TSU AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



doubted signs of distress. Such a lonr spell of 

 drought is rery much felt in Verulam, where the 

 people have to depend upon rainwater conserved 

 m tanks for their supply. With the exception 

 of the few who have very large underground 

 tanks, all have been buying water for some 

 time. The water is brought in carts from 

 Umhloti Eiver, the cost being 2s. Gi. for a very 

 small tankful of indifferent water. It is a 

 pity the difficulty of bringing water into the 

 town in pipes is so great. The township is so 

 situated that there is no sufficient supply of 

 water anywhere within many miles at a hijher 

 level than the town. To bring water into the 

 town would, therefore, involve costly pumping 

 works, which would be a heavy tax on so small 

 a community. Here are a few meteorological 

 observations made in July :— Rain, nil : maxi- 

 mum temperature in shade, 82 degs. on 15th ; 

 minimum temperature 4-t degs. on 10th ; mean 

 temperature for month. GI G degrees. There has 

 been no rain yet this month, and the portents 

 are not at all favourable. On the 6th inst,, a 

 very hot, north-west wind prevailed all day, the 

 thermometer registering % degs. in the shade. 

 This has done a lot of harm, coming, as it 

 did, after a long spell of drought, This has 

 been a record reason for oranges and naartjes. 

 and they have been very fine, both in size and 

 flavour. Our principal fruit grower in the 

 Division, Mr. H. W. James, of ZwoUe, had dis- 

 posed of over 50 tons by the end of July, and 

 expects his whole season's crop to top 120 tun=, 

 principally mandarin oranges. This is some- 

 thing like a crop of fruit, and shows what can 

 be done. Yet, Mr. James cannot be said to be 

 growing fruit on a large scale. Imagine what 

 frmt-gardens could, with a little capital, be 

 established along the banks of streams, where 

 windmill pumps would render the growers more 

 or less independent of the clerk of the weather. 

 ,Mr. James' farm is, unfortunately, not so 

 favourably situated, or the possibilities of Z wolle 

 would be almost boundless. In my last not s 

 I mentioned a new orange raised in this county, 

 called the Natal Victoria. I am pleased to see 

 that my remarks have received widespread 

 attention, and a large number of persons (in- 

 cluding a Cape man at present in Natal) have 

 applied to me for the address of the grower. I 

 have forwarded it to all. In my last remaiks 

 about the orange, I omitted to say that it does 

 not fall from the tree when ripe so readily as 

 the ordinary kind, and, when picked, will keep 

 perfectly good and fresh for six weeks and up- 

 wards. It should, therefore, be an excellent 

 fruit for export purposes. Locusts are on the 

 move again. A large swarm passed over 

 Verulam on the 7th inst., travelling towaids 

 Durban. There have been no further dutbreaks 

 of lungsiekness in this Division since the one at 

 Newlands, referred to in my last report. Stock 

 IS doiLg well, and with the advent of w:irm 

 weather is not likely to fall off any more this 

 winter. 'I'rees are already assuming'their spring 

 garb of green, and the coast eating^pe iches have 

 finished blossoming. The mango tr^es arc 

 covered with a thick mass of blossoms, and, all 

 going well, should yield a very heavy crop. Last 

 summer the mango crop was a light one. Vege- 

 tables are plentiful, and the cauliflowers and 



cabbages are unusually fine — all grown by 

 Indians, of course. 



John L. Knight, Magistrate. 



NEW H iNOVER, 12th August.— With the 

 exception of influenza among horses, stock is 

 healthy, although not in good condition. The 

 weather is very dry, and farmers are anxiously 

 waiting for rain. There is a continual strong 

 wind blowing which makes it difficult for 

 farmers to burn grass without endangering the 

 safety of kafir huts and their neighbours planta- 

 tions. Labour is very scarce. 



A. RiTTER, Magistrate. 



NEWCASTLE, 8th August.— Scab and lung, 

 sickness are still very prevalent here, I am 

 afraid it will take some time to stamp such out, 

 owing to captured and loot stock continually 

 being brought into this Division, which are more 

 or less infected with the several diseases. 

 Poultry and produce are still retaining high 

 prices. Cattle and sheep are in a very poor condi- 

 tion owing to the bareness of the veld ; but as I 

 predicted in my last report there are every 

 signs of an early spring. The young grass is 

 trying to get up, and requires only a few good 

 rain-* to put everything right, when we shall 

 have an abundance of grass in a very short time. 

 There is a lot of cattle-stealing going on here, 

 and great praise is due to the Natal Police for 

 the way they are trying to catch the culprits. 

 Farmers and others should be impressed of the 

 great necessity that the slightest clue they may 

 have of cattle stealing to report the same im- 

 mediately to the police, when, I am sure, they 

 will use their best endeavours to ferret the 

 matter out, being always ready to assist. By 

 the way, they are very short-handed at presenf. 

 A police station has just been established at 

 Dannhauser, which will prove a great boon to 

 farmers and the public in general. Farmers are 

 suffering a great deal of inconvenience with 

 their servants at the present moment ; they (the 

 servants) appear to take advantage of the dis- 

 turbed state of the country. They will not 

 work, and still have all the benefit of the occu- 

 pation of their master's farms. The mai-ters 

 cannot turn them off, unless another place is 

 found them, and then not without the permission 

 of the military, who cannot allow Natives to 

 wander all over the country. This the Natives 

 are aware of, and so take advantage of the 

 situation. It is certainly a very great hardship 

 on the farmers, and they have good cause to 

 complain as they do ; however, I suppose, war 

 creates many unpleasantnesses. The health 

 amongst the inhabitants of the Division is rt- 

 markably good. Martial Law still prevails here , 

 the geni[ig about trom place to place on ac- 

 count of passes is a little bit inc nvenieut, but 

 all will admit the Military are doing their best 

 to make the inconvenience as light as possible, 

 and cause as little discomfort as far as it lies in 

 their power. 



Geo, Bkunton Warner, Acting Magistrate. 



NKANDHLA, 31st July.— Little or no rain 

 has fallen during the month. Up to the 15th 



