seasons bears heavily. The oldest coffee in the 

 district has now reached this stage, and is giving 

 over half a ton to the acre. 



PRODUCTS. Besides coffee, the district seems exceptionally 



suitable for citrus fruits and tea — both of which are 

 doing exceedingly well on a small scale. The dis- 

 trict is too young to have made much progress in fruit 

 growing as yet, but what fruit trees there are, are 

 doing well— even so tropical a fruit as the pine-apple 

 gives good though not large fruit. Of course flax 

 has its devotees in the district. The fibre is of excel- 

 lent length, but its quality remains to be tested on 

 the market. 



Maize growing and grinding is a source of pro- 

 fit to most of the settlers while awaiting the matur- 

 ing of their plantations. There are five mills in the 

 neighbourhood. 



The short green grass and absence of horse 

 sickness should make it an excellent place for horse 

 breeding; but with only a handful of settlers in the 

 district little progress can be made in th-^many poten- 

 tial industries. It is, however, to be hoped that the 

 day is not far distant when much of the land avail- 

 able for white settlement will be given out by the 

 Government. Land sufficient for 50 or more farms of 

 500 acres each exists 16 to 30 miles from Lumbwa 

 Station, and is situated near one of the best roads 

 in the country. 



In conclusion, the Kericho district combines 

 the two chief requisites — Productiveness and Health, 

 and has the further advantage of the proximity of 

 the L/Umbwa Native Reserve, which ensures an ade- 

 quate labour supply. If the district were only open- 

 ed up to white settlement, there seems splendid pros- 

 pects for the development, besides coffee, of tea, 

 citrus, and flax on the co-operative system. 



I. Q. ORCHARDSON. 



110 



