164 THE WORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



there will be a growing surplus of cattle not required for the 

 purpose. The gi-eat present want of Rhodesia is a canning 

 factory, and I am glad to say there is everv^ prospect of one being 

 established at once. That will enable us to deal with meat other 

 than the big export which we are arranging for later — when the 

 meat will be sent to Europe either chilled or frozen. Apart 

 from what the chartered company is doing, several big ranching 

 comi)anies have been started, or are being started, in Rhodesia, 

 As their aim also is the exportation of meat, the country should 

 take a big place in the meat market at an opportune time." 



There are 3,961,600 acres in the Hartley District of valuable 

 grazing land. In that 6000 odd square miles, the variety of soils 

 is such as to ensure every possible requirement for cattle raising 

 or for ranching. Heavy black humus-filled land or rich red 

 loams alternate frequently with stretches of sand veld. If there 

 be those disposed to despise the granite soil, let it be known 

 that among the biggest ranchers there are men who Avill have 

 no- sort of a farm that does not include a proportion of this sand 

 veld in its grazing. 



There are eight large rivers and their tributaries meandering 

 through this territory, and when it is mentioned that lime is 

 prevalent along these streams, it can be well understood that 

 Hartley cattle have most of the conditions favoural)le for heavy 

 frame forming. 



Before the rinderpest swept across Afi-ica and well-nigh 

 exterminated the game, Hartley was one of the most heavily 

 stocked grazing grounds of the country. Rhodesia then was 

 like a ganu^ reserve in the extent of the herds of bovines it 

 fostered. The remnants of the big buck of these herds had 

 begun to re-establish their depleted numbers at the time the 

 suspicion began to fall upon the larger game as carriers of the 

 tsetse fly. Consequently, since a known "fly" area came to 

 be defined, and was thrown open for promiscuous shooting of 

 even Royal game, the kudu, sable, eland, waterbuck and others of 

 the antelopes, with the elephant, rhino and hippopotamus have 

 been harried almost to extinction once more, and the parallel 

 shrinking of that tsetse belt is well recognised. It is probable 

 that that area is responsible — though it is a fraction of the total 

 extent of the district — for a widespread belief that Hartley is 

 unhealthy for stock. There is one large ranch in the midst of 

 the "fly" belt; and one farmer at least, who claimed an abate- 

 ment of the purchase price of his farm because he learned that 



