THE TRADE IN LUCERNE. 71 



.the lucerne fed of? by stock. However, the districts reported as 

 .growing over a quarter of a million bundles of luceine in the 

 previous year were as under : 



Bandies. 



Oudtshoorn 5,839,320 



Ladismith 1,212,005 



Middelburg 891,182 



Robertson 768,900 



Graaff-Reinet 730,500 



Cradock ... 528,820 



Uitenhage ... ... 453,434 



Bedford 338,655 



Queenstown 268,067 



Hanover ' 258,250 



'The total for the Native Territories was as under: 



Bundles. 



East Griqualand 13,110 



Tembuland 1,148 



Transkei 1,930 



WalfishBay 



Pondoland 170 



Bechuanaland 8,900 



A further indication of the increase in lucerne cultivation is 

 : found in the comparative" returns of hay presses, of which the 

 whole Colony appeared to possess 44 in 1891, and 893 in 1904. 



Although lucerne has been grown in South Africa for half a 

 century or more, -it has only recently become an important 

 article of commerce. For a couple of generations farmers and 

 townsmen kept patches of lucerne for green food for cows and 

 horses, and as such it was sold on the morning markets, but there 

 was no trade in lucerne hay. During the last few years, however, 

 storekeepers have come to stock baled lucerne hay more extensively 

 than they formerly stocked oathay, because it is more conveniently 

 handled and is not as much bothered by mice, etc. Many far- 

 mers, too, have done remarkably well in supplying the military, 

 some happy growers' cheques for a single contract running over 

 four figures. 



DECLINE OF IMPORTS. 



South Africa appears to be developing its agricultural 

 resources fairly well according to the following statistics supplied 

 by the Statistical Bureau dealing with Fodder and Forage, the 

 imports of which are given for the last five years as under : 



1903 152,234 



1904 47,589 



1905 31,311 



1906 11,687 



1907 5,211 



