4 REPORT S.A.A. ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



the National Forests, at a remunerative rate. When I was a boy it 

 was necessary to pay 5% for money on good security. Forests in 

 Europe have not returned hitherto more than 2\ or 3%. It is only 

 within the last fiften or twenty years that money could be borrowed 

 at a sufficiently low rate of interest to make the restoration of the 

 forests renumeratively possible. 



FORESTS OF CAPE COLONY. 



The total area of indigenous forests in Cape Colony, from Cape 

 Town to Natal, is estimated at 500,000 acres, or 810 square miles. 

 Of this all but an estimated area of about. 30,000 acres is Govern- 

 ment forest worked systematically by the Forest Department This 

 is but a small percentage of the total area of the Colony, rather less 

 in fact than J per cent. Small though this area is, if it were well 

 stocked it would be enough to* supply the country's present wants and 

 leave a good margin for export; but unfortunately the forest area is 

 but poorly stocked with commercial timber. The yield of the 

 Indigenous forest in its present poorly stocked state is estimated at 

 only from 6 to 10 cubic feet per acre per year. This may be compared 

 with the yield of European forests from 50 to 150 cubic feet, or with 

 the yield in Eucalypt plantations which ranges up to 700 cubic feet 

 per acre per year. The following is a selection of actual forest yields 

 from Eucalypt and Pine plantations in Cape Colony. 



YIELD IN CUBIC FEET PER ACRE PER YEAR OF TIMBER PLANTATIONS 

 IN CAPE COLONY. 



Cubic feet. 



Tokai : Kari (Prince Kasteel) 025. 



(Cedar ridge) 533. 



Eucalyptus saligna (Sphinx rock) \ Acre: 18 years 



old in 1900 527. 



Worcester: Euc. globulus (Copse first 5 years) 457. 



Tokai: Kari (Manor House Ridge) 377. 



Plumstead : Cluster pine (14 years old) 341. 



Worcester: Euc. globulus (ist crop over the whole 60 



acres) ... 332. 



Ceres Road (sample area Euc. globulus) 322. 



Newlands: Cluster pine (G. 93. 52. Heywood) 178. 



,, (Heywood & Brown) 170. 



An inspection of these figures brings out the curous fact that as 

 much timber can be got in one year from a good Eucalypt plantation, 

 as during 100 years in the indigenous forest the " rotation," or life- 

 time of the forest (so to speak) from seed-time to harvest. 



EXHAUSTION OF COAL-FIELDS MET BY FUEL PLANTATIONS. 



This high rate of production has a general interest outside the 

 production of timber. As I showed recently (" Nature," March 2oth, 



