TUB AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



14) 



an order from Durban for shiijpiug ^:A}0 

 ot fruit, good delivery, of cours.^ bein.r 

 stipulated. Thrcugh delays the most of 

 he fruit rotted, and not ;5d. was netted 

 by that order. Last year, when the 

 railway terminated at Umtwalumi, the 

 same Kstate was able to sell £J ()()0 

 of produce that would otherwise have 

 perished. With tlie railway at Umzumbi 

 sug.ir can now be sent to Durban at 25s. 

 per ton, the train charge being Us. per 

 ton From one cause and another the 

 railway has taken seven years in reaching 

 here from Isipingo. This wouki be a 

 good route for Griqualand East, one of 

 the very finest agricultural and pastoral 

 Districts in South Africa. It is hoped 

 that a post cart will be run from here to 

 Harding at an early date. Passengers 

 would be able to reach that town in a 

 day from Durban. Of course all are 

 looking forward to the opening up of the 

 Port as a real port available for fair-sized 

 ocean-going craft. The engineering 

 problem, I do not think, will be found a 

 cliftcult one, and the services of a suit- 

 able dredger would in the meantime help 

 greatly. I say suita]:»le, for the dredger 

 sent here a short time ago pumped direct 

 overside 'her spoil where she had drawn 

 It up. The spoil, of course, should 

 be removed either by the dredger herself 



or by barges. The river requires 

 dredging: it is navigable for seven 

 or eight miles from the entrance, 

 and is a valuable Colonial asset. The 

 heavy machinery from tiie Umzimkulu 

 Mill was taken by boat from Durban 

 and landed at the river stage of the 

 mill. What about the climate ? Well, it 

 is some 8 or 10 degrees cooler than the 

 North Coast. The reason ? The reason 

 is simple. The coast current along here 

 is fully so many degrees cooler than that 

 ruuning along the north shore. There 

 the great hot current from the Indian 

 Ocean, which comes down the Mozam- 

 bique Channel, and then travels south, 

 leaves the coast in the neighbourhood of 

 Scottsburg, being diverted, I imagine, by 

 the Aliwal Shoal, and the intervening 

 water coming along this point of the 

 coast is cooled by the great Antarctic 

 current." 



The drive back to Umzumbi I shall not 

 soon forget. The rain poured down 

 solidly the whole while, and the trap in 

 parts sunk to within an inch or two of the 

 axles. The last mile had to be done on 

 foot. These late rains are a continuous 

 source of delight to the sugar planters, 

 for they ensure in many instances a big 

 return at next year's crushing. 



Correspondenccm 



To the Editor Agr 

 Caritle Buildings, Durban, 



Natal, S.A. 



Vy^A^ll SIE, — Herewith we have 

 ^ pleasure m handing you translation 

 01 an article which recently appeared in 

 an Australian publication regarding the 

 elled of artificial manuring on wool 



U e are unaware of the name of the 

 author, but as we are interested in the sale 

 01 potash manures we shall be pleased if 

 you will insert the gist of the article in 

 he Joiinud, in order that we may learn 

 ic opinion of Natal agriculturalists on 

 tlie subject. 



We shall be interested 1„ learn how far 

 n bears on breeding in tliis Colonv— We 

 '''■c> etc., q.,,. Wm. Cotts & Co.! E. H 

 l^rooke. 



icultural Journal. 



i EFFECT OE AKTIFICIAL MANUE- 

 INU ON WOOL. 



Translation of article from the ''Oerman- 

 Australian Post." 



"Agriculturalists have for no incon- 

 sulerable time past fully recognised the 

 beneficial influence of artificial manure 

 to their lands, and have attained much 

 better results since having in this manner 

 rendered a little assistance to nature. To 

 a great many, however, it will not have 

 occurred that in order to obtain the best 

 results m connection with wool something 

 similar must be resorted to. As is well 

 known to all versed in such matters, a 

 arge percentage of potash is contained in 

 the yolk of the wool, which is drawn from 



