AFRICA. ' 669 



AFRICA. 



CATTLE IN CAPE COLONY. 



REPORT BY CONSUL SILER, OF CAPE TOWN. 



Since receiving Department circular, dated July 18, 1883, contain- 

 ing instructions to report on the cattle industry of this colony, I have 

 constantly used every endeavor to obtain the necessary data for such a 

 report, but regret to have to state that my endeavors have not been 

 connected with any flattering degree of success. 



As a matter of fact, there has been little effort in this colony to im- 

 prove upon the breed of cattle found in the possession of the Hottentots 

 by the earliest settlers of the country. 



This breed of cattle at this day is known among colonists as the Afri- 

 cander breed. By far the larger part of the cattle of South Africa 

 belong to this variety. 



With the view of obtaining the necessary information for compiling 

 an intelligent report on this subject, I sent to several of the leading 

 stock farmers the principal interrogators contained in ^our circular. 

 From some I have received no reply whatever ; while others have re- 

 sponded, but, as a rule, with the confession that they possessed little 

 or no knowledge of the subject in question. One prominent stock- 

 dealer writes : 



Regarding the information required by you with reference to the different breeds 

 of Cape cattle, I regret that after keeping you waiting so long, and after thoroughly 

 going into the matter, I should find it impossible to oblige you. At a glance it seemed 

 the easiest thing imaginable, but on giving it a little thought I saw more and more 

 the difficulty of carrying out iny promise. I therefore went to several fellow cattle- 

 dealers for assistance, and they expressed the same want of information which I ex- 

 perienced. We all agree, however, that the Africander is the only breed kept pure in 

 the country. For information about that breed I went to our principal or rather 

 largest meat merchants here, who could not give me the average weight of an Afri- 

 candefr ox. 



Another cattle farmer writes : 



I have looked over the papers you sent, and think, after all, the mixture of cattle is 

 so great in'this country that it would be useless to attempt a report. The only breed 

 we have pure is the Africander, and you had better send to the Free State for infor- 

 mation. 



Still another prominent cattle farmer writes : 



To get the information requested upon the cattle industry, I regret to say, will take 

 up too much of my time, and then I am afraid it will not be of much value, as the 

 herds are not kept pure, being crossed and recrossed to such an extent that they 

 cannot be classed. 



Notwithstanding the discouraging tone of the above, my own obser- 

 vation, coupled with frequent interviews with Eichard H. Stockdale, 

 esq., of Wynberg, I have been enabled to gather a few facts which may 

 not be uninteresting to the Department. The Africander breed are of 

 moderate height, long in the leg, flat-ribbed, and require good pastur- 

 age to keep them in condition. In appearance some of the best speci- 

 mens resemble the Devon, the horns being longer, and red being the 

 prevalent color. 



