Wheat-Straw and its Value to the Land. 713 



general practice. At Hopefield the committee was told that no hay 

 or chaff is sold off the farms in the Saldauha Bay district, but all 

 goes back to the soil. In some districts the straw is returned to the 

 land by way of the kraals; in that of Ceres, for instance, although 

 some of the farmers are in the habit of selling their chaff, obtaining 

 a price of about Is. 6d. per bale of approximately 60 lb., most grain 

 farmers put their straw in the kraals and subsequently, when mixed 

 with manure, return it to the grain lands. A similar i)i()((Mlure is 

 adopted in the adjacent Tulbagli district, where the si raw which 

 has passed through tlie kraals is hrst of all put on the orcliards and 

 vineyaids, and any surplus given to the grain lauds. The experience 

 in this district is that the ai)plicatioii of straw lo lands which have lain 

 fallow is sound practice, but application just before sowing means 

 introduction of weeds and noxious insects. 



At Caledon the gathering of agriculturists expressed the view that 

 if the straw could be put on the land without much expense it would 

 be of assistance, and it was thought that a stripping machine which 

 would remove the ears and leave the straw on tlie land might solve 

 the difficulty. 



The above summarizes the practice said to be followed in the 

 more south-westerly districts, which contain soils that are chemically 

 amongst the poorest of all the grain lands in the Union, although 

 climatically better suited for winter wheat than any other areas. 



On passing eastwards along the southern coast belt the committee 

 found that in the Swellendam district it is the general custom to 

 burn most of the wheat straw produced on the farms; a little of the 

 straw is made into kraal manure, and only some of the kraal manure 

 is put on the grain lands, uiost being used for kitchen gardens. In 

 the district of Riversdale the straw is sometimes burnt. In dry 

 seasons it is generally fed to the stock, but not in wet seasons. Some 

 farmers have been in the habit of ploughing in rotten straw and 

 found this to give good results. The straw is put into the kraals 

 for kraal manure, but it is not often that kraal manure is made in 

 this district. 



On the way to the Eastern Province, while in the Long Kloof, 

 the committee was told at Joubertina that the straw is generally 

 burned; and at Misgund, although it is usual for many farmers to 

 put it through the kraals, it is also very largely burned. In the 

 Uitenhag-e district we were informed that most of the straw is left 

 to rot and wasted, although some of it is put into the kraals. Such 

 are the varieties of practice in the south-western and southern districts 

 of the Union, where the deficiency of humus in the soil is most 

 noticeable. 



In the Transvaal similar evidence was given. In the Groot 

 Marico District, the evidence was to the effect: that most farmers put 

 kraal manure on their lands once in three years, and thus make 

 indirect use of the cereal straw, which is generally either put in 

 the kraals or fed to the cattle. In the Rustenburg District care is 

 taken that none of the straw is lost; directly or indirectly it all goes 

 back to the land, as much as possible being fed to the stock. The 

 straw is chiefly made use of as a winter feed, what is left at the 

 end of the winter being put into the kraals. In the Potchefstroom 

 District, according to evidence given at Ventersdorp, the wheat-straw 

 is all put into the kranls after the cattle have liad a iwu at tb& 



