The British Association in South Africa. 207 
On Friday Professor Pearson gave an account of his researches 
on the development and germination of the spores of Welwitscliia. 
The material used had been collected in Damaraland in 1904, but 
unfortunately, owing to the unsettled state of the country, 
Professor Pearson found it impossible to stay long enough to obtain 
a complete series of stages. However, the work accomplished has 
been sufficient to render it necessary to modify some of the recent 
views put forward as to the relationships of this genus. 
Mr. F. B. Parkinson read an interesting paper on irrigation 
farming on the Orange River. He dwelt on the impossibility of 
successfully carrying on agriculture in a climate such as that of 
Central South Africa, without recourse to irrigation, and then 
described how the various difficulties which presented themselves at 
the farm of Baviaankrantz on the Orange River, had been overcome. 
The author showed that it was quite possible, by means of irrigation, 
to cultivate crops profitably, provided that the land cultivated was 
not too far from the source of water supply. 
In addition to the work of the sectional meetings, the oversea 
botanists took the opportunity, while at the Cape, of seeing some¬ 
thing of the vegetation of the country. The season was early 
spring, but though the local members often told us how much better 
the country would look in six weeks time, yet, where everything 
was new, even the spring flora afforded enough and to spare of 
interest. Some members, who arrived a week or two before the 
meeting, visited the Karroo and other localities, while during the 
meeting (Thursday afternoon) Dr. Marloth arranged a botanical 
excursion to the Lion’s Head, afterwards descending to Camp’s 
Bay. On this occasion magnificent groves of the silver-tree 
(Leucadendron argenteum) were passed through, and many other 
interesting plants observed. Occasionally one’s preconceived ideas 
received a rude shock, as, for instance, when a small woolly 
umbellifer, with the habit of a Gnaphalium, was pronounced by Dr. 
Marloth to be a species of Hydrocotyle. 
Then on Saturday, before sailing for Durban, Table Mountain 
was ascended. This proved one of the red-letter days of the whole 
tour. The day was perfect, and the views obtained magnificent, 
while the whole climb was one long succession of botanical interests. 
To those who had never before seen Proteaceae and Restiaceae in 
their native haunts, the day was a fascinating one, while some 
beautiful forms of heath, and numbers of other new and strange 
plants were in flower. 
