.775- This was the common houfe-fly in fuch prodigious quan- ^ tides, as almoft entirely to cover the walls and ceiling. In fait, they did not ceafe for a moment to moleft us, by {warming and buzzing about in our eyes, ears, nofes, and mouths, fo that it was- not poffible for us to keep in the houfe for any time together: notwithftanding which, an old {lave, who at that time lived there quite alone, was obliged to ileep in the midft of; this neft of flies every night. In other traits of this country molefted by flies, I faw thefe troublefome infe&s taken very dexteroufly in the following manner. AH over the ceding are hung up bunches o f herbs, on which the flies are fond of fettling; a per- fon then takes a linen net or bag of fome depth fixed to a long handle, and putting it round every bunch, ihakes it about, fo that the flies fall down to the bottom of the bag; where, after feveral applications o f it in this manner, they are killed by the pint or quart at a time, by dipping the bag into fcalding-hot water. In certain parts o f the Carrow, where the flies abound molt, it is faid, that there is a builr which exfudes a humour fomewhat of the nature and confiftence of tar. This, by its adhefive quality, detains the flies, which are very fond of fettling on the plant, and by this means deftroys them. There is another ihrub frequently' found in the Carrow, which grows here likewife, and is called Canna-bofcb; whence the whole trail o f country hereabouts bears the name of Ganna's, and not Canaan's Land, as Mr. M a s o n has called it in the Pbilofophical franfaBions. In fail, from the extreme drought that prevails here, inftead of the Land of Promife, Mr. Mason would have done better to have called it the Land of AffiiBion. A road between Artaquas and Lange-kloof, inclining more to the fouthward than that by which we went, pafles over a high and ileep mountain, which, from the circumftance above-mentioned, is called Canna's-boogte, or Canna’S-heights. ■ Having examined this fame Canna-ihrub I found, that in ilriit propriety, it formed a new fpecies o f falfola\ for which reafon, in my manufcript defcriptions of plants, I have called it Salfola caffra, foliis minutis fubrotundis, car- nofts, cone avis, imbricatis. The leaves have a bitter fait tafte, and burned together with the whole ihrub, produce very ilrong aihes, excellently well adapted for the purpofe o f making foap; for which reaibn, particular attention is paid by the Carrow farmers to the culture o f this plant. In the parts o f the flower, the Canna-ihrub fo far differs from the generical charadter of the falfola in the iixth edition of the Genera Plantarum, inafmuch as this fpecies has a little obfolete jlyle, with two or three brown Jligmas. The remaining parts of its charadter were, Siam. fil. bre- vij]'. Anther-ae cordatre, Calyx perianth. peYjiJlens, Capfula 5 valvis, 1 locularis, and Semen 1 cocbleatum, as in the falfola, or rather reiembling a watch-fpring coiled up. It was curious to fee how the only ilave that Was then at Zaffraan-craal, and who had the abfolute management of the farm, how ikilfully, I fay, with the aififtance of two Hottentots who dwelt not far from the place, he had brought the water in rills and Channels down to the fields of wheat (of which the ears at that time were peeping forth,) as well as to the garden;. and had 1 made dams at thefe places, fo that they might be overflowed and water- Y o l . I. Q q ' ed, >775- Oftober.
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