224 THE WORLDS MEAT FUTURE 



place of a portion of Mataheleland only. Progress has also 

 been made in the preliminaries for the proposed canning 

 factory, which it. is hoped will afford a market for a class 

 of stock not suitable for the fresh meat, trade. Consignments 

 of frozen beef from Rhodesia have been sent to England, and 

 have elicited most encouraging reports from Smithfield. 



The need of purebred stock to improve the native and grade 

 cattle continues to be one of the most pressing wants, and re- 

 quirements are still very far from being met in this direction. 



The number cf dipping tanks is now close upon 1000, and 

 there is every probability of many more being erected in the 

 immediate future. The Compulsory Dipping Ordinance, 

 although its amendment has been freely discussed and is pro- 

 jected, hah been widely adopted, till at the close of 1917 it was 

 actually applied to 78 per cent of the farms in the country, and 

 W8B in course of adoption over a further 20 per cent. 



As an instance of how the introduction of good sires to the 

 native herds of a country improves their condition, a few years 

 ago in Southern Rhodesia it was almost impossible to find a 

 native bullock weighing over 550 lbs. dressed weight, at five 

 or six years old. Now, however, it is quite common to find 

 three-year-old steers by a good bull, out of native cows, killing 

 at 700 lbs. Halfbreds have enormously increased in number 

 and bulls continue to arrive by every steamer from the home 

 land. Probably there is no countiy in the world which at 

 present presents such a good field for the increase and improve- 

 ment of cattle. It would be a good plan at once to cross the 

 native stock with carefully selected Africander bulls, and get 

 size and hardness into the herds, then cross the improved stock 

 with the progeny of imported purebred stock, and be careful 

 in choosing these sires. A friend who is ranching there now 

 says : "I consider there is no country in the world to-day that 

 offers such good prospects for the ranching companies who are 

 prepared to develop the land as Rhodesia. For the small man 

 who can take up 3000 to 10,000 acres, his capital should be 

 invested in stock and windmills. Fencing can always be 

 elected later. . . . Do not put useless native boys on herding 

 stock ; employ the best boy you have on the farm. Teach him 

 his duties, and do not let him keep the cattle in a bunch, as 



