230 Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 
flowers of Haemanthus coccineus, though in this case the actual time of 
flowering was the normal one. 
In those cases, however, in which the time of flowering was normal, but 
the number and size of the flowering shoots were greater than usual, it is 
probable that additional factors were involved. As an example of this 
type of behaviour we may take the spring Monocotyledons, which have 
underground storage organs, and whose leaves appear soon after the early 
winter rains. Owing to the removal of all the bushes their leaves were well 
supplied with light, and hence we may suppose that their photosynthetic 
activity was greater than would have been the case had they been over- 
shadowed by bushes. Another factor which may have operated to some 
extent was the increased warmth of the soil, due to the exposure of the 
ground to the direct rays of the sun. The winter, however, in the Cape 
Peninsula is very mild, and it seems likely that light rather than heat is the 
predominating factor. 
The following suggestions are put forward as to the ways in which fire 
may influence the soil and thus benefit the plants : — 
1. The physical effects of fire on the upper layers of soil may be such 
that increased aeration is brought about. 
2. Soil protozoa, which are known to have a retarding influence on the 
growth of plants, are very sensitive to high temperatures (1), and 
the number of these organisms may be considerably reduced. 
3. The ash from the burnt plants may have a certain manurial value, 
thus enriching the soil chemically. 
No definite example was met with of a species which had been eradicated 
by burning, though there is no direct evidence to show that such a species 
did not exist, since the area had not been surveyed before the fire. The 
evidence that one relies upon in drawing the conclusion is the composition 
of the unburnt surroundings. This, however, is far from satisfactory, 
owing to various factors such as cultivation, etc. 
One fact is clear, and that is that burning favours the spread of the 
" Rhenoster Bush " (Elytropappus Rhinocerotis) . The type of vegetation 
now established on the site of the fire is similar to that termed by Marloth 
" Rhenosterveld " (fig. 6), and the foregoing lends support to his view that 
this formation is an artificial one (3). 
Another result of a bush fire on a slope such as this is obvious. The 
soil is laid bare, and cases of erosion — some slight, some marked — were 
common all over the area. 
While making the observations just recorded, several interesting facts 
were noted, which, though they have no direct relation to the subject 
under discussion, are nevertheless striking and may be mentioned here. 
