Minutes of Proceedings. iiJ 



35,000 million gallons and costing £20,000. The Cape Irrigation; 

 Act had been copied in Victoria with great success, but had failed 

 here from want of combination among the people. 



Prof. MacOwan referred to the reports that had been prevalent 

 that the soil at Van Wyk's Vlei was so brack that nothing would 

 grow there, and said that this was far from being the case, and that 

 there was no necessity for planting salt bushes, &c. 



Mr. J. C. Silberbauer referred to the dreadful drought that had 

 prevailed in the district about Van Wyk's Vlei for the last four years^ 

 He had been informed that the Beaufort Dam was being rapidly 

 silted up. 



Mr. Bolus was of opinion that the question of silting up was one 

 of the most important to be considered in the making of dams. He 

 thought similar work should be carried out near populous centres 

 e.g., on the Sunday's, the Vaal, and the Fish Rivers. 



Mr. Merriman said that there was a special machine which was 

 very efficacious in clearing out silt. 



Dr. Marloth then read a paper on " Nara," a plant which furnishes^ 

 food for the natives about the neighbourhood of Walfisch Bay. 



Mr. Bolus said many efforts had been made in Europe to cultivate 

 this plant — at Kew amongst other places. In each case the seeds 

 germinated and the plant grew two or three inches and then died. 



Dr. Marloth replied to a number of questions from various memberSj, 

 and the meeting closed with votes of thanks to Dr. Marloth and Mr. 

 McNellan for their very interesting papers. 



Ordinary Monthly Meeting. 

 Wednesday, November 24, lilSS. 



Mr. H. Bolus, F.L.S., President, in the Chiir. 



Mr. Peringuey exhibited a remarkable instance of mimicry in? 

 animals — a crab covered with seaweed — which he had received from 

 Colonel Bowker. The sea-weed was trimmed in such a manner as to 

 afford a hiding-place for the crab while he was waiting for his prey. 



Dr. Gill then gave an account of the measurement of a base-line in' 

 the neighbourhood of Port Elizabeth by the Trigonometrical Surveys 

 party, prefacing his account by an explanation of the means taken ta« 

 obtain a complete survey of the Colony. 



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