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RESULTS OF FUETHEB EXPEEIMENTS ON TABLE 

 MOUNTAIN FOR ASCERTAINING THE AMOUNT 

 OF MOISTURE DEPOSITED FROM THE SOUTH- 

 EAST CLOUDS. 



By R. Maeloth, Ph.D., M.A. 



(Read March 29, 1905. 



(Plate I.) 



It will be remembered that about two years * ago I laid before 

 the Society the results of some observations on the amount of 

 moisture deposited from the south-east clouds on Table Mountain, 

 and that in summing up these results I stated " that the object of 

 my work had been to ascertain more exactly the climatic conditions 

 under which the plants on the mountain existed. That side of the 

 question has been answered. Their summer is not dry. Their 

 climate is that of a swamp — a permanent swamp in winter, a 

 periodical swamp in summer, which dries up during a long spell of 

 fine weather, but becomes soaking wet during the days of the south- 

 east cloud. These results explain why such luxuriant and thickly- 

 set vegetation prevails on the upper parts of our mountains . . . 

 and why there are little lakes, even late in summer, on the top of 

 Table Mountain, as well as close to the summit of Dutoit's Peak. 

 . . . The purely meteorological side of the question I leave to others 

 for further investigation." 



The method employed consisted in keeping two 5-inch rain-gauges 

 on the top of the mountain — one of the ordinary kind, and the other 

 one surmounted by a framework which carried an imitation bunch 

 of reeds 1 foot high. The quantities which I had obtained in my 

 measurements were, however, so large that they met with a con- 

 siderable amount of doubt, although I had taken special care to point 



* E. Marloth, "Kesults of Experiments on Table Mountain for Ascertaining the 

 Amount of Moisture Deposited from the South-east Clouds " (Trans. S. A. Phil. Soc, 

 vol. xlv., p. 403, 1903). 



