22 



THE AOBI G U LTU RAL JOURNAL. 



I received permission to break down 

 mealie stalks at intervals throughout the 

 field, so forming rows of stalks lying on 

 the ground. These were sprayed with 

 arsenic-soda-treacle solution. Two days 

 later I examined the field and found that 

 more than half the locusts were dead, and 

 many dying. Had I been able to do this 

 when the swarm entered, the mealies 

 would have been saved." 



With reference to the work done by 

 the Inanda Association, it may be stated 

 that £100 of the amount has l)een granted 

 for this season's campaign, and in this 

 connection the following report has been 

 furnished by the Secretary of the Asso- 

 ciation : — 



" I have the honour to enclose for your 

 perusal thi'ee reports from our locust 

 destruction officers, covering periods from 



January 29th to March 2nd, from which 

 you will see that a total of 445 swarms 

 have been destroyed in this period. We 

 think this result is most satisfactory, and 

 trust you will agree that we are making 

 good use of the grant you were kind 

 enough to make. The cost up to the end 

 of February was £f>5 9s. 5d. We expect 

 to raise between £120 and £150 ourselves, 

 but as we have decided to engage a third 

 officer, it will be a question whether we 

 shall be able to continue operations until 

 all the locusts have taken to the wing." 



J. H. Stansell, Secretary. 



The operations of the Association are 

 restricted to the uncultivated lands of the 

 division, and much excellent work in 

 locust destruction is maintained by in- 

 dividual planters. 



Correspondence^ 



To the Editor of the Agricultural Journal. 



HORSE-BREEDING. 



SIR, — I have read Mr. Lloyd's further 

 reply in your Journal of the 15th, 

 and will now conclude with the follow- 

 ing :— 



Mr. Lloyd correctly says that I did not 

 question his estimated acreage of the 

 Colony suitable for horses, but I cannot 

 allow him to think that I entirely agree 

 with him. We each made a rough esti- 

 mate off hand, as I put it in any way 

 suitable for horses — I said ten per cent. 

 He draws a geographical line across the 

 map. We no doubt are both wrong, but 

 I really do not think that even if gone 

 into, and the exact area obtained, the 

 result would justify the expenditure of 

 the time. I have not considered the ques- 

 tion of so much importance, and have 

 therefore decided to rather confine my 

 remarks to the other, and, in my opinion, 

 more important questions. 



I am satisfied to abide by my original 

 contention as to the quality of the grasses, 

 and am very sorry to say that Mr. Lloyd's 

 arguments have only tended to further 

 confirm my opinion, and I really believe 

 that Mr. Lloyd is also quite of my opinion, 

 and I find also Mr. Marwick is of the 

 same opinion, viz., that Natal is no horee- 



breeding Colony. [" Ergates," on refer- 

 ence to him of this passage writes : " Mr. 

 Marwick's words were ' This is not a horse 

 country,' and I took them to have a local 

 bearing only, applying, like his other 

 observations, to the Richmond, or, rather, 

 his own district only."— ED. Agricultural 

 Journal.} In Mr. Lloyd's first article his 

 assertions, viz. ; " That the breeding of 

 horses on a small scale, such as owning 

 one or t^o mares"; and further on, 

 " that there are very few farms in what 

 are known as Uie midlands and upper 

 districts of the Colony on which breeding 

 a few horses would not pay well," justify 

 me in saying Mr. Lloyd agrees that Natal 

 is no horse-breeding Colony. Where we 

 differ, I take it, is the why and where- 

 fore. 



Mr. Lloyd finds fault with my com- 

 parison of Natal and other countries, and 

 says I should also compare prices 

 obtained. I fail to see, when one is com- 

 paring two countries as to the quality of 

 its grasses, or their respective capacities 

 for horse-raising, any necessity for deal- 

 ing with values of horses. I will, how- 

 ever, go further to meet Mr. Lloyd's de- 

 sire, and state that in this, as in all other 

 lines of business, a large turnover at 



