220 DEVELOPMENT OF THE COASTAL BELT OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



Take the district of French Hoek as a coastal area which 

 is largely irrigated. There is no big irrigation scheme in this 

 district; 'but there are a large number of farms employing 

 irrigation, some using the various perennial streams and rivers, 

 Others using small springs on their farms to irrigate their vines, 

 fruit trees, and small patches of land. The farmers complain 

 that these lands require a considerable amount of manuring; but 

 the author has never heard of any mention of brak in the district, 

 nor anywhere else on the poor coastal lands. Altogether, it is far 

 better to manure than to have your lands entirely ruined by 

 brak. The coastal area, owing to its equable climate, usually 

 has a much longer growing period than the interior, and also is 

 able to grow a greater variety of products. 



The above conditions offer great advantages for small 

 irrigation schemes, either by pumping water from the perennial 

 streams, or by the construction of small dams across the kloofs 

 on the individual farms. But the conditions do not justify 

 large schemes involving heavy capital expenditure for irrigation 

 alone, as the period during which irrigation is requred is com- 

 paratively short. But these are the very conditions to encourage 

 closer settlement and intensive agriculture over a wide and con- 

 tinuous area. As a matter of fact, the most successful closer 

 settlement districts in South Africa are in the coastal areas, such 

 as French Hoek and Groot Drakenstein in the west, and the 

 district of Kingwilliamstown in the east, which is the largest 

 and most successful example of closer settlement in South Africa. 

 Most of the farms in this area range from 30 to 40 acres, usually 

 with commonage rights. Mention need only be made of such 

 places as Keiskama Hoek, Izeli, Isedenge, Hanover, Berlin, 

 Balassi, Frankfort. Stutterheim, etc. There seems no reason 

 why what has been done around Kingwilliamstown should 

 not be exten^led along the whole coastal area, especially if greater 

 use is made of irrigation. 



It might be suggested that " we cannot have our cake and 

 eat it," and that if we use the water for irrigation we cannot 

 use it for power purposes. But in making the calculations for 

 the value of the water power, the author has onlv taken into 

 consideration the water falling on the narrow rain belt of 15 miles 

 in width, with a rainfall of 40 inches ; whereas there is a belt 

 of country from 80 to 100 miles wide, with .:i rainfall of 20 to 

 35 inches, and which will give sufficient surplus water for all 

 the irrigation that is required to make this area suitable for 

 closer settlement with intensive development. 



Domestic Water Supply. 



At first sight there may not seem to be any great potential 

 value in being able to supply large urban populations with 

 abundance of pure water at a low rate. But as we examine 

 it, we shall find it has considerable value. For instance, take 



