THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



he had endeavoured to treat the subject impartially, his only 

 aim being to see the soil of hia native country cultivated in 

 Buch a manner that the greatest poaaible return should be 

 arrived at that the land could inojitahhj produce. 



The proceedings terminated with the customary vote of 

 thanks to the Chairman, and the introducer of the subject. 



CENTRAL FARMERS' CLUB. 



A Meeting of the Committee was held at the Club House, 

 New Bridge-street, Blackfriara, on Monday, June 4 ; L. A. 

 CoussMAKER, Esq., in the chair. There were also present 

 Messrs. J. Bradshaw, C. J. Brickwell, W. Chefflns, T. Con- 

 greve, J. Cressingham, W. Fisher Hobbs, E. Little, W. Shaw, 

 B. P. Shearer, S. Skelton, J. B. Spearing, James Thomas, 

 John Thomas, H. Trethewy, Owen Wallis, J. A. Williams, 

 and Jaraes Wood. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read, and the usual 

 monthly statement of accounts was received. 



The following members were elected : — 



H. Hall Dare, Hanover-square, London. 



C. Davison, Pier-pont, Farnham. 



W. Guerrier, Tbe Crescent, Camden Road Villa*, 



Major Onslow, Dunsboro' House, Ripley. 



Captain Phelp, Woodland Spa, Horncastle, 



H. Reed, Brent Villas, Hendou. 



J. Shaw, Hunsbury Hill, Northampton. 



J. Turner, Fen Place, Crawley, Sussex. 



G. Young, Apley Towers, Ryde, Isle of Wight. 



Nine other names were read for the first time. 



The following bye-laws for the due regulation of the discus- 

 sion meetings of the Club were proposed and passed : — 



1. That a Chairman shall be elected for twelve months, 

 from the first of January in each year. 



2. That at each meeting the authority of the Chairman on 

 all disputed matters shall be final. 



3. That in the absence of the Chairman, the Committee 

 appoint a President for the eveninr. 



4. That tbe Chairman be at liberty to introduce visitors, 

 and Members one friend each at a meeting. 



5. That none but members of the Club address the meeting, 

 except on the invitation of the Chairman. 



6. That the introducer of the subject have the right of reply 

 at the close of the discussion, but that no other member ad- 

 dress the meeting more than once during the evening, except 

 in explanation, and then only with the consent of the Chairman. 



7. That all persons address the chair standing, and that no 

 one except the introducer of the subject be allowed to occupy 

 the time of the meeting for more than a quarter of an hour. 



8. That the subjects for discussion during the j'ear he 

 selected at the January meeting of the Committee, and that 

 the time for holding these meetings be the first Monday in 

 the months of February, March, April, May, June, and Novem- 

 ber, and in December on the Monday in the week of the 

 Smithfield Club Show, at half-past five o'clock, p.m. 



9. That members be requested to send in subjects to the 

 Secretary, from which the selection will be taken ; and that 

 those unable to attend the meetings be invited to forward 

 practical information upon them ; such communications to be 

 handed to the introducer of the subject to which reference is 

 made. 



It was arranged to have the anniversary dinner of the Club 

 at "The Ship," Greenwich, on Monday, July 2, at five o'clock. 



AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS IN THE CAPE COLONY. 



The advices lately received from the Cape of Good 

 Hope prove that this British colony in the southern 

 hemisphere is making a very steady and respectable 

 progress in its pastoral and agricultui-al operations. 

 These important intei-ests are indeed tbe thews and 

 sinews of the colony, and with a country capable of 

 any extent of production, full of natural resources, 

 with a fine soil, and, for the most part, well watered, 

 no limit need be placed upon their prosperity. 



Our colonial files to hand are filled with detailed re- 

 ports of tbe meetings of district agricultural societies 

 at Graham's Town, Fort Pedder, Graaf Rennet, Queen's 

 Town, and other localities, an impetus having been 

 given to competitive shows by the Legislative grant of 

 ^750 among them, which sum had been largely in- 

 ci'eased by local collections. 



Although there are many topics and subjects rather 

 puzzling to the English reader from the common adop- 

 tion of Dutch names, and the British farmer may not 

 have much interest in trekking (flitting), in the sale of 

 erven (land plots), in commandos (expeditions against 

 the natives), mealies (maize), and Kafir corn (millet), 

 yet there are certainly several matters in which an in- 

 terest will be felt at home as well as in the colony. 

 One subject we may preliminarily mention, and that is, 

 that a new Bill for the Sale of the Crown Lands was 

 being inti'oduced, which repeals all former regulations. 

 Lands are in future to be sold subject to an annual quit 

 rent, and at a resei'ved price sufficient to defray the 

 costs of survey, title deeds, and other government 

 charges. The quit rent may be, however, redeemed at 

 any time on the payment of fifteen years' i)urcha8e. 



The Cape colonists have at least proved the truth of 

 old Fitsherbert's remark, that " sheepe is the most 

 profytablest cattell a man can have." The number 

 of sheep five years ago in the colony was 5,000,000 



woolled sheep, and 1,700,000 African sheep; but as the 

 production of wool was then only 8,250,0001bs, and 

 it is now double that quantity, the number must have 

 largely '^increased, and the clip is also heavier. The 

 free Dutch Republic beyond the boundaries of the 

 colony contains now more than a million of fine- 

 woolled sheep. Much has already been done in pre- 

 paring the wool in a better condition for market ; but 

 there is yet a wide margin for improvement. It is 

 only by a constant infusion of new blood, by careful 

 washing, by " kraaling," or penning, and the erection 

 of sheds — in short, by paying some attention to the 

 comfort of the sheep, that success will attend the la- 

 bours of the breeders. The supplies of Cape wool im- 

 ported last year, although equal to the imports of 1857, 

 were 2,250,0001bs. below the quantity received in 1858. 

 However, if from any cause the shipments were held 

 back, they are coming forward very freely this year, 

 nearly 4,240, OOOlbs. having been received in the first 

 four months of the present year, against only 

 2,372,0001bs. in the corresponding period of the pre- 

 vious year. France and other countries must have re- 

 ceived large direct supplies, for the Lieutenant Gover- 

 nor, in his opening speech to the Assembly in April, 

 stated the export of wool in 1859 to have been 

 19,500,000 lbs., against about 17,000,000 in 1858. 



In a colony where draught cattle are so much 

 used, the preservation of the health of the ani- 

 mals, and the cure or prevention of epidemics, are 

 of great moment. The "lung sickness," as it is lo- 

 cally termed, which commenced some five years ago 

 in the colony, still commits great ravages ; and, al- 

 though we have already drawn attention to it, a passing 

 notice is still requisite. We have no late returns of the 

 present actual number of stock, but there were in the 

 Cape in 1855 about 160,000 oxen and 300,000 cows 



