314 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 8 



Much yet remains to be done before the arrears of years of misuse 

 of the soil can be repaired and before the native population can be 

 educated to systems of farming which will maintain the fertility of 

 the land. Not only have drastic changes in native custom to be 

 brought about, but in many cases expenditure is called for which 

 can hardly be found within the limited resources of the particular 

 colony. 



The regeneration of wasted areas must begin with closing them 

 for a time to grazing, so as to allow the return of natural vegetation; 

 if the land has not been very badly denuded, recovery is rapid; but 

 in some cases it may be necessary to introduce specially useful plants, 

 like the stoloniferous grasses so characteristic of South Africa. A 

 certain amount of minor engineering is needed to check run-offs and 

 dongas by dams or plantations. Some of the photographs I have 

 show how successful such measures have been at no great cost. 

 Measures to deal with the invading weeds like Striga in central 

 Africa or the Chrysocoma of the south are still lacking. At the same 

 time cultivators, both natives and white settlers, are being taught 

 the virtues of contour plowing and planting, and of vegetation strips 

 in cultivated land to break up run-off. 



Such measures, however, do not touch the major cause of erosion — 

 overstocking. There legislative action is necessary to compel a 

 reduction in the head of stock. The native chiefs giving evidence 

 before me on the Kenya Agricultural Commission agreed that Gov- 

 ernment regulations to this effect would be carried out, but that 

 without an ordinance the chiefs themselves would be unable to 

 enforce restriction. However, the drastic culling that is called for 

 must be done by way of purchase, and since the animals which would 

 first be drafted are practically valueless for food, one or more meat 

 factories would be required to turn the carcasses into manure and 

 then into successively better products as the quality of the culls 

 improved. One such factory 'was in operation in Tanganyika, from 

 the working of which one learned that the initial capital requirement 

 is large and that in its early years the enterprise is not likely to pay 

 its way. But a reduction in the numbers of cattle or sheep to one- 

 half or so would not only relieve the pressure on the land, but would 

 give the native owners some chance of improving quality both by 

 selection and better feeding, whereas at present numbers alone are 

 valued. Education should also proceed to induce the natives to use 

 cattle economically for milk or meat and for traction, or at least to 

 sell them for food. One cannot, however, get away from the fact 

 that forcible limitation of the head of stock a man may hold is a 

 grave interference, not only with tribal custom but also with the 

 dignity of individuals. I am still attracted by the idea of a special 



