120 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. — Aug., 1922. 



the auimal that is kraaled leads an UDnatural life. Lett to itself the 

 sheep grazes during the early morniug and late afternoon, rests 

 during tlie heat of the day, and sleeps through the night. To-day 

 he is driven to and from his kraal to pasturage at a time wlien he 

 should be browsing, and os good pasturage recedes further and further 

 from f c vicinity of the kraal, particularly as the winter jjrogreb.ses, 

 so his the unfortunate sheep to spend more and move of his proper 

 feeding time in journeying to the 'distant veld. Then the exeition 

 entailed by these journeys increases the animal's food requirements, 

 and this extra need during seasons of scarcity is often just the decid- 

 ing factor that results in death ; for the free ranging sheep is better 

 able to sustain life (by drawing on the reserves of fat avd flesh of 

 its own body), being able to live several weeks without food, provided 

 it has sufficient water and also the proper rest that the driven 

 sheep is denied. Thus the kraaled sheep has not the same chance to 

 acquire robustness (which affects the value of the wool as do also 

 other kraal induced evils, such as scab) as the free one. Evidence 

 shows that where sheep run day and night in suitable paddocks, losses 

 are rare, for they are able to find whatever fodder remains on the veld 

 and so postpone the call on their body reserves to the latest moment, 

 whereas the kraaled sheep, denied the opportunity of foraging at will, 

 succumbs. 



The Commission finds : — 



1. The kraaling of small stock, which forces the animal to lead 

 an unnatural life, is the prevalent practice among farmers through- 

 out the Union. 



2. The kraaling system necessitates much driving of stock and an 

 increased food requirement, which is particularly disadvantageous in 

 time of drought. 



3. Driving is detrimental to the condition of the animal, and 

 seriously endangers life when, through the effects of a bad season, it 

 is in a weakened state. 



4. Apart from its action on the sheep during times of drought, 

 kraaling, as a general practice, is at all times detrimental to the 

 health of the animal and the value of its wool. 



5. Experience has shown that the system of running sheep day 

 and night in suitable paddocks is attended by very small drought 

 losses. 



6. The abandonment of the kraaling system is a necessary step 

 in the reduction of drought losses. 



Overstocking. 



It is extremely difficult to decide \ipon the number of stock a farm 

 can carry from year to year, for the rainfall which determines the 

 amount of grazing produced varies tremendously from season to 

 season. There are other factors also that have to be considered, ^nd 

 taken together they present such variations that a paiticular farm 

 may carrv double the number of stock in some seasons that it can in 

 others. Stocking a farm is, therefore, speculative, especially as 

 (which is, unfortunately, the practice), no provision is made for feed- 

 ing stuffs in the event of a bad season. It is naturally the intention 



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