860 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



oldest trees not killed by frost are four years old. A great part of 

 the grove is composed of replants put in year by year, as the trees 

 were cut back by the frost, so that it has a very uneven appearance. 

 The crop this year on the older trees was destroyed by frost. Tlie 

 soil is excellent, but Mr. Lenoif has not yet had any return from 

 the citrus. Had the plot been under lucerne he would have had 

 returns of from £'1500 to £2000 for the four years, and very much 

 more at the present price of lucerne. 



I left Keimoes at 6 o'clock on the morning of the llSth, having 

 been advised to take a cart and four horses instead of a car. The 

 advice was quite sound, for the long distance and heavy sand through 

 which we passed made it an almost 



Impossible Road roii a Cak ; 



at any rate with a car there would have been many stoppages and 

 much pushing, Mhich at a temperature of 104 in the shade is very 

 undesirable exercise. I reached Kakamas, after breaking- a spring, 

 at about 1 p.m. I spent the afternoon in looking round and finding- 

 out Avho w-as in authority there. Unfortunately, both Mr. Conradie 

 and Mr. Beyers were unavoidably absent, as well as the Rev. Mr. 

 Shaw. Une of the clerks, Mr. Marchand, ottered to show me round 

 the erven in the immediate vicinity, but having- already had a g-ood 

 look round, and having- had conversations with different plotholders 

 as to prospects, state of crops, etc., I thought it better to take a car 

 and run down the river, through Marchand, as i'ar as cultivatiou 

 extended, meet some of the plotholders, get what information 1 

 could, as well as give them any advice I thought might be useful to 

 them. They all seemed very keen to pick up " tips," especially those 

 g-rowing- fruit trees and vines, as they seem less informed on these 

 lines than on the growing- of wheat and lucerne. They have very 

 little idea of the pruning- of trees or vineSj particularly in the earlier 

 stages of growth. Most of the vineyards are established witli 

 ung-rafted cuttings, which is somewhat risky, although they may 

 run tor many years in that sandy soil without any serious damage 

 being- done by Phylloxera. They find the establishment of a vine- 

 yard with grafted vines rather beyond their means, and before 

 Phylloxera makes any headway, they will Avell be able to reconstitute 

 their vineyards from what they have made from their cuttings. 



On the 15th I returned to Keimoes. where a meeting- had 

 been advertised to ti»ke place at 4 i).m. Tlie attendance 

 was rather disappointing, as only ten of the most lu-ominent 

 men put in an appearance, all of wdiom I had already met. It 

 was certainly a rather inopportune time to get an attendance at a 

 meeting, as the wheat was just ripe, and those who w^ere not reaping 

 were scaring birds from the ripe grain. I visited a few more of the 

 holders there, incidentally Father Fages, of the Catholic Mission, 

 who, I believe, is the only one making wine in the district. I sampled 

 liis yintage, and found it only fair to middling. His vinej'ard, in 

 fact the whole of the property, is in excellent order. He runs the 

 school with 30 to 40 attendants, has a flour mill, teaches the scholars 

 furniture making, etc. I also sampled some brandy on Rooikop Island 

 made by the manager, Mr. Seipker, and consider it the best young 

 brandy I have tasted in this country. It was made from Hanepoot 

 grapes and is very high class indeed. Speaking to an ex-Excise 

 officer, now a sergeant of police, I was told that the Brandy Board at 



