424 MAlZA 



CHAP, and are easily carried by the wind, blown away in the dust, or 

 carried by flood-waters. 



They may also be carried on seed-maize, especially if it is 

 sent from place to place on the cob. In 191 2 the writer 

 got an ear of Chester County from a locality where is-ona 

 occurs, and planted a dozen grains in his garden; the ear 

 itself was taken into the garden and the grain was shelled off 

 on the spot where it was planted ; in the middle of January, 

 following, there was a single plant of Striga lutea in flower at 

 the foot of one of the plants of Chester County. This is the 

 eighth consecutive year in which maize has been grown in 

 this garden, and is-ona has never appeared there before. 



Is-ona is known by several other names, e.g. soani, in 

 Natal (see Anon., 2); moloane, i.e. "fire-burner," by the 

 Basutos of the Rustenburg District, Transvaal ; fire-weed ; 

 rooibloemetje ; rooi-bosje ; mielie-gift ; mielie-poison ; the 

 Zulu name is-ona indicates that the weed " bewitches " the 

 maize, and supplies the English equivalent by which it is 

 known {Fuller, 2). 



Is-ona is particularly abundant in the warmer parts of the 

 country, e.g. in Zululand, parts of Natal, and the Bush-veld 

 of the Transvaal. It is occasionally met with on the High- 

 veld Plateau, but does not appear to be really troublesome at 

 the higher altitudes. It would not be wise to conclude, how- 

 ever, that the High-veld is immune; possibly it is only a case 

 of time before it will be established there, and it will be well 

 to take every precaution not to introduce it. 



On the Springbok Flats, Waterberg District, Transvaal, 

 there are five leading types of agricultural soil: (1) bright 

 red, (2) grey sandy loam, (3) chocolate, (4) black turf, (5) 

 black loam. It is stated by local farmers that is-ona does 

 not thrive on the first two of these ; on the other three it is 

 very troublesome, but does more damage on the chocolate 

 than on the black turf. 



The first explanation of the parasitic nature of this pest 

 appears to have been given by Mr. Claude Fuller (2) as early 

 as 1900. He illustrated the mode of attack and the haustoria 

 of the parasite, and showed that the seeds only germinate 

 when a growing root of their host-plant approaches closely to 

 them as they lie in the soil. Also that they are endowed with 



