400 SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— K*, L. 



Friday, August 2. 



Mr. E. F. English. — Laboratory Studies in Pulping some South African 

 Woods. 



Mr. N. B. EcKBO. — Moisture Content of Wood. 



Mr. G. A. WiijMOt.— Timbers suitable for Match-mahhtg. 



Dr. J. BuRTT Davy. — The Distribution of the Forest Flora of Nyasaland. 



Nyasaland occupies a somewhat narrow ' rift ' vaUey running (roughly) north 

 and south, and is isolated from the adjacent territories of Northern Rhodesia on the 

 west and Mozambique on the east by fairly high ranges of mountains. This isolation 

 is reflected to some extent in the local forest flora. Numerous endemic species, and 

 local varieties or forms of more widespread genera and species, are met with, e.g. 

 Podocarpus milanjianus, Widdringtonia whytei, Monodora stenopetala, Uvaria nyassensis, 

 and local ' varieties ' of Sterculia triphaca and Maerua angolensis. There is, of course, 

 a large admixture of the usual pan-tropical African species, such as Adansonia digitata, 

 Pterocarpus angolensis, Capparis tomentosa and Securidaca longipedunculata. 



But the striking feature of the flora is the large number of species which show a 

 definite north and south distribution. Of these, numerous species range north to 

 Kenya and Abyssinia, and many find their southern limit of distribution in Nyasaland 

 (e.g. Millettia usaramensis). But a number of them extend south through the 

 Chimanimani Mountains of Southern Rhodesia, to the Houtboschberg range of the 

 North-eastern Transvaal, and a few, such as Apodytes dimidiaia, have found their 

 way along the Drakensberg and the mountain ranges of the Eastern Cape, westward 

 to Knysna and down to sea-level. 



The southern distribution of these Nyasaland temperate montane species is of 

 particular interest, as it raises the question. How did they cross the Zambesi basin ? 

 This low-lying belt of hot, tropical forest forms a barrier just as the larger basin of 

 the Congo forms a vegetation barrier. The question suggests the possibility of the 

 species distribution having taken place before the geological formation of the Zambesi 

 basin. 



The occurrence ot certain Eastern Cape and Knysna species on the Nyasaland moun- 

 tains suggests, also, that other trees indigenous to those areas, or successfully cultivated 

 there, could also be grown in parts of Nyasaland. 



Mr. Paul Topham. — The Influence of Man on Forest Environment in 

 Northern Nyasaland. 



SECTION L.— EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE. 



(For reference to the publication elsewhere of communications entered in the 

 following list of transactions, see p. 430.) 



CAPE TOWN. 

 Tuesday, July 23. 



General Educational Problems in South Africa : — 



(a) Dr. E. G. Malherbe. — Education and the Poor White. 



(6) Dr. W. J. Viljoen.— TAe Small Rural School. 



The problem of the rural school is more acute in young countries than in older 

 and more settled countries ; but even in the latter it is not absent. The average 

 rural school is both more costly and less efficient than the average town school. 



