8 REPORT S.A.A. ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 



belong to the genera Juniperus, Cupressus, Callitris, Cedrella, and 

 Cedrus. Cape Cedar, the most useful of the indigenous timbers, is 

 Callitris arbor ea. It grows on the rugged Cedarberg Range 100 miles 

 North of Cape Town, to the size and stature of the Cedar of the 

 Atlas Mountains; but, alas, the former extensive Cedar Forests of 

 Cape Colony were ravaged, by axe and fire, for 150 years before the 

 Forest Department came into existence, and only vestiges of these 

 valuable trees now remain. Unlike the delicate trees of the ever- 

 green Indigenous forest, Cape Cedar is perfectly hardy against wind, 

 drought, frost, and snow; it seeds abundantly, and is easily propa- 

 gated. 



Other interesting timber trees now being planted are the Black- 

 wood, Acacia melanoxylon, and the Camphor. Black-wood has a 

 timber like walnut; and Camphor the scented wood yielding the 

 Camphor of commerce. 



Of ornamental trees we may mention the Pepper-tree, Schinus 

 molle, which flourishes in the dry inland districts; the brilliant 

 scarlet flowering Gum, Eucalyptus ficifolia, on the coast districts ; 

 the noble English Oak, which is here more a fruit tree than a timber ; 

 and the Plane, with its dense foliage flourishing, like the Weeping- 

 willow, near water. 



The Government timber plantations, which are mostly near Cape 

 Town, or in the mountains North of King William's Town, now em- 

 brace about 20,000 acres of timber, and they are now manufacturing 

 timber for the country at the rate of about three million cubic feet 

 yearly. This is above one-third our present timber im- 

 portation, 7^ million cubic feet, or more than half of what 

 we were importing before the war, 5 million cubic feet. None 

 but it has been used for pit props, and the thinnings supply already 

 a great deal of firewood. Indeed, one of the oldest of the plantations 

 near Cape Town keeps a sawmill constantly at work sawing up fire- 

 wood, and the revenue from the sale of firewood and young plants in 

 these plantations now equals the expenditure, before cutting a stick 

 of the main timber crop! This is a most satisfactory result. 



There are, as mentioned, up to date, about 20,000 acres of fully 

 stocked timber plantations in Cape Colony. One of the oldest and 

 best known of these plantations is at Tokai, i hours from Cape 

 Town. I was absent from Cape Town when the official programme 

 of the Association's visits was drawn up; but an unofficial visit to 

 Tokai has been since arranged for Friday afternoon, and I shall be 

 very happy to see there, on that day, all those who take an interest 

 in Forestry. If they will kindly give me their names now, I will make 

 the necessary arrangements for free conveyance by rail and cart t 

 Tokai. 



The short time remaining now at our disposal will be fully 

 occupied with the examination of the South African wood specimens 

 on the table. 



