Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Cape Peninsula. 231 



but in others this is doubtful. Burning is most resorted to where 

 the natural vegetation is largely composed of coarse grasses, 

 Restionace^, Iridaceous, Amaryllidaceous, and Liliaceous plants. 

 These form the so-called " Zuurveld " or Sour-veld of the colonists ; 

 and in some cases it seems probable that more harm than good is 

 done to the veld by burning it, since the Orders mentioned above, 

 while they are all least suitable for stock-food, are at the same time 

 most difficult to eradicate by burning. 



The subject requires further investigation ; but on the whole it 

 appears to me probable that the practice of burning is more harm- 

 ful than beneficial from the economic point of view, and that from 

 a botanical point of view it tends to the destruction of species and 

 the consequent greater uniformity, not necessarily to the greater 

 usefulness, of the vegetation. 



The Flora of the whole South-western Region is undoubtedly an 

 ancient one, as compared, for instance, with the European Flora, 

 and the view has been expressed that it is probably becoming 

 slowly and gradually extinct. If this be so, it seems not unreason- 

 able to suppose that the process is being accelerated by a custom 

 which is of questionable benefit, and which at least should be 

 brought to the careful judgment of science. 



