6& Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



AGRICULTURE AND THE WAR. 



Effect on Importations of Essentials. 



Position at the Close of 1919. 



The farming' industry in South Africa is dependent on a number of 

 articles which are not produced in the country. The outbreak of war 

 caused a general dislocation in their importation, freightage was 

 scarce and expensive, oversea production fell off in some cases owing 

 to the manufacture of war essentials, the needs of manufacturing 

 countries were first considered causing a slirinkage of products avail- 

 able for oversea customers, and, generally, obtaining supplies was a 

 serious problem. Restrictions on the export of merchandise con- 

 tributed to the difficulty. 



The goods ordinarily obtained from oversea directly essential to 

 our agricultural industry are chiefly : — 



Eertilizers. 



Agricultural machinery. 



Agricultural implements. 



Fencing material. 



Seeds, sprays, dipping material, etc. 



Hereunder are statements of importations for the ten years 1909 

 to 1918 inclusive. Examination thereof, taking into account 

 enhanced costs caused by the war, will indicate the extent to which 

 oversea supplies diminished during the war. 



A brief report on the effect on our agriculture by the curtail- 

 ment of these supplies and the outlook in regard thereto at the end 

 of 1919 is given below in respect of certain essential articles, viz. : — 



Fertilizers . 



The soils of the Union are, as a rule, by no means rich, particu- 

 larly in the winter rainfall area of the Cape Province, where the 

 greater portion of the Union's wheat production is grown. With the 

 exception of about 6000 tons Government guano per annum and a 

 certain amount of bone manure, the Union was entirely dependent 

 iipon countries oversea for its supplies of artificial fertilizers, to the 

 extent shown in the statement hereunder. Phosphatic fertilizers are 

 most required for the Union's soils, nitrogenous ones, with the excep- 

 tion of guano wliich is obtained in South Africa, not being used to 

 any extent in this country ; in fact, sulphate of ammonia, a con- 

 centrated nitrogenous manure manufactured in Natal, is now being- 

 exported from the Union. Phosphatic fertilizers were obtained almost 

 entirely from Great Britain and the continent of Europe and when 

 war broke out these sources of supply were entirely closed. Efforts 

 were made to obtain vsupplies from the United vStates of America and 

 Japan, but none was to be had except at prohibitive prices. An 



