388 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



proved by the last splendid rainfall. The young 

 grass is thriving well, and ploughing will soon 

 be the farmers' daily work. Influenza among 

 horses is gradually dying out. There have been 

 no complaints from Natives about scarcity of 

 food this winter. The rainfall in the location 

 during last summer was somewhat greater than 

 on the farm lands. 



A. RiTTER, Magistrate. 



NQUTU DISTRICT, 1st August.-The past 

 month has been a trying one : high and biting 

 winds prevailed almost throughout, and during 

 the month no rain fell. As a consequence the 

 whole country looks parched and dreary. Lunw- 

 sickness is still bad throughout this District 

 but I am glad to say that a Stock Inspector has 

 now been appointed and has taken the matter 

 in hand. All crops are reaped now, and mealies 

 can be bought at from 6s. to 7s. 6d. a muid 



There has been a deal of sickness about during 

 the month, chiefly of the influenza type. 



C. HiCiNETT, Magistrate. 



UMLALAZI, 25th August.-The early Tainy 

 season of the coast seems to have fairly set in 

 now, copious rains having fallen. At the tima 

 of writing it is raining steadily : during the 

 past twelve hours r4 inc'-.es of rain has been 

 registered, and we have every prospect of 

 having an old-fashioned three days' rain. Culti- 

 vation is going on, and I yesterday noticed 

 some young mealie pUnts nearly six inches 

 high. Since my last report two fresh outbreaks 

 of lungsickaess have been reported to me, and 

 the diseisa appears to be spreading in the 

 District, notwithstanding the enerjetic efEorts 

 of the Stock Inspector, Mr Gielink, who is 

 doing all he can to check it. I have heard of no 

 fresh casjs of anthrax. 



J. J. Jackson, Magistrate. 



Eleanor A. Ormerott, Entomologist. 



Obit : July 19th, 1901, 



IT is difficult to express the full 

 measure of regret on the passing of 

 one around whom has grown that peculiar 

 glow of friendship which can only exist 

 between those who have not met, but 

 whose acquaintance has been born in the 

 cold formality of correspondence and 

 ripened and borne the fruit of friendship 

 in the same cold ground. Such is the 

 regret which holds us whilst we record 

 the death of Miss Eleanor A. Ormerod, 

 and such must also be the sorrow of 

 many of her South African readers— 

 particularly in Natal, where her name 

 and her work are known and respected. 



Miss Ormerod was in her seventy- 

 fourth year at the time of her death, 

 and was perhaps better known to South 

 African farmers from her book entitled 

 Some Injurious hisects of South Africa; 

 her work in England, however, is also 

 well known and appreciated in Natal, 

 where associations with the old country 

 remain so fresh and green in everv walk 

 of life. ^ 



But a year ago the honour of the degree 

 of L.L.D, of the University of Edinburgh 

 was conferred upon Miss Ormerod, she 

 being the first lady to receive this' dis- 

 tinction. Her life's work was devoted un- 

 selfishly to the study of injurious insects, 

 in which branch of the science of ento- 



mology she was one of England's pioneers, 

 and its results were placed, without 

 hesitation and ungrudingly, at the dis- 

 posal of the agriculturist and horticul- 

 turist. 



In her voluminous reports and many 

 works the deceased lady has left behind 

 her a monument for all time among the 

 farmers of England aad her fellow- 

 workers in every laud, from whom she 

 has long enjoyed all that homage and 

 respect due to a benefactress, a scientist, 

 a woman and a friend. 



C. F. 



One of it'he harde.^t inides O'ii record was mude 

 by C'aipt.ain Evans Gordion, in 1891. He left 

 Leli, on the borders of Tibet, alt 3 a.m. on Oc- 

 tober loth, ei-oissed two loifty passes, 13,300 and 

 13,000 feot labove sea level, and g'Oit to liis fins't 

 'hialting pla.ce, Dras, 'at 9.30 p.m., havimg eov- 

 eretl ]51 miles in under ei-gihtecfln liioure. After 

 seven }iours' rest, Oap'tain GordMn sitarted again, 

 in a bUindinig snow-sitorm; the weather was so 

 bad that in two hours lie covered only twelve 

 miles. Deep sn'ow lidndered liim om the next 

 stage of hi's journey, and vi'hen he reached 

 lower country lie found tire track almost impas- 

 isrtbJe from licavy rains. iEventuaJly he reaohed 

 lii'S desitinataon, Srinagiar, the capiifcal of Cash- 

 mere, at 8 in tJie evenimg, Iravinig travelted 250 

 mileis civer tlie lofty la.md rugged mountain pat'lia 

 in 33 hours. He changed his pony at 25 difler- 

 ent point oif the journey. 



