THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



423 



which, according to the customs returns, 

 were imported. The answer is, that the 

 bulk of these are still in bond and will 

 have to be taken into account by farmers 

 and dealers. I have extracted the follow- 

 ing figures from a number of tables of 

 figures connected with customs matters 

 published in a recent Government Gazette : 



Maize and mealie meal in L])s. 



bond 1st Jan., 1901 ... 8,5:37,001 

 Received into bond 1st Jan. 



to 30th June, 1901 ... 32,435,039 



Total 40,972,040 



1st January to 30th June, 1901 :— 



Taken into consumption ... 1,647,290 



Transit to Transvaal ... 1,181,095 



Exported by sea 150,278 



Free to the Army 8,991,919 



In bond on 30th June, 1901 29,001,458 



Total 40,972,040 



It will be seen therefore that besides 

 the local crops there was in the Colony 

 on the 30th June 145,000 muids of im- 

 ported mealies which, through a mis- 

 calculation on the part of the importers, 

 are lying awaiting a market. It may be 

 thought that it is a mistake on my part to 

 publicly call attention to the large 

 quantities of mealies in the Colony. 



I am not of this opinion, however, as 

 no doubt dealers are well enough aware 

 of the facts, and it is well that farmers 

 also should know exactly how things 

 stand. Should Johannesburg be opened 

 up there will, of course, be a large de- 

 mand at profitable rates ; on the other 

 hand, should war continue it would be 

 well for us to endeavour to find a market 

 in the Cape Colony. 



Natal Creamery. 



I AM informed by the managing director 

 (Mr. Geo. R. Richards , says " Farmer " 

 in the Times, that the Natal Creamery has 

 paid to suppliers over £19,000 since it 

 commenced operations about eighteen 

 months ago. At present £1,300 per 

 month is being paid for milk and cream. 



I was not told the amount of profit 

 realised by the (dreamery, but understand 

 that it is a satisfactory one. ThcSe figures 

 are sullicieut to show w hat a great success 

 the Natal Creamery has-become, and as 

 the business is growing daily, there can 

 be no doubt but what it has a grand future 

 before it. The chief difficulty the 

 Creamery has to contend with is that of 

 conveying its milk and butter to the con- 

 sumer in Maritzburg and Durban, and 

 this is all caused by the obstructive tactics 

 employed by the General Manager of the 

 Natal Government Railways. 



Herrara, the Spanish historian, says that 

 Pizario, when he landed 'in South America, 

 owed his life and those of his companions to 

 the fact that one of the party fell olf his horse 

 by accident. The natives had succeeded in 

 cutting off the retreat of the Spaniards to their 

 ships, "when one of the riders was thrown. The 

 ludianb were so astonished at the dissolution 

 of paruier.?hip that they took llight at once; 

 they had supposed horse and man to be one 

 animal. 



How to improve hard-milking cows is a suh- 

 iect that has been written ana talked about 

 'ever since dairying began, but a recent writer 

 in one of the stock papers claims to have 

 solved the difficulty. Wait until the cow 

 calves, he says, and then don't allow the calf 

 to suck, or the teats to get wet with milk, but 

 milk her with a strong ihand. Just pour out 

 the milk. You will be surpriMd how the miik 

 valves will open, and what a big streaili you 

 can get, During the first twelve hours milk 

 her ttve or six times. It must l>o done by 

 someone who lias a strong hami. mi l H.o best 

 milker on your farm should conliuuc lo milk 

 Iher. I have greatly improved many 

 milking cows in the above \vay. 



"Who's to Blame? Not the Cow."— Under 

 this heading, a champion butter-maker in 

 America says: — The milk when drawn from the 

 cow is generally good, except when the grasses 

 or food which 'she eats is strongly llavoured, 

 like turnips, rape, and some weeds, or the 

 water she drinks is stagnant or iui[)ure. In 

 99 out of every 100 cans of milk brought into 

 our factories and found to be tainted and 

 faulty, tlie iiniiriiiier care of the milk after it 

 is drawn from llic cow is the cause for its de- 

 fects. This nni-antc uf taiinLed and bad milk 

 is tihe general cause of so much pocu- butter 

 being made, and if 1 were to answer the ques- 

 tion, who is mostly to blame for the poor 

 quality of so mucli' of our butter, the butter- 

 makers, the cows, or the dairymen, I should 

 not hesitate to say that the dairymen and 

 creamery patrons are more to blame than tue 

 butter-makers, and, least of all, tihe cow is to 

 blame. 



