The Department of Agriculture during the War. 365 



grades of tobacco, aud the co-operative societies at Rustenburg and iu 

 the districts near Capetown made good progress. Due to tbe results 

 obtained at the Rustenburg Experiment Station and its influence 

 among local farmers, cotton growing made satisfactory progress, and 

 good hope was expressed at the possibility of marked development in 

 the future. About 400,000 lb. seed cotton were produced in the 

 District of Rustenburg and about 60,000 lb. iu other parts of the 

 Union, this being the highest quantity yet produced in the Union, 

 and since then the production has constantly increased. 



In 1915-16 much useful work was carried cut at the various stations 

 by experiments in breeding new varieties of cotton and tobacco, the 

 use of fertilizers, methods of cultivation, and the curing of tobacco. 

 In addition, the field officers of the Department devoted much atten- 

 tion to individual farmers by visiting them and giving advice and 

 lecturing at farmers' meetings. Prices of tobacco during the year 

 were good, and both the tobacco warehouses at Rustenburg and Paarl 

 had a successful year and disposed of all their stocks. The two 

 ginning plants in Rustenburg ginned and baled over 400,000 lb. of 

 seed cotton, the entire crop being sold at prices varying from 7d. to 

 T^d. per lb. The year established cotton orowing more firmly, and 

 the pioneer work of the past was rewarded in the promise of a 

 successful future for the industry, which, if fulfilled, will be of great 

 benefit to the country. Cotton is a good drought resister and will 

 furnish a useful additional crop in areas where the rang-e of crop is 

 at present somewhat limited ; moreover, it is adapted for farmers in 

 a small as well as a large way, and provides work suitable for native 

 women and children. The quality of cotton grown in our country is 

 excellent and usually realizes more in England than does the same 

 variety from elsewhere. 



In 1916-17 experimental and other work proceeded as usual at the 

 Rustenburg, Elsenburg, and Piet Retief stations, but the station at 

 Tzaneen was closed and transferred to the Lands Department for the 

 purpose of its inclusion in a settlement scheme, for which it was 

 considered to be better suited. The four field officers of the division 

 were busily employed in instructing farmers and conducting field 

 experiments, and their services were greatly appreciated and in much 

 request. Unfavourable weather curtailed the tobacco crop, but prices 

 were good and there was a ready sale for all classes of tobacco. A 

 feature of the year was the fact that for the first time in the history of 

 the industry the exports of tobacco from the Union exceeded the 

 imports of manufactured and unmanufactured tobacco. The growing 

 of cotton was further extended in the Transvaal and Natal, and the 

 crop was estimated to be about one million pounds of seed cotton. 



Good progress was made in 1917-18, the experiment stations 

 continuing investigations and experiments in various phases of the 

 industry, and the field officers disseminating useful knowledge in the 

 cultivation, etc., of the two crops. Unfortunately, the tobacco crop 

 was subjected for several seasons past to successive bad years owing to 

 unfavourable weather; nevertheless, the industry continued to expand. 

 The two tobacco associations at Rustenburg and Paarl again had a 

 successful year and disposed of their holdings at good prices. Largely 

 due to the efforts of Mr. Oosthuizen, who was in charge of the experi- 

 mental and other work in the Orange Free State, a tobacco limited 

 liability company was formed at Parijs, Yredefort District, and its 



