TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION F. 477 
vertain commodities rose from 1902 to 1903, others fell off. The articles may 
therefore be classified under three heads :— 
1. Those the importation of which rose from 1902 to 1903 and fell again in 
1904. 
2. Those the importation of which fell from 1902 to 1903 and continued td 
fall in 1904. 
3. Those the importation of which is steadily increasing in volume, 
The increase of imports in 1903 over 1902 was probably due to the fact that 
the natural resources of the Colony had become more depleted and a larger popu- 
lation had to be fed. Imports for 1903 were, therefore, greater than actually 
needed for that year, and those for 1904 were accordingly less; but the difference 
in the imports between the two years is hardly to be accounted for by this reason, 
and is doubtless due to a renewed and even increased activity in farming 
industries. 
Taking the items in Class 1 mentioned above, wheat and flour (taken in terms 
of wheat) show an increase in 1903 over 1902 and a fall in 1904, but the figures 
in 1904 considerably exceed those for 1902. This is due in a great measure to the 
fact that ‘rust’ has not as yet been overcome, and the probability is that the 
acreage under wheat will considerably increase when it becomes a safer crop to 
sow, and there is a large portion of the Colony in which wheat can be profitably 
rown. 
: Mealies follow the same curve as wheat, but the imports in 1904 are con- 
siderably less than in 1902. The cultivation of this crop presents no ditliculties, 
and with increased transport facilities in the Transkei, where it is chiefly grown, 
importation may be expected to diminish until it finally ceases altogether. 
Mealie meal has a similar trend, but does not fall below the 1902 level; it 
may, however, be expected to follow the same course as the unground article, 
though at a slower rate, owing to the industrial conditions of the country. 
Barley fluctuates considerably. The crop is notoriously a variable one, and 
the class of irregularity is one that disorganises the business of merchant and 
farmer alike. Regular publication of figures showing the actual and prospective 
yields of harvests would go a long way towards regulating the supply and 
demand. In view of the use of barley as food for horses and ostriches, and for 
malting purposes, a larger outlet may be expected for the better qualities of the 
rain. 
F The importation of rye fell below the 1902 level in 1904. Normally a certain 
quantity is exported every year, but this ceased in 1904. Even the immigration 
of aliens accustomed to eat rye bread hardly accounts for the rise in 1903, and, in 
view of the rapid decline in 1904, scarcely offers sufficient explanation. Presum- 
ably the imported grain was used for fodder, and with oat hay at famine prices in 
1903 the rye grown was probably kept where grown for feeding purposes. 
The import of beans and peas in 1904 was considerably higher than in 1902. 
Both these cropscan be grown to perfection in the Colony, and in addition 
enrich the soil instead of exhausting it, as is the case with continuous cereal 
growing, so that this state of affairs is the more regrettable. As with barley, we 
exported beans in 1900 at 20s. per bag (200 lbs.) ; now the price is 30s. per bag, 
and we are importing 23,000/. worth per annum. The ravages of the weevil have 
seriously militated against the cultivation of these crops, but this pest has been 
successfully combated in other countries, and why not here? 
The larger importation of grain in 1903, as compared with the year before and 
the year after, may be attributed to the exhaustion of supplies owing to the war, 
cessation of agricultural pursuits, the presence of armiesin the field, and the influx 
of non-producing immigrants. 
In Class 2 it is to be noted, however, that commodities normally produced in 
the Colony are being imported to a less degree than formerly, and the importation 
may perhaps ultimately cease altogether. The importation of fodder was less 
in 1904 than in 1903, with the remarkable exception of chaff. Importation of 
