SOUTH AFRICA IN A FARMING LIGHT. 17 



which stock will not thrive and sheep will not live at all. 

 Cattle, unless bred on it, die to an immense extent of 

 liver complaints ; only a small percentage of the calves 

 can be reared. Horses get poor and wretched. The veldt 

 swarms with myriads of ticks — from the little fellow 

 that burrows in the skin of man, producing horrid sores, 

 to the large Bonte tick that destroys the teats of the cows, 

 and produces terrible sores on all animals. But it has a 

 fine and comparatively certain rainfall of over thirty 

 inches annually, and cultivation is carried on to a large 

 extent without any irrigation, the crops never totally 

 failing. 



Between these two is a narrow belt of broken veldt, 

 with a mixed herbage, and carrying the greatest number 

 of live stock of any part of South Africa. 



The northern parts of KafFraria, the Queenstown 

 and Aliwal districts, Free State, Basutoland, Trans- 

 vaal, and Northern Natal are densely clothed with sweet 

 grass in the lowlands, and sour on the high mountains. 

 Stock of all sorts thrive well, and the country is capable 

 of carrying a heavy stock. The rainfall being good 

 and moderately certain, cultivation without irrigation 

 becomes practicable. But sheep are subject to more 

 diseases than in the Karoo ; and some parts, after 

 carrying sheep for several years, give in and will not 

 maintain them. 



c 



