HISTORICAL AND GENERAL SURVEY. 5 



to the soil. Again, a study of the development of agriculbufe 

 shows conclusively that, as a system of permanent farming, 

 the practice of utilising the land for pasturage and at the same 

 time feeding the greater part of the crops grown and '-eturniag 

 the manure to the soil, has characterised those parts where 

 agriculture is stable and prosperous. Moreover, in a given 

 region, the possibilities for animal production are ultima t'ly 

 dependent upon the potentialities o£ that region for crop 

 production. 



Development in South Africa. — In much the same way 

 as in other countries, field husbandry practice in South Africa 

 was based on a single cropping system. Wh eat wa s, and 

 still is, the principal crop in the Western Pro'^ltoce. In a short 

 while the introduction of the bare fallow (braaking) was found 

 necessary, and in that area it is only of _ recen t years that 

 the necessity JfliL.£rop rotati ons, manuring and_Jbe rearing of 

 stock as an integral part of profi tabl e and perman ent larining 

 ta ve been r ecQRQJsed. 



*" It is to be expected that in a new country crops w^ere 

 grown in parts totally unsuited to their profitable cultivation ; 

 e.g., wheat in the Eastern Province and Natal. Experience 

 has demarcated the cultivation of the various crops into 

 distinct zones; so that to-day we have a maize belt, definite 

 wheat areas, a sugar cane belt, and so forth. Until recently 

 South Africa imjported a great deal of ordinar y farm prod uce, 

 such as meat , "Butter ,e ^£a_n(J^maize; all 'oT whicTT are to-'Hay' 

 ISei Bg' g:S:porte (r: in the history'oT'any agricurEuraT c6uhT,fyli,' 

 ^IBrie coines" when agricultural development progresses from 

 petty local trade into world commerce. This stage may be 

 said to have commenced in South Africa in 1907, when maize 

 was first exported in quantity, and to-day the increasing value 

 of her exported agricultural products is fast decreasing the 

 disparity that existed between her exports from mining and 

 agriculture . The total production . dir.eatly i rom the soil (apart 

 from the aniinal industry) approximates in value that of m in- 

 ing. However, bearing in~miTrd'"Oiir UgilculHral resources, 

 Sr~si3rvey of the agricultural production of other countries, 

 more favoured in regard to the possibilities of agriculture, 

 forces one to the conclusion that South Africa will never 

 compete seriously in the value of her agricultural production 

 with countries like Canada or Argentine. 



The remarkable change in field husbandry that has taken 

 place during the last two decades is due to the introduction 



