IN FOREIGN FIELDS 993 



ago. These were the first herds of importance in 

 South Africa so far as we can learn. 



Speaking of the general cattle-breeding situation 

 in these regions, the Director of Agriculture for the 

 Transvaal Government, writing to the author of this 

 volume several years ago, said: 



"Though a great portion of South Africa is by 

 no means a dairying country, and so far very little 

 has been done in the way of dairying, even in dis- 

 tricts suitable for it, yet for some reason or other 

 the first thought of the farmer when purchasing 

 cattle is the amount of milk they will yield, the 

 second consideration being the suitability of the 

 steers for trek purposes. The carcass of the animal, 

 the proportion of carcass to live weight, and early- 

 maturing qualities have been greatly neglected. As 

 a matter of fact, it would be far' better economy 

 on the part of many farmers if they were to go in 

 for beef production pure and simple, and I have 

 little doubt that before long they will do so. When 

 they arrive at that stage Herefords should prove 

 most useful. 



"The native cattle — ^Afrikanders, as they are 

 called — are very poor carcass animals and very 

 poor milkers, though the little milk they do give 

 is extremely rich. They are hardy and excellent 

 for trek purposes. I enclose photographs of a bull 

 and three young heifers. 



"The favorite breeds of cattle, other than Afri- 

 kanders, in South Africa at present are Frieslands, 

 Shorthorns, Devons, both North and South, and 

 Ayrshires, but there are few herds of any size and 

 merit of any of the breeds, and it would probably 

 be hard to find any other part of the world in which 

 cattle-breeding is, speaking generally, so backward 

 as in South Africa. 



