270 THE WORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



Buffer, including scab, tick, wire-worm, nose disease, and blue 

 tongue, but l>y plenty of attention most of the disorders can 

 be kept in check. The stealing, which is carried on by the 

 natives, is perhaps worse than anything else, and is, indeed, 

 vciy difficult to deal with, for it is mostly done during the 

 night, and the trouble is that one's own herders are often 

 "' in "' with the thieves. The wild animals are becoming fewer 

 as the country gets more settled, but still they account for a 

 good many deaths. 



Cattle do very well, and there is no doubt that this will some 

 day be a great cattle country. Excellent results are obtained 

 by crossing native cows with purebred bulls, and it is astonish- 

 ing that the hump that is so prominent in the mother is, in the 

 majority of cases, entirely lost in the progeny. The worst 

 diseases amongst cattle are East Coast fever and rinderpest, 

 also gall-sickness is troublesome. By systematic dipping, East 

 Coast fever can be absolutely avoided, and with stringent 

 quarantine laws, and by inoculation, rinderpest can be kept 

 well in hand. In the majority of cases gall-sickness can be 

 cured. Native cows sell at prices ranging from £6 to £9, while 

 half bred cows sell from £15 to £20. 



Between Nairobi and Sultan Hamid there is very good coun- 

 try for stock in many parts, particularly the Athi plains, 

 but the ticks are so plentiful on these plains that without 

 regular dipping stock would fare very badly there. The very 

 large herds of game on the Athi plains are an excellent proof 

 of the good qualities of the grasses there. There is a grass on 

 these plains almost identically the same as Rhodes grass, but 

 it does not grow as high as this famous variety of the dub grass. 



There is no doubt that the Athi plains will some day carry 

 large herds of cattle. The carrying capacity of this part is very 

 high, but the grasses are rather inclined to be watery, and the 

 stock fattened here will not have good kidney fat. The con- 

 dition generally will be soft without artificial feeding, and stock 

 will quickly lose their condition if travelled far by road or rail. 



The rainfall at Athi River Station averages about 25 inches. 

 Around Nairobi the country generally is too valuable as coffee 

 land to think of using it for carrying cattle. 



Further west beautiful country is found at Naivasha and 



