Departmental activities. 4'J? 



TOBACCO AND COTTON. 



Tlie following are tlio Aviimers of the British Cottou Growiug 

 Association's competition for the best fields of cottou of 50 acres and 

 10 acres respectively, grown during 1!)1U-11)20 :- — 



50 Acrc.s. 



ist prize, .£100: Gass IJros, liarbertoii. 'V()\;\\ score, 8L*.8T 



per cent. 

 2nd prize, £bO : H. J;. Hall, Touiango, Nelspruit. Total score, 



75.85 per cent. 

 ;3rd jjrize, £25: L. G. Trichard, Tussenkouisl . District llusten- 



burg. Totnl score, 72.09 per cent. 



10 Acres. 



1st prize, £50: Mrs. P. Zeederl)erg, Barbertoii. Total score, 



86.39 per cent. 

 2n(l prizes £25: A. E. Waiuwriglit, Bailierton. Total score, 



77.(30 per cent. 

 '3rd i)rize, £12. 10s. : A. X. Venter, ]3;irl)erton. Total score, 



76.16 per cent. 



There were more than a hundred entries, but about half of tliem 

 dropped out for various reasons, leaving 52 remaining in till the 

 final results were obtained. 



Our thanks are due to the British Cotton Growing Association 

 for inaugurating this competition, which has been most interesting, 

 and judging from the keen interest displayed by most of the com- 

 petitors, it should be most valuable in improving cultural methods. 

 it has also demonstrated clearly the importance of planting good 

 seed of the longer staple varieties. 



The Chief of the Division, accompanied by his Xatal represen- 

 tative, has just completed a tour of jNatal and the Transkei, inspecting 

 cotton plantations, some of which are very promising in spite of the 

 adverse weather conditions. Most cotton planters are busy harvest- 

 ing. Mr. Scherfhus also visited the vSpelonken, where the (Jceann 

 Development (^. is beginning cotton planting in an experimental 

 way; should their trial fields, this year 128 acres, prove suitable for 

 cotton culture, it is proposed to develop on an extensive scale. 



VETERINARY EDUCATION AND RESEARCH. 



Austialum Antlir.ix \acci/ic. — Some mojiths ago a quantity of 

 anthrax vaccine, manufactured by the McGarvie Smith Institute, 

 Sydney, New South Wales, was received at the Research Laboratory, 

 Onderstepoort. Tests were carried out to determine Avhether the 

 vaccine produced any ill-effects when inoculated into animals, and 

 how strong the degree of immunity was in animals so inoculated. 

 Our tests seemed to show that the inoculation was quite safe, in so 

 far as no inocnlated animal even developed any signs of anthrax, 

 and no other ill-effects of the inoculation were noticeable. It must 

 be pointed out, however, that the number of animals inoculated was 

 far too small to make this point (|uite certain. Experiments carried 



