190 THE ^yOBLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



so that a few years hence much of this land should carry its 

 full share of stock. The herbage is all that cattle can desire, 

 red and white clover being abundant, in addition to a great 

 variety of natural grasses. 



Reference must be made to the native stock of British East 

 Africa, for it is upon the native breeds, which are most un- 

 promising looking beasts, undersized, with drooping hind- 

 quarters and of all colours, that the improved Asiatic Zebu or 

 humped breed are first set to improve. These cattle are hardy 

 and good breeders, and soon fatten upon grass alone. They 

 live out of doors in all weathers, and although, as already indi- 

 cated, their milking qualities have been impaired by genera- 

 tions of mismanagement, the milk is exceedingly rich in butter 

 fat. The lactation period is short, but in spite of its failings 

 the native cow responds to improvement in a truly marvellous 

 manner. 



The result of the first cross with a bull of any pure breed is 

 almost invariably a calf which is scarcely recognisable as the 

 offspring of its mother. The hump disappears, the hindquarters 

 become straightened out, the ribs are better sprung, and more 

 often than not the calf shows the character and colour of its sire, 

 whilst in size it far surpasses any of its low-born relatives. 

 These calves thrive and grow rapidly, and at two years of age 

 are worth practically double the value of their dam. Of course, 

 the improvement effected by the second and third cross is not 

 so clearly marked as the first, but so much do the offspring 

 partake of the character of the purebred parent that it is fre- 

 quently almost impossible to distinguish a three-quarter from a 

 purebred heifer. 



Mr. Duncan Carson, of Sydney, wrote lately in The Pastoral 

 Review as follows: — 



' ' Paying a visit to British East Africa for the second time, one 

 cannot fail to be struck by two facts — one, the marvellous 

 increase in the values paid for land, the other the want of justi- 

 fication for such an advance, the exception being laud suitable 

 for coffee. With this crop, returns from the few plantations which 

 are bearing, it is stated, show profits of over £40 per acre, so 

 high values for the land are justifiable. 



"On the occasion of my first visit what struck me as curious 

 was the great amount of faith held by practically all the settlers 

 in the future of the country, and the extremely rare cases 

 where they (the settlers) were attempting to justify this faith 

 by bucking in in raising stock or crops to show the returns the 

 land was capable of producing. 



