Journal of the Department 

 OF Agriculture. 



Vol. I. NOVEMBER, 1920. No. S. 



Published monthly in English and Afrikaans by the Department of Agriculture, 



Union of South Africa. 



Editor.- G. W, Klerck. 



Subscription: Within the Union and South- West Protectorate, 5s, (otherwise 6Sm) 

 per annum, post free, payable in advance. 



Applications, with subscriptions, to be sent to the Government 

 Printer, Box 378, Pretoria. 



NOTES. 



Death of Mr. W. O. John. 



The Department has sustained a great loss in the death on the 

 28rd September last of Mr. W. 0. John. Mr. John's service in the 

 Department dates from 1913, and at the time of his death he was 

 the Lectnrer in Poultry at the ELsenburg- tScliool of Agriculture, 

 Mulder's Vlei, Cape. He came to South Africa many years ago with 

 a sound, practical knowledge of poultry farming, and during the 

 succeeding years devoted all his energy to the development of the 

 industry in this country. He was a zealous, enthusiastic colleague, 

 and his striking personality, combined with an aptitude for making 

 his lectures interesting and impressive, stamped him as a valuable 

 officer, while his kindly and straightforwaicl nature endeared him to 

 all who knew him. It follows, therefore, that liis services were in 

 constant demand, and he devoted himself unstintingly to his duties. 

 Among his many activities mention may be made of the prominent 

 part he took in the establishment of egg- circles and the supervision 

 of the egg-laying competitions at Rosebank ; from the first he super- 

 intended the building up of the export trade in eggs and poultry, 

 his last report on the subject appearing in the June, 1920, issue of 

 the Journal. He is the author of several articles of much value to 

 poultry farmers, and one of them, received shortly before his death, 

 appears in this issue of the Journal. Emerging from obscurity, the 

 poultry industry has taken a prominent place in recent years in 

 South African agriculture, and the name of Mr. John is closely 

 associated with its marked prog-ress ; indeed, he has been described 

 as the " Father of the Poultry Industry in South Africa." It is 

 with very deep regret, therefore, that we record the death at the 

 early age of fifty-two of a valued and much respected colleague, a 

 loss to the Department and to the community. 



24 



