292 



THE AGBICULTUBAL JOURNAL. 



from the natiTes, and I am told there was a very 

 heavy '■ Amabels " crop in the Mfongosi valley. 

 No locusts have been reported. Severa. horses 

 have died in this neigbbourhood from poverty, 

 the veld being very bad just now. I am glad to 

 say that lungsickness is not increasing, and so 

 far no local cattle have broken out. The in- 

 fected herds at present are Col. Bottomley s 

 loot cattle at Mfongosi, Messrs. Haryemann s 

 surrendered buigbers' at Insuzi, J. Fry, Em- 

 patidhleni, and" the remount cattle in the 

 Insuzi valley. There have been no cases 

 amongst the 'military transpo' t oxen for over a 

 month. I reg ret to say that several horses and 

 goats were railed by the Boers from the 

 natives, and things are still very uus tiled along 

 the border. The health of the District has 

 been bad, colds, bronchitis andfever having been 

 very prevalent, 



C. C. FoxoN, Magistrate. 



NQUTU, 2nd July.— Fora winter month the 

 past has been, taken throughout, exceptionally 

 mild ; cold and warm weather have alternated, 

 and a fair quantity of rain has fallen. All crops 

 have been harvested, and have, on the whole, 

 given good results. Lungsickness is still rife 



about the District, though it has not spread to 

 any extent beyond the already infected herds- 

 only one fresh outbreak having been reported 

 during the month. Grazing throughout the 

 District is very poor, yet, notwithstanding this, 

 stock are in very fair condition. 



C. fliGNETT, Magistrate, 



UBOMBO, 3rd July.— Colder weather than 

 usual was experienced during the past month. 

 ■| he minimum temperatu'C was 44 degrees, and 

 I'Sl degrees the maximum. Nevertheless, a rain- 

 fall of '21 i7i ill hes was registered, and a pretty 

 severe, ai,d very unusual thunderstorm, for the 

 time of year, occurred. F..ur head of cattle 

 died in the viciiiitv of the Magistracy from gail- 

 sickness. It was thought the inclement weather 

 and consequent richness of pasture accounted 

 for the malady. The herd, accordingly, was 

 moved to a fresh and more elevated grazing- 

 ground, with what result awaits to be seen. On 

 tbe 15th, an enormous swarm of locusts passed 

 over the mountain, from south east, north and 

 north eastward. No damage was done, the crops 

 all being harvested, save pumpkins, ground nuts, 

 and native potatoes. 



A. R. R. TuRNBULL, Magistrate. 



Milk ana Cream Producers and their 

 Responsibiliilesm 



By Geo. R. 



IN an article which recently appeared 

 in the Australian Farm and Home^ 

 by Mr.N. G. Somerville, the writer pointed 

 out with much emphasis and much truth 

 that the weak link in the dairying in 

 dustry was to be found, not in the 

 creameries, but in the suppliers themselves 

 of the raw material. This may come as 

 a matter of surprise, particularly to some 

 of our Natal farmers, whose methods and 

 productions have, to themselves, hitherto 

 appeared almost perfect. But as one who 

 has had some little experience during 

 the past two years of these " productions," 

 I would say that what has been written 

 of the Australian farmer applies with 

 equal truth to a great number of their 

 Natal brothers. 



As Mr. Somerville says, the dairy 

 industry is a wonderful one, and every 

 farmer should be deeply interested in it, 

 for the success of it really depends upon 

 him. Science, invention, capital, and 

 enterprise have done all, and are still 

 doing all they can, and we have arrived 



. RiCHAR DS. 



at a point where the future fate of the 

 dairy industry in Natal is in the greatest 

 peril. Competition from every side, and 

 the rapid development of the industry 

 in other countries, all point to an in- 

 creased supply of dairy food in one form 

 or auothpr. This great progress applies 

 chiefly to the dairy product after it leaves 

 the farm, but even the farmers of 

 those countries are awakening to the 

 necessity of not only producing their 

 milk at the lowest possible cost, but also 

 of seeing that the article when handed to 

 the central factory is in its best condition. 



If our Natal farmers would only grasp 

 the full meaning of these two principles, 

 and act on them, we should have very 

 little grumbling as to the prices they 

 were receiving from the Creameries, and 

 as to the quality of the articles produced 

 from their supplies. 



Unfortunately it is the rule, and not 

 the exception, for delicate dairy produce 

 to be treated on the farms as though it 

 were so much hay or mealies, or other 



