l88 NATIVE AGKICULTLRK. 



Nevertheless, it is surprising how much land is enclosed by 

 the Natives in spite of communal tenure. Many kraals have 

 an area enclosed by a fence of sorts — sometimes a good strong 

 wire fence with iron standards, sometimes a stone or mud wall. 

 and sometimes the picturesque aloe. 



In the census returns for lyii, we tind that a total area 

 of 572,107 morgen was then fenced in, and I do not doubt that 

 the next census will show a remarkable improvement on that 

 figure. ( )ne fact which surprises the observer is the very large 

 number of small ];atches carefully enclosed and carefully 

 tended, in which are grown the supply of tobacco for the kraal. 

 Few kraals now-a-days are without the " tobacco patch." But 

 the vast mass of cultivated land is still on the open field system. 



5. Jkki(;.\ti()N. 



Perhaps the unfortiuiale liaison between " man's work 

 and " woman's work " accounts in part for the unprogressive 

 condition of Native agriculture. 



When the man has ])loughe(l the held his work is finished. 

 The women of his kraal then enter into and complete his labours 

 by hoeing the field at the apjjropriate intervals.* In norn.ial 

 seasons, at least in some districts, there is no need for anything 

 in the way of irrigation, l)Ut the absence of any elTort in this 

 direction means that when the drought does come the crop is 

 ruined — and this is the bitter ex])erience which the Transkeiau 

 Natives have been having for the last four seasons. 



The drought of iyi2 is described by the late Chief Magis- 

 trate, in his annual report, as the greatest drought since 1862. 

 The ])eople were brought to the verge of famine. Since then 

 three seasons have ])assed, and all of them yielded but a scanty 

 crop. The ])eople have thns had a ver\- definite lesson, and 

 perhaps where water is abundant there mav be a disposition 

 to irrigate. About one-seventeenth of the land now under 

 cultivation is irrigated. 



By far the greatest part is irrigated ])y furrows from con- 

 stantly flowing streams, but storage dams and wells are not 

 unknown. Already we have about 362,377 yards of furrow^. 

 and the extent of land irrigated is 10,215 morgen. 



Apart, however, from furrows and streams, we have othei 

 sources of w'ater which are sufficient to indicate the supply that 

 is available. 



A number of boreholes have 1)een let down to a depth of 

 150 feet, anci these give a supply of pure water, most of whicii 

 was used for irrigation jnirposes. Wells and fountains varying 

 in tiuality to a similar extent, Init for the most part supplying 



* Broadly speaking, three or four weeks are spent in this w(irl< in the 

 spring, and then some two months later; another three or four weeks is 

 spent in tine hoeing. The men sometimes help, for tlieir time is now no 

 longer spent in warfare and hunting excursions, as in 'iklen days. 



