COMMERCIAL PROSPECTS 289 



the malarial germs wliicli cause tsetse fever. Therefore, theoretical!}' there is 

 no part of the Uganda Protectorate in which cattle, sheep, goats, and horses 

 cannot be kept. But although the Protectorate is fairly well supplied with fine 

 cattle, and possesses enormous herds of sheep and goats, it must be remembered 

 that at different periods during the past twenty years portions of the Protec- 

 torate have been visited to a disastrous extent by a cattle disease — some 

 kind of pleuro-})neumonia coming from the Dinka countries in the Egyptian 

 Sudan, and gradually spreading right down to South Africa and across the 

 continent to Sierra Leone. Some ])ortions of the Uganda Protectorate, 

 however, have never been ravaged by this disease. It should also be possible 

 perhaps to attack the malady at its source in the Dinka countries, and 

 eventually put a stop to these ravages, which have inflicted such ap[!alling 

 losses on East and South Africa. At any rate, at the jjresent time Uganda 

 has enough cattle to be able to export beasts by means of the Uganda Kail- 

 way for consumption in the markets of East Africa. If cattle-breeding 

 ])rospers and remains untouched by any further disease of a serious nature, 

 the export of hides from Uganda ought to amount to a very considerable 

 item in its commerce. 



The ostrich of the North African species, with fine white plumes in the 

 male, is a native of the northern and eastern districts of the Uganda Pro- 

 tectorate. Its eggs and recently hatched young are constantly brought in 

 by the natives for sale. There is no reason why, in the Rift ^'alley and 

 over the greater part of Uganda, ostrich farms should not be established. 

 It is possible that the feathers of the North African ostrich might 

 average slightly more in the market than those of the South African 

 species. 



Honey bees exist over the greater part of the Protectorate, and in many 

 districts are partially domesticated by the natives, to whom honey is an 

 important article of diet. Tlie wax of these bees would certainly form in 

 time an article for export. 



Turning to vegetable productions, we have, in the first place, coffee. 

 Whether originally introduced or not from Abyssinia, coffee is at any rate 

 native now in a semi-wild form to the better forested regions of the Uganda 

 Protectorate, its berries producing coffee of excellent flavour. Not only 

 might the wild cofif-ee be gathered and sold by the natives, but it would seem 

 as though this country was singularly well adapted for coffee plantations, as 

 the forested regions have a regular and ample rainfall, the soil is very rich, 

 and abundance of shade trees exist. Coffee could be grown on the lake shore 

 all round the northern half of the Mctoria Nyanza. Steamers could carry 

 the coffee to the railway terminus on Kavirondo Bay, and it is probable 

 that by steamer and rail, and steamer again from Mombasa, coffee could 

 be landed at the European markets charged with a freight of not more 

 VOL. I. 19 



