THE AG R f C U LTV HAL JOURNAL. 



197 



Jack Frost, by its ample tops and seed heads, a 

 bite of succulent stalk above the roots. And 

 what crops those glorious rains have ensured. 

 Mealies as long as an infant's arm, and miles of 

 amabele, bending upon their stalks, stout though 

 they are. Fields of great green melon.s, too, 

 abouud on every side, more than their prospered 

 planters can, or care to, carry to their kraa's. 

 Peace in every sense, save that in which such 

 plenty brewed into beer spells broken peace, 

 and often bones as well. But plenty certainly 

 to Native mind ; for, rein your horse in for a 

 moment as you ride the corn- walled way, and 

 humour yonder " Isehk " on his harvest, as, 

 sunning himself in comfort surrounded by his 

 reaping relatives, he squats, as is the custom, 

 looking on, ani he will answer, " Yes there is a 

 trifling crop this year, and many will the fines 

 be that the Grovernment will reap." He seeks 

 the sequel e'er the corn is cut, and still is 

 pleased, and in his happy heart he would not 

 wish it otherwise. Horsesicknefs has run its 

 usual riot, unchecked as yet by any light thrown 

 upon its cause or cure by skill or study veterin- 

 ary. A most uncommon, if not, indeed, unique, 

 feature of the disease's course this year rests 

 on the fact that, while it has been unusually 

 severe upon the high veld, the thorn country — 

 ordinarily regarded as fai.al by horse owners - 

 has practically clean escaped the deadly visitor. 

 Lungsickness, never severe, and purely local, 

 has, thanks to inoculation and strict quarantine, 

 been staoaped out. If only the further return 

 of local owner's transport cattle, discharged 

 from military service across the Tugela, is regu- 

 lated rigidly, the District will doubtless enjoy 

 another spell of its former immunity from this 



controllable scourge. Intending purchasers a :d 

 patient petitioners eagerly await the long pro- 

 mised sale of the blocks carved out of the 

 fertile valley comprising a few hundred;-: of the 

 many thousands of acres of Weenen Town 

 Lauds. Iilvery acre will be dearly bought, and 

 when irrigated, from the intended higher level 

 water furrow, will be brought under that con- 

 tinuous cultivation which has made the existing 

 agricultural settlement, in the bauds of ex- 

 periended Colonists, so immense a succcss. 

 Distance from market, and dependence upon 

 the limited and, now-a-days. ruinously expensive 

 primitive method of ox-wagon transport alone 

 drags down the farmers' industry. Givea a 

 light line to link with Estcourt or Greytown, 

 not only this increasingly productive centre, 

 but miles also of equally fertil-; country pierced, 

 would become of undreamt of value ; and 

 hundreds of tons of various fruits, which yearly 

 rot where they fall, not to mention the bulk of 

 wheat, forage, barley, potatoes, onions, and 

 every vegetable, which through summer and 

 winter are grown to such excellence in these, at 

 present, backwoods of the Colony, wou'd find 

 their way to the now ungetatable coasumer It 

 was gratifying to find that the gentlemen of the 

 LandsCommisiion, who recently visited Weene i, 

 are to a member ent roly in favour of this rich 

 agricultural country being tapped by the rail- 

 way. These points promise to be brought into 

 sharp prominence by local voters at the ensuing 

 election. The future of this country hinges 

 upon its touch with the towns, and the farmers, 

 even of these remote regions, are at length 

 awakening to the fact. 



Maynaed Matthews, Magistrate, 



Pound Noticesm 



THE stock impounded as hereunder 

 will be sold, unless previously re- 

 leased, on the 17th of July next :— 



Springfield. — Eeported as being too 

 wild to be driven to the pound, black 

 mare, three white feet and white face, no 

 brands, aged. Chestnut colt foal, a little 

 white on forehead. The mare and colt 

 arc reported by Mr. C. Neizel as running 

 on his farm "Erasmus Dam." Blue 

 aare, marked SL indistinct, very thin. 

 Running on Mr. H. Brown's farm "Glen- 

 ara." Note.— The dark brown mare, 

 marked JVM, advertised in the "Gazette'' 

 of the 21st May, 1901, died in the pound 

 on the 25th May. 



Inglebrook.— Light grey pony, short 

 tail, no brands, good condition. Chest- 

 nut mare, tail cut square, two white hind 

 feet. 



Acton Homes. — Blue gelding, hog 

 mane, short tail, very low in condition. 

 Bay mare, star on forehead, branded on 

 left leg, broad arrow, very low in condi- 

 tion. Bay colt foal, about 10 months 

 old, foal of the above. 



New Zealand exported no le.s-; than 4,S28.8'J7 

 frozen rabbits in their skin? to England last 

 year, as well as 3,;i60 skinned. She also shipped 

 48,137 hares to the same qaarter. 



A New York paper recently remarked upon 

 the increasi in the number of thoroughbreds 

 added to the list during the last two jears. 

 Trainers, it is asserted, have come to the con- 

 clusion that geldings are more profitable than 

 entires: they can run more frequently, their legs 

 stand work better, and they are more easily 

 trained. In this connection the same journal 

 observes that American - bred sires are not 

 Bsually popular in the country of their birth 

 and most breeders prefer an imported horse. 



