76 CHAPTER VI 



The Chief Cause of Low Yield in the Union. — In the 

 Union the acre-yield of most crops is decidedly below that of 

 most other countries. The average yield of maize per acre is 

 only 7 to 10 bushels (2 to 3 bags), while that of the United 

 States of America ranges from 25 to 30 bushels (7 to 9 bags) 

 per acre. With all crops one is confronted with this disparity, 

 which must be attributed largely to the present extensive phase 

 of farming in South Africa, but probably in the main to uncer- 

 tain or insufficient rainfall, and often to poor soils. However, 

 these do not account altogether for our low production, as a 

 great many of our progressive farmers obtain returns in good 

 seasons approximating the American average. The following 

 are serious contributing causes : — ■ 



(1) General failure in recognising the importance of crop 

 rotations, which must embody a cultivated or hoed crop by 

 which weeds are controlled , a crop to which fertilisers are added 

 (thus preventing the exhaustion of available plant food), and 

 the addition of humus, either by green-manuring or the appli- 

 cation of stable and kraal manure. 



(2) Poor soil preparation and after cultivation. 



(3) Failure to practise seed selection. 



(4) The use of varieties unsuited to the locality, e.g., dent 

 maize is too often grown in parts having a relatively low rain- 

 fall, where flint varieties would probably be more successful. 



(5) Persistence in growing crops unsuited to the natural 

 conditions, e.g., maize is too largely grown for grain in parts 

 having an average annual rainfall of 20 to 24 inches, though 

 sorghums would be infinitely more reliable in these areas, both 

 for silage and grain. 



(6) The shortage of satisfactory labour is a very real handi- 

 cap to crop growing in many sections of the country, and no 

 doubt much of the criticism directed towards the methods of 

 our farmers is really attributable to labour shortage. 



(7) Losses due to insect pests and diseases. 



When more attention is paid to the shortcomings enumer- 

 ated above, and when the present acreage under cultivation has 

 inevitably increased, no doubt the production will be tremen- 

 dously augmented. It is conservatively estimated that only 

 one-third of the suitable land available is planted with this 

 crop. In proof of the fact that various areas can support very 

 much higher yields per acre, it might be stated that in the 

 season 1917-1918 the average yield per acre for the maize grown 

 at Potchefstroom Experimental Farm — over a considerable 



