COLONIAL HERBARIUM. 



During the year now ended the work in the Herbarium 

 has been successfully carried on. Three Parts of " Natal 

 Plants " have been published. Part 2 of Volume 4 containing 

 miscellaneous plants was published in July, 1904, and Part 3 

 of the same Volume in June, 1905. Part 1 of Volume 5, con- 

 taining Grasses only, was published in December, 1904, and 

 Part 2 of the same Volume, also containing Grasses only, is 

 now in the hands of the printer and lithographer and will 

 soon be published, the illustrations of the grasses and also the 

 dissections and comparisons have all been done by Miss Franks, 

 the senior assistant, who has done the work to my entire satis- 

 faction. The plates of miscellaneous plants in Vol. 4 have 

 been done by Miss Dean, the junior assistant, with some 

 assistance from Miss Franks. In the work of figuring the 

 grasses difficulties have occurred which necessitated reference 

 to the Herbarium c.t Kew, and I wish here to record my very 

 hearty thanks to the Director, Sir W. T. Thistleton Dyer, 

 K.C.M.G., and to Dr. Stapf for information supplied, for the 

 loan of specimens which were not in our collection, and also for 

 kindly allowing Miss Smith, the botanical artist at Kew, to 

 make drawings of several of the grasses which were not in our 

 collection, and which could not be spared from Kew. These 

 drawings were copied by Miss Franks, and serve to make the 

 work more complete than it would have been without the 

 assistance so kindly given. 



In addition to this work a very large amount of time is 

 taken up in identifying specimens collected by ourselves or 

 sent to us by others for identification and information. I give 

 a few of these cases, omitting altogether those cases where the 

 only object of the sender is to obtain the name of the specimen 

 sent. 



1. Examinations of leaves said to be poisonous to cattle, the 

 specimens were too imperfect for certain identification. 



2. Indentification of Rdchardsonia jpilosa and information 

 as to its value as a fodder plant. 



3. Identification of 21 specimens collected by Mr. Thorn- 

 croft near Barberton, some of which are new to our collection. 



