898 130,013 .. 217,447 



1899 . . . . 74,258 . . . . 118,368 (6 months) 



