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AGKIOULTVBAL JOURNAL. 



elevator, which in turn conveys the cane 

 to the crushing rollers. Another labour- 

 saving agency and of the most simple 

 character attracted my attention, namely, 

 a wire i-ope from the summit of a high 

 hill and anchored close to the mill. Down 

 this rope travels the cane which grows in 

 the neighbourhood of the starting place 

 in slinged bundles. The slings, attached 

 to iron pulleys, are returned on the pack- 

 saddles of mules. When the railway 

 station, which will be two or three miles 

 down the river on the north bank, is 

 opened the sugar will, of course, be 

 delivered by boat. 



Marburg. 



"The Marburg settlers," said Mr. 

 Maydon, " depended on water communica- 

 tion for disposing of their fruit. The 

 communication was wholly unsatisfactory, 

 and for some time the settlers have given 

 up cultivating. Now, with the railway 

 approaching, they are making another 

 start." 



Marble. 



About the marble deposits which occur 

 at the point where the Little Umzimkulu 

 enters the big river, Mr. Maydon gave me 

 some information which is not generally 

 known. Having asked questions as to 

 the quantity and value of the marble, he 

 replied to the following effect : — 



" It is always well to know what is out- 

 side opinion as to the value of a thing. 

 Some five years ago an American syndi- 

 cate acquired the great Vermont marble 

 quarries of America and a commanding 

 interest in the Carrara desposits of Italy, 

 and having done so they raised the price 

 some 20 to 30 per cent. Messrs. Brunton, 

 the great marble dealers of England, asked 

 for an abatement of the terms, but they 

 were met with a point blank refusal. 

 Messrs. Brunton, having heard of the 

 Natal inarble, thereupon sent what I may 

 call a commission of three experts. The 

 commissioners were thoroughly satisfied, 

 and got an option for Messrs. Brunton over 

 the quarries. The Vermont ring then 

 immediately capitulated, and Messrs. 

 Brunton, getting the terms they wanted, 

 dropped further interest in the matter. 

 One of the commissioners, however, was 

 so impressed with the value of the de- 

 posits that he returned on his own 

 account to Natal, and from Messrs. Adolph 



Goez, H. B. Marshall, Loveday, and others 

 obtained sufficient capital to purchase the 

 quarries from their owners, Messrs, Aiken. 

 Thirty thousand pounds was the price, 

 half of it being paid down on the con- 

 clusion of the transaction. This should 

 show that solid business is meant, and 

 that it is intended to handle a big ton- 

 nage. On account of the absence of 

 transit facilities nothing is being done 

 at present, but about the f atare there is 

 no doubt whatever. One Rand group 

 alone will want 4.000 tons of lime per 

 month. The agricultural demand will 

 also be considerable, for, as we all know, 

 the soil of the Colony generally is very 

 deficient in lime. I foresee — as soon as 

 the facilties are provided — an export 

 between marble and lime of fully 200,000 

 tons every year." 



Land Lying Idle. 



During the latter part of my railway 

 journey, and more particularly while 

 driving from Umzumbi, I was much 

 struck by the unoccupied appearance of 

 the country. Making reference to this 

 subject, Mr. Maydon observed : — 



" Much of the country in this quarter 

 of the Colony belongs to the Native 

 Trust, or to Mission Reserves, and 

 a good deal is in the hands of 

 absentees. A very large block of land, 

 for instance, which comes up to the 

 boundary line of this — the Barrow Green 

 Estate— is owned by residents in England. 

 Fifteen years ago it was valued at about 

 20s. per acre, and now it is well worth £6 

 per acre. The owners have done nothing in 

 the way of beneficial occupation. The 

 Indian gardens through which you passed 

 were leased at 10s. per acre about a year 

 ago. This locking up of land just to get 

 the enhancement of value that the efforts 

 of others may give it, is injurious to the 

 common interests. A good deal of 

 Government land has also been sold to 

 Natives, and the laxity in enforcing the 

 beneficial occupation regulations in the 

 case of whites is impartially extended to 

 the Natives." 



Transit. 



" Yes, the railway is expected to work 

 wonders for the district, and justly too. 

 Shipping communication has wholly 

 ceased. A couple of years ago while it 

 existed, the Barrow Green Estate received 



