654 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



four months later rinderpest and lung- 

 sickness broke out at the same time. I 

 then got serum ; the first lot was good, 

 but a second lot I got unfortunately- 

 caused what was apparently blood poison- 

 ing. I found, at least I believe so, that 

 Frieslands are not so susceptible to rinder- 

 jiest as other cattle. Here, I think, is the 

 explanation: Holland at times has been 

 visited with rinderpest, and there is the 

 probability of her stock being still immune 

 in some degree. When my cattle leave 

 here for wintering on my Thorn farm 

 their coats are full of the small blue tick, 

 but with the first frost the ticks fall off, 

 and in July the cattle are fat and sleek. 

 Before the winter oats took rust I used to 

 keep the calves here." 

 '• And about colour ? " 

 " I prefer as much black as possible. I 

 agree with what Mr. Simmons said about 

 white and mange ; and there is another 

 drawback to white ; the hair is twice as 

 long as the black, and, in consequence, 

 affords better harbour for ticks. As to 

 red I should have no objection, but red 

 pedigree Frieslands are scarce, and it is 

 not characteristic of the type, and if I 

 were to breed from that colour for sale 

 most people would imagine them to be 

 cross-breds. 1 have never heard of any 

 reds, or, rather, red and whites, being im- 

 ported into Natal. I have never heard it 

 claimed that the reds are hardier. Fcr'scours 

 my common remedies are an egg smashed 

 up, shell and all, or two tablespoonf uls of 

 castor oil and five drops of laudanum. The 

 Friesland crosses well with nearly all 

 breeds ; with the Africander a splendid 

 large and heavy ox for the butcher or 

 transport-rider is got. Crossed with the 

 Zulu one gets good size with constitution 

 of the toughest character." 



The bull Okkinga is one of the quietest 

 bulls I have ever seen, and Mr. Otto says 

 that all he has had are the same in that 

 respect. The shortness of Okkinga's black 

 hair was astonishing ; no grip of it could 

 be got between forefinger and thumb. 

 " Cecil Rhodes," another bull, runs day 

 and night with the cows on the hills. 

 The Show trophies — a blaze of silver 

 tankards, centre-pieces, etc. — overflow the 

 diiiing-room sideboard, and are accommo- 

 dated on stands which flank each side. 

 There is another trophy of perhaps greater 

 interest to a visitor, especially if the 



weather be rainy, which Mr. Otto laugh- 

 ingly claims to have come out of Fries- 

 lands, namely, a billiard-room and a first- 

 class colonial-built table. 



Horses. 



" And about your horses ? " 



" None could have wished for a more 

 satisfactory mare than my thoroughbred 

 Topsy. She brought me over £900, and 

 all her progeny were winners on the turf. 

 For nine seasons running she had foals 

 — or stop ! one year she failed, but in the 

 year following she made up by having 

 twins. She had a foal when twenty-three, 

 and in the following year she was killed 

 by lightning. During the last four years 

 I have had the Hackney mare Lime wash 

 —bred by Sir Humphrey de Traflord. I 

 believe in crossing the Hackney mare with 

 the thoroughbred, especially the light 

 breedy class of mare sach as Limewash. 

 Every farmer, in my opinion, an opinion 

 also strongly expressed by Mr. G. B. 

 Lloyd in the Journal, should keep a 

 couple of mares, and get them covered by 

 the stallions he fancies. He should do 

 them well ; that is, give them some food 

 at night and stable them, and groom every 

 day. Their cost on a farm where there is 

 any cultivation is very small, and for 

 that they will more than pay if he only 

 uses them for scuffling and such-like 

 farm work." 



Sheep. 



About sheep Mr. Otto said :— " I keep 

 only a stud flock of Rambouillets. For- 

 merly I used to run an ordinary flock, 

 but tihis is not sheep country, and I have 

 given them up, or, rather, they gave me 

 up. With my stud flock it is different ; 

 I can give all of them individual attention. 

 I have had the flock for twenty-five years, 

 and it has long been pure bred. Fresh 

 blood I frequently get from France and 

 Germany. I sell all the rams 1 can breed 

 at £10 per head. A good many farmers 

 who have been going in for black-faces 

 in unsuitable districts are coming back to 

 the merino, and are sorry they ever 

 changed. Against blue tongue I dose them. 

 I give 20 drops of muriatic acid in a wine- 

 glass of water. In bad cases I repeat, 

 and keep under cover, and feed on milk." 



" Are the weights good ? " 



" Yes, they scale well ; a 6-tooth wether 

 killed a short time back scored 80 lbs. 



