IMPORTANCE AND HISTORY 7 



ample average rainfall, at the right season of the year, and chap. 

 phenomenally favourable winter weather for the natural pro- L 

 duction of the quality of grain most suitable for shipment. 

 In fact the climatic conditions of a large part of the Orange 

 Free State, Transvaal, Natal, Rhodesia, Basutoland, Swaziland, 

 and the Transkei are all that could be desired for maize- 

 growing. 



8. Future Possibilities of Development in South Africa. — 

 European corn brokers have recently referred to South Africa 

 as the future maize granary of Europe. Maize will always be 



Fig. 3. — Fields of maize, Government Experiment Farm, Potchefstroom, 

 Transvaal. (Photograph by Fred Coop of Pretoria.) 



the staple cash crop of South Africa. As its value for stock 

 food becomes better appreciated, the local demand will increase, 

 and in this connection Earl Grey's recent prophecy 1 of a 

 coming shortage in the world's beef supply is suggestive. At 

 the present time the country has only begun to show that it 

 is possible to produce good maize. The traveller is impressed 

 with the enormous areas of fertile land, suitable for growing 

 maize, which are at present untouched by the plough, virgin 

 sod like the American prairies. So far the average yield has 

 been low ; but it has been clearly demonstrated that, by means 



1 At the " South African Dinner," 1913. 



