412 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. — Nov., 1922. 



In my upiuion tliey are the finest and most profitable class of 

 sheep I have cut up since I have left London, and production of such 

 should be aimed at, as they would undoubtedly find a ready sale and 

 command top market prices both in South Africa and overseas. 

 Several of my customers who had the mutton had iK)thin<^" but the 

 highest praise as regards the quality and flavour." 



GLEN, ORANGE FREE STATE. 



Cropping System for the Small Farmer. — Though much has been 

 written concerning ihe value of rotation in maintaining the yield, and 

 of the value of the diversity- of crops for the sake of greater security, 

 very many farmers still confine their attention almost entirely to 

 maize. 



Though to the large farmer in certain areas this restriction of 

 activities largely to one crop may be profitable, tliere is no doubt as 

 to the folly of the practice for the small farmer. The rainfall over a 

 great part of the maize-growing areas is notoriously unreliable, and 

 it must be small comfort to any unfortunate farmer to be able to 

 blame the weather for his failure to make good. Moreover, if the 

 crop is successful, the amount of profit it can produce in a limited 

 area is not very great. One hundred acres of maize with a yield 

 of six bags per acre — and the majority of farmers are not getting as 

 much this season — with 2s. (id. profit per bag (those generally who 

 had to sell at 10s. or thereal)outs did not make this profit) I'esults in 

 only £75 profit — hardly a living wage for a farmer. Double this 

 profit could be derived from the same area if a proportion of fodder 

 crops Avas grown and fed on the farm, especially if a legume be 

 included in the cropping system. Our animals need the nitrogen 

 supplied by such legumes as cowpeas, velvet beans, soya beans, kaffir 

 or other beans, and our soils are usually benefitted by growing them ; 

 yet farmers persist in excuses for not making a success of them. 

 Some two or three hundred years ago clover helped to make English 

 farming, lucerne has made the Argentine a successful cattle-raising 

 country, and cowpeas and other legumes have now become a regular 

 constituent of the United States cropping system ; yet there are South 

 African farmers who think they can succeed without the aid of 

 legumes. 



Stalk Borer.— One feature has particularlj^ struck the notice of 

 the officer in charge of the cost of production of maize investigation 

 on his itinerary, and that is the gieat amount of damage caused to 

 maize by the stalk borer, and tlie vulnera])ility of the crop to its 

 attacks when no measures of prevention are used. Mally, in his 

 Bulletin No. 3 of 1920, has detailed fully the methods which may 

 be used, and farmers are aware of the liability to attacks of the 

 pest and the damage it may cause them, and yet they seldom take 

 any steps either for prevention or remedy. Trap crops are but one of 

 the methods recommended by Mr. Mally, and according to him should 

 be used as supplementary rather than control measures. Never- 

 theless on those farms where stock, especially dairy cows, are kept 

 they will constitute an economi(?al method of attack in that the trap 

 crop will be a valuable feed either for soiling or silage. Farmers 

 who have grown catch-crops of maize primarily for feeding green 

 to their cattle have found greater freedom from stalk borer in 

 consequence. 



