5i8 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



and when we take into account the high 

 price of imported seed, and heavy cost of 

 fertilisers, it means a serious loss. I 

 sho lid like those men who have tried the 

 spraying proeebs to give us their results. 



The Forage Crop. — There were not 

 many farmers who planted Cape forage 

 in our District this season, being dis- 

 heartened by the crops having gone off 

 with the rust for the last three years. 

 The AlT;erian oats to some extent were 

 tried with success in some Districts, The 

 difficuLy seems to be to find the right 

 time to sow it. One thing is certain, it 

 requires far more rain than the Cape oat, 

 and, in my op-nion, should not be sown 

 later than the middle of January. I am 

 glad to be able to give a favourable re- 

 port of the Mapstonian rust-resisting oat, 

 supplied by Govern, .lent last season in 

 501b. lots to members of associations and 

 others. The results are gratifying, inas- 

 much as it is proved that the forage is 

 what it claims to be (rust-resisting). Mr. 

 H. Baker sowed 501bs. of this oat, and the 

 crop produced was 7001bs, of oats, and 

 4,()00lbs. of straw, without irrigation. I 

 have good accounts from other farmers — 

 describing the straw without a particle of 

 rust, and standing from 4 to 5 feet high, 

 and heavily corned. I hope every care 

 will be taken of this valuable seed, and 

 that it will spread through the Colony as 

 rapidly as possible. 



Agriculture is making rapid strides ; 

 on every side we see steady progress ; the 

 best of implements are used, manures and 

 seeds are imported in quantities, poor 

 ground is consequently yielding good 

 crops. One Association this season im- 

 ported 200 tons of bone-meal, 131 tons of 

 basic siag, 31 tons of dissolved bones, 3 

 tons of guano, and 377 boxes of seed 

 potatoes. 



Creameries, I believe, are flourishing, 

 and have proved financially successful. 

 The demand for milk is rapidly increas- 

 ing. Mr. Baynes has had to take out the 

 old plant and put in larger. I am in- 

 formed that when the new plant is in the 

 capacity of this creamery will be the 

 largest in the world. 



LOGUStSm 



MR. STOCK INSPECTOR BROWN re- 

 ported on the 31st of last month : — 

 Only one small swarm of locusts passed 

 here, on the 30th of October, in the direc- 

 tion of Mapumulo Disti-ict. 1 have been 

 informed that a large swarm was seen on 

 the 26th October, Lower Mfolo^i, making 

 in the direction of St. Lucia Bay. 

 We have been having splendid rains for 

 this month — in fact, too much. Every- 

 thing is promising for a good season. 



District Reports. 



DUNDEE, 30th October.— The rainfall dur- 

 ing this month has been very heavy, and has 

 done a lot of good to the crops. We have had a 

 few hot days, but the weather is, I am told, very 

 cool for this lime of the year. The natives 

 stongly ol ject to work, and a number have re- 

 fused to go to Pretoria as policemen at a wage 

 of £3 a month, food and uniform. There is a 

 craze among them for ai tending beer drinks 

 outside the township, and I am taking stringent 

 measures to suppress this evil. Cattle stealing 

 does not decrease, and crime generally aniong 

 natives seems to be on the increase. This I 

 attribute to the hi. h wages piid by the military, 

 which enables them to obtain liquor from Cape 

 boys and Indians. Chief Sandaneswc has just 

 asked for leave to go to Pietermaritzburg to see 

 the Secretary for Na{ive Affairs, and hand over 

 £40 which he has collected for the sick soldiers. 

 Cattle sickness is not so prevalent, but there are 

 a few cases of horsesickness in the neighbour- 

 hood. Coal is very expensive in Dundee, which 

 seems surprising, beiug so near the mines. 



W. G. Wheelwuioiit, Magistrate. 



HARDING, 4th November — Splendid rains 

 have fallen during the last month, and plough- 

 ing is in full swing everywhere. All kinds of 

 stock are picking up. I regret to say that an 

 outbreak of lungsickness was reported last night 

 on Mr. Simpson's farm near the Ingeli ; the 

 stock inspector has not yet seen the cattle, so I 

 cannot say for certain if it really is lungsickness. 

 There has been a doubt whether rinderpest ex- 

 isted in Pondoland ; the general opinion was 

 that it was gallsickness, but I heard from the 

 Res dent Magistrate, Bizana, Pondoland, that 

 it had brokeu out. Natives have reported that 

 locusts are attacking the young mealies in the 

 lower part of the District, 



P. W. Shepstone, Magistrate. 



INANDA, 29th October.— I have very little 

 of interest to report this time. The season his 

 continued most favourable ; crops are coming 

 on splendidly all over the Division, and all the 

 sugar mills are L ard at work crushing a splendid 

 crop of cane. Given a continuarce of the 

 favourable weather which has been experienced 



