42 



NA TURE 



[May 12, 1904 



that otherwise might be realised by the breeding of horses 

 and mules. I understand that Dr. Koch is sanguine as to 

 ihe result of his researches. Time alone will show whether 

 his efforts or those of Dr. Edington and other labourers in 

 this lield have given us the much-to-be-wished-for certainty 

 I'f rendering horses and mules immune from this disease. 

 Work is being carried on in the investigation of the other 

 manifold sicknesses to which animals are liable in .South 

 .Africa, but 'science is slow,' and much more time and 

 patient research are necessary before we can arrive at what 

 we look forward to — a period when we shall no longer be 

 helpless and at the mercy of these devastating pests." 



Papers read before Section ,1. 



The genesis of soils, with special reference to the Trans- 

 vaal, by Mr. A. F. Crosse. The author pointed out that 

 the bulk of the parent rocks are of small potential value as 

 soil formers. Illustrative of these deductions, he instanced 

 Ihe well known poverty of granite soils, and in contrast 

 gave as an example the fertile soils of the Marico and 

 Rustenburg districts. In these districts, situated around 

 the edge of the granite, are numerous intrusions of basic 

 rock, of high agricultural potentialities— as a result, the 

 soils formed therefrom are the richest in the country. Mr. 

 Crosse is optimistic as regards the future of agriculture in 

 Ihe Transvaal. Given a fair proportion of the revenue 

 obtained from the taxation of the industrv devoted to the 

 intelligent fostering of agriculture, he did not see why, with 

 the aid of science, farming on a fairly large scale should 

 not give a fair return to the agriculturist, and so maintain 

 that most necessary class — the veoman farmer. 



The metallurgy of the Transvaal, by .Mr. J. Williams, 

 president of the section. The author said that the mining 

 of gold, until very recently, had been conducted in a very 

 primitive manner. The Plattner process, for a long time, 

 was the only one which held the field, but it could only be 

 used in conjunction with some method of concentration. 

 It was, however, left to Mr. Mc.Arthur to show that cyanide 

 could be used commercially for the extraction of gold.' Mr. 

 Williams then proceeded to give an outline of the modern 

 process of extraction as used in the Transvaal. 



Some practical observations on forestry, by Mr. D. S. 

 Muldoon. The author gave a list of trees that grew well 

 in the Transvaal, and were of high economic value. He 

 also mentioned the advisability of planting trees along the 

 railway lines ; these trees would be of use in affording 

 shelter to the locomotives, which could, therefore, maintain 

 more steam, especially in high winds, and when the trees 

 were full grown the railway would have its own supply 

 of timber for sleepers, beams, S.c. A knowledge of forestry 

 should also be given in the State schools, and children 

 encouraged to plant trees, shrubs, and plants around the 

 waste places surrounding the school sites. The utility and 

 value of trees indigenous to the country were also touched 

 upon. The advisability of street tree-planting in the towns 

 of the Transvaal was also pointed out, and the attention 

 of the president was directed to the need for a Forestry Bill 

 dealing with timber on Crown lands. 



Duration and areas of heavy rainfalls, by Mr. D. C, 

 Leitch. The author gave figures as found bv observatories in 

 England and America on the rates of rainfalls, quoted Prof, 

 lalbot's formula, and gave some results obtained in the 

 Iransvaal. He quoted one instance where 486 inches ol 

 rain fell in one hour, whereas the heaviest rainfall in the 

 British Isles does not exceed the rate of i-S inches per 

 hour. The author mentioned that the recent Bloemfontein 

 Hood was said to be due to a rainfall of 2^ inches over 

 14 square miles of catchment area. 



.Mr. G. A. Denny read a paper on di.unond drilling and 

 prospecting by drilling. 



The prehistoric monuments of Rhodesia, by .Mr. E. P 

 Mennell. The author discussed the question as to the 

 origin of the larger of the various ruins which occurred in 

 Rhodesia, depicting the possibility of the structures having 

 been erected by indigenous tribes. 



A'ature-study in South Africa, by .Mr. Sclater. The authoi 

 pointed out the weakness of the type system of the study of 

 biology. The love of nature should' be fostered by the 

 teacher taking children into the field. For example, i'n the 

 case of birds, the child should be taught to note the times 

 of migration, and inquire to what extent migrating birds 

 NO. 1802, VOL. 70] 



nest in South Africa. They knew very little about the 

 mammals of South .Africa. They knew little about the life- 

 history of frogs and toads. The habits of spiders opened 

 up a large field for study. He urged that pupils should 

 be encouraged to collect so as to form school museums. 



The cyanide process from the standpoint of modern 

 chemistry, by Dr. J. Moir. Dr. -Moir described the solution, 

 precipitation, &c. , of gold on the line of the ionic theory, 

 and showed that various reactions which had formerly been 

 considered obscure could quite well be explained by it. 



Some economic problems in metallurgy on the Witwaters- 

 rand, by Mr. Harry S. Denny. The author dealt with the 

 salient features of metallurgical practice on the Witwaters- 

 rand from the point of preliminary breaking to the handling 

 of slimes and sand residues. 



The evolution of the treatment of by-products on the Wit- 

 watersrand, by Mr. M. Torrente. The author summarised 

 the principal by-products produced in a mine as follows ; — 

 In connection with the battery : concentrates, black sands, 

 sweepings, slags, pots, ashes, battery chips, and screen- 

 ings. In connection with chlorination works : pots and 

 ashes. In connection with cyanide works : concentrates, 

 sands and slimes, slags, white slimes, Prussian blue, 

 scrapings, sweepings, skimmings, dross, litharge, brick 

 dust, test bottoms, sump sediments, ashes, crucibles and 

 liners. The list is large, and if there is to be any profit, the 

 cost of recovery must necessarily be less than 4/. a ton. 

 .Although, said the author, much has been attained, plenty 

 of problems still await solution. On the Rand money is 

 lavishly spent if there seems the remotest chance of effect- 

 ing an improvement. The friendly rivalry, as well as the 

 interchange of ideas and experiences, all help in the same 

 way, and this is one of the most noticeable features of the 

 scientific life of the Rand. 



The chemical industry of the Transvaal : a forecast, by Mr. 

 W. Cullen. The author remarked that on account of the 

 gold industry being such a large factor in the prosperity of 

 .South .Africa, they were sometimes inclined to overlook the 

 possibilities of others. The chemical works and the 

 dynamite iiidustry managed to exist now with practically 

 no protection, and this ought to make them look around. 

 Proceeding, he outlined the existing chemical industries of 

 the Transvaal — the total making a very poor show. He 

 included the cement works at Pretoria, which, he said, was 

 now manufacturing an article equal to European brands. 

 Looking ahead, he asserted that the term metallurgy, as 

 used in the Transvaal, would soon have a much wider mean- 

 ing than at present, and would embrace that of zinc, le^id, 

 copper, and possibly tin and iron. Foremost among the 

 chemical imports was that of cyanide, and he was optimistic 

 about the possibility of inanufacturing it in the Transvaal 

 at a profit. The plague, and the greater attention being 

 paid to matters sanitary, had created a steady demand for 

 chloride of lime, all the raw materials for which were to be 

 found in the country. 'I here would soon be a great demand 

 for artificial manures, and here again nearly everything 

 was at hand. Among other possible industries, he men- 

 tioned that of candles and oil from the shale which was 

 abundant, alkali from by-products, glass, soap, alcoholic 

 fermentation and distillation, when potatoes and mealies 

 Vecame cheaper, &c. 



The contact process of sulphuric acid manufacture, 

 by .VIr. E. Weiskopf. Results of some further observations 

 upon the rate of evaporation, by Mr. J. R. Sutton. 



Papers read before Section B. 



Biological and ethnological observations on a trip to the 

 north-east Kalahari, by Dr. Schonland. 



The geological features of the diamond mines in the 

 Pretoria district, by Mr. Herbert Kynaston, director of the 

 Geological .Survey, and Mr. .A. L. Hall. The authors, after 

 describing briefly the area and situation of the Transvaal 

 diamond fields, proceeded to give an account of the general 

 geological structure of the district in which they occurred. 

 The diamond pipes contributed a group situated on the 

 high ground forming the watershed between the Elands 

 and Pienaars Rivers, about 22 miles east of Pretoria. They 

 have been intruded into the uppermost beds of the Pretoria 

 series — a formation consisting of quartzites, shales, and 

 diabase sheets, lying between the dolomite and the Water- 

 berg sandstones — and are found to be surrounded partly by 



