another on the Railway a few miles higher up the 

 line, while Nairobi provides a ready market for 

 porkers. 



Lucerne has been grown at Limuru for the past lucerne. 

 ten years without irrigation, and in ordinary seasons 

 six crops are taken off in the twelve months. The 

 average yield has been I/2 tons per acre per annum, 

 for which there is usually a good market at about 

 £a per ton. Of course, if the lucerne fields were 

 irrigated the return would be more than doubled, but 

 lucerne is such a valuable fodder that it could never 

 prove an unprofitable crop for the farmer. 



Although owing to the hilly nature of the chreals. 

 country, the cultivation of cereals in the district on 

 a large scale is impracticable, wheat, oats, barley and 

 rye have been grown successfully on small areas. 

 The two former are subject to rust, and — until such 

 time as experiment results in the evolving of 

 varieties of seed more suitable to local conditions 

 than those at present available — they can only be 

 cultivated on the same land once. Barley and rye 

 are not attacked by rust to any extent. 



Linseed has been grown successfully for the flax. 

 seed, but it is too early yet to speak on the quality 

 of the flax. Small experimental patches have given 

 fibre of very promising quality. It yet remains to be 

 seen, however, whether the district is suited to the 

 production of flax on a commercial scale. 



Limuru has been w-ell known for some years iotatoes. 

 past as a potatoe producing centre, the quality and 

 yield being well above the average. An export trade 

 with South Africa w-as started, but was greatly 

 hampered by the want of storage and shipping 

 facilities, and progress in this direction can not be 

 looked for until, after the cessation of war, it is 

 possible to proceed with the several Government 

 schemes for improving the country's export trade 

 facilities. 



Limuru is one of the few districts in British tea. 

 East Africa where tea has been tried. As far back 

 as 1903 a nursery was started by the late Mr. G. W. 

 L. Caine with seed of the ]\Ianipur hybrid type. 



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