Notes. 393 



farmers themselves, for to a great extent the efficacy of the Depart- 

 ment's activities is limited by the progress made in this direction. 

 Farmers must organize on a sound, uniform basis, so that they may 

 arrange to meet the officers of the Department to the best advantage, 

 and, above all, acquire a self-reliance that will enable them unitedly 

 to overcome the many economic problems that concern their industry, 

 without resource to the State for financial aid. There is so much to 

 be done, and so many ways of doing it, in furthering the welfare of 

 the farmer, that a capitulation here is impossible. The Division will 

 point the way and endeavour to take a lead, as far as possible, where 

 movements may be started that will raise the moral and material 

 welfare of the farmer. It will disseminate advice regarding 

 the best methods of farming and marketing, and the several means 

 of elevating rural life through the medium of clubs for men, women 

 and children, and of other amenities. It will advocate and induce 

 co-operate eft'ort in dealing with both major and minor products, 

 from organizations that combat human and animal ills, and contend 

 with problems of soil erosion, veld control and such like, down to 

 those concerned in the humbler and domestic duties of the housewife, 

 yet which are so potent an agency in promoting good husbandry. 



There can be no doubt that a Division centred on the above 

 sphere of work should do much in engendering, by helpful advice 

 and initiative, that co-operation and spirit of progress which is needed 

 ann)ng our farmers to place them in the forefront of the world's 

 producers. It is a departmental activity launched in the confidence 

 that the rural community will respond and meet the Department's 

 endeavours more than half way. It is a movement, moreover, that 

 should have the full support of the general community in the 

 possibilities it holds for raising the standard of our chief industry of 

 agriculture. Starting with a small nucleus of workers whose activities 

 must necessarily be circumscribed l)y their numbers, the new Division 

 of Extension is expected to sow the seed of mutual trust and under- 

 standing between the Department and the farmer that will con- 

 tinuously return a crop of benefits to the Union. 



Intensive Poultry Keeping for Town Dwellers. 



Excellent results have been olitained at the Glen School of Agri- 

 culture from an experiment carried out over a period of twelve months 

 with six S(mLh African Utility White Leghorn pullets. The object 

 was to test the possibilities of keeping the home supplied with fresh 

 eggs, even in the limited space available usually in the town dwelling. 

 In an article published elsewhere in this issue, Mr. Jordaan, who 

 conducted the experiment, details the construction of the houses used, 

 and the feeding and treatment of the fowls ; he shows also the expendi- 

 ture involved and the returns. These six pullets, between six and 

 seven months old, and chosen at random from among fifty odd bred 

 at Glen, laid 1,470 eggs during the year at an average cost of 7d. per 

 dozen. " The conclusion drawn from the test," Mr. Jordaan states, 

 " IS that the housewife may, without much expense or labour, keep 

 her own egg-producing hens in her backyard, no matter how small, 

 and have a supply of fresh eggs for the greater part of the year." 



