Report of the Department of Agric;ultitre. 559 



for the secoutl competition were as follows: — (a) Best fifty or more 

 acres of cotton, £100; second best, £50; third jbest, £25.' (b) Best 

 ten or more acres of cotton, but less than fifty acres, £50; second best, 

 £25; third best, £12. 10s. For these competitions the officers of the 

 Division measure the fields and rate them for the farm practice 

 methods applied, and collect the weights of the crops. The question 

 of quality is judged by the Association. The field work in connection 

 with the second competition was heavy, but the encouragement given 

 to the farmers and keen interest shown by them, it is considered, fully 

 justify the extra labour involved. 



6. Af/ricidtura] Shotcs. — Tlie officers of the Division were in much 

 demand as judges at the agricultural shows. An exhibit of tobacco 

 and cotton and by-products was staged at all the principal shows. 



7. E.vperiment Station lT'r)/7i'.-— Experiments were continued in 

 connection with the improvement of types by plant selection and the 

 projiagation of individuals in comparative row tests; the improvement 

 ()f commercial fields by the process of eliminatifui ; testing the relative 

 merits of different distances of planting; comparison of varieties by 

 planting in a series of plots; fertilizer and rotation experiments; 

 testing the relative merits of the different methods of curing tobacco; 

 comparing various methods of treating tobacco to produce the higliest 

 percentage of nicotine; and the production of other crops to improve 

 the land and for use on the stations. 



At the llustenburg station the tobacco and cotton crops suffered to 

 some extent on account of drought during January and February, but 

 they recovered consideiably wlien the rains set in. The tobacco 

 fertilizer plots gave excellent results and proved to be the most satis- 

 factory yet obtained. The tobacco flue-curing- experiments gave 

 excellent results. Very valuable work on cotton breeding- was con- 

 tinued, but the whole attention of a qualified officer is necessary to 

 get the best results. The students' hostel was full during the whole 

 time. The ajjprentices acquitted themselves very creditably. 



The work being done at Elsenburg in the development of improved 

 types of tobacco will be of lasting lienefit to the Turkish tobacco 

 planters. The station has I'eaehed a stage in which it is supplying 

 improved seed to all those requiring it. The popularity of these 

 improved strains is apparent in the sales thereof : only a few ounces 

 are sold to each farmer, yet the revenue from this source will, it is 

 anticipated, amount to more than £100 in 1921-22. 



At the Piet Eetief station similar work to that of pievii.us years 

 was undertaken by the foreman, the new manager having airived too 

 late to conduct the oi)erati()ns in the beginning of the year. Much 

 more satisfactory results may be anticipated in the ftiture. Spraying 

 experiments to control tlie tobacco beetle were contintied last season, 

 and this seems to be the only safe means of controlling this pest. 



8. Itinerant WorJi. — The varioits itinerant officers of the Division 

 gave series of lectures at the agricultural schools, and attended and 

 lectured at farmers' meetings thrcghout the Union. The fibre 

 expert had a hea\y year's work visiting the variotts ginneries, first to 

 classify the seed cotton as it came from the farmers and later grading 

 a sample of the lint from each bale before it is shipped. There were 

 lOGG bales of approximately 500 lb. ea-h, which had to pass twice 

 throitgh his hands. In addition, he graded and reported on a great 

 nuraber of small samples sent in by farmers. 



