LUMBWA, 



POSITION. 



CHARACTER 

 OF THE 

 COUNTRY. 



RAINFALL 

 AND CLIMATE. 



nPHE settled district of lyumbwa, as distinct from 

 the native reserve, consists of an extensive group 

 of farms lying on either side of the Nyando River 

 and clustering round the Township and Railway 

 Station as a centre. The area comprises some 80,000 

 acres, and as several of the original large farms have 

 been sub-divided there is in normal times a consider- 

 able European population. Just at present most of 

 the men are away on active service. 



The country, although broken and hilly, con- 

 tains a large percentage of ploughable land of the 

 best quality. The scenery, with its variety of hill 

 and dale, smiling valley and rushing river, has a 

 picturesque beauty of which the eye never wearies. 



The average rainfall, as observed by the writer 

 during the last ten years, is 42.5 inches, and is well 

 distributed over the year. The climate, as in most 

 other parts of the Highlands, is mild and eqviable, 

 and appears to agree remarkably well with children. 

 The altitude ranges from about 6,000 to 7,000 feet 

 above sea level. 



WATER, It is well watered — much beyond the average — 



TIMBER AND and a whole series of rivulets, some permament, some 

 STONE. less reliable, traverse each farm on their way to the 



Nyando. There is plenty of timber for farm pur- 

 poses, and two saw mills are at work in the Govern- 

 ment forest concessions close by. Excellent building 

 stone is found throughout the district, and the 

 majority of houses, and even outbuildings, are built 

 of stone. 



STOCK Until recently, stock raising and dairying were 



RAISING. the principal industries of the district, and rose to 



considerable importance. Cattle do remarkably well. 

 Pure-bred bulls are exclusively used on many of the 

 farms, and a considerable number of these and grade 

 bulls from the annual Naivasha- Government Farm 

 sales find their way to lyumbwa, so that the quality 

 of the stock raised is being steadil}^ improved. On 

 at least one farm a herd of imported cows has proved 

 highly profitable, and is proving an encouragement 

 to others to follow example. The favourite breeds 

 for igrading up are Shorthorn and Friesland. 



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