RHODESIA 155 



RHODESIA. 



This vast territory, larger than France, Germany and Hol- 

 land, is 450,000 square miles in extent, mostly at an altitude of 

 from 3000 to 5000 ft. It contains 90,000,000 acres of good 

 cattle land with excellent natural pasturage, and stock thrive to 

 an exceptional degree in almost every part. No country in 

 the world has better grasses for ensilage-making than Rhodesia. 

 Acres and acres of native grasses can be seen in February 

 and March (towards end of the rainy season) 4 or 5 ft. high, 

 which would give fouf tons of hay per acre if left till April 

 (commencement of dry season), and would make the best of 

 ensilage ere it got too rank. No cost or care of laying the field 

 down in grass or topdressing and locking same up, no fencing 

 or re-grassing at any time. Though the general herds of cattle 

 keep up their condition wonderfully through the dry season 

 (the winter months^ though they seldom see anything green, 

 just dry grass with plenty of water, yet the aged cows, the cows 

 with young calves, and all weakly stock, would benefit by the 

 ensilage, to say nothing of topping off forward store oxen in 

 the time of year when there is keenest demand. With plenty 

 of ensilage on hand, the trek oxen could be worked nnich longer 

 hours. Cattle are largely on the increase, and diseases of all 

 kinds, which are naturally prevalent where there are big num- 

 bers of wild animals, are getting rapidly under control. A 

 great point in favour of Rhodesia is that at present it is not 

 cursed with that bane of many countries, the professional poli- 

 tician, and the longer it can be thus free, the more rapid should 

 be its progress. 



A report recently issued by the Directors of Agriculture says 

 that livestock show large increases, in spite of some mortality 

 from quarter-evil and African Coast fever. Cattle show an 

 increase of 12.83 per cent., the total, 1,083,545, being owned in 

 almost equal shares by Europeans and the natives. European- 

 owned sheep have increased 4.4 per cent. 



During the year 1917, 13,221 head of slaughter cattle were 

 sent to the Union of South Africa, and arrangements were made 

 for the extension of this trade to the entire territory in place 

 of a portion of Matabeleland only. The announcement of the 

 intention of the Imperial military authorities to buy cattle in 

 Rhodesia has also given a welcome outlet. Two thousand head 

 of cattle have been shipped monthly for some time for use of 

 the troops at Dar-es-Salaam in what was German East Africa. 

 Progress has also been made in the preliminaries for the pro- 



