Dkpartmental Activities. 



121 



CEDARA NATAL. 



Winter Feeding. — The opportunity is taken of reminding farmers 

 that during- the month of February attention should be devoted to 

 the planting of root crops for stock food during the winter months. 

 For these crops lands sliould be chosen which are handy to the home- 

 stead in order to facilitate transport of stable manure to the fields, 

 and also the green crops from the land back to the homestead. The 

 importance of the provision of green succulent food material for all 

 classes of farm stock through the winter months cannot be over 

 estimated, and is an absolute essential where pedig*ree cattle are 

 raised. It is a little late at present to commence ploughing up land 

 for this purpose. The selection and ploughing of the soi] should 

 have taken place about September or October last, so that now there 

 should be a stale furrow. The class of land to select is fresh land, 

 or land which has not been under crop, save grass, for several years. 

 Root^ are much healthier on fresh ground than on land which has 

 been cultivated foi- a number of years. Prior to the ploughing*, which 

 shoubl be as deep as circumstances will permit, the land should have 

 been heavily manured with rotted farmyard manure, as root crops 

 are gross feeders, and a large growth of leafy succulent bulky food is 

 required. Plougbed m September or October, the land will be ready 

 for a cross-plougliing in February and harrowing, etc., to bring the 

 s'oii into a proper tilth for the sowing of the various seeds. 



The following crops can be sown: — Po+atoe-s, rape, kale, turnips, 

 swedes, and mansolds. 



Students Working on Grafted Vines. 



Outbreaks of Animal Diseases in the Union. 



During the month of December, 1920, there were reported 5 

 outbreaks of East Coast fever (3 Natal, 1 Transvaal, 1 Transkei), 31 

 of mange (9 Transvaal, 22 Cape). 182 of anthrax (86 Transvaal, 36 

 Orange Free State, 30 Transkei, 22 Cape, 8 Natal), 2 of dourine 

 (Cape), 2 of glanders (1 Transvaal, 1 Cape), and 2 of tuberculosis 

 (Cape). 



