728 



THE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



and nevei* were placed in a stable at 

 night. I have heard of no stable I horse 

 djnng fro n this disease np to tlie present. 



(jlanders. — No clinical cise came to 

 my notice. The stable in which the last 

 case was detected is now under com^dete 

 renovation, and will shortlj' be finished. 



One suspicious case was tested, but did 

 not react. 



Lungsickness exists in two centres, at 

 the Iliovo Estates and Umzimbasi, and 

 the cattle quaran-ined therein are pro- 

 gressing favourald/. My time is now 

 fully occupied at the Point. 



Grass Seed Propagation^ 



MR. Wm. ADAMS gives the following 

 information resj^ectiiig his experience 

 in grass seed propagation. 



Paspalum Dilatatum. 

 Plot No. 1, 6 X 3 yards.— Ordinary soil, 

 no manure, was forked over and made 

 fine. The seed was broadcasted (October, 

 1901) and raked in ; much of it remained 

 exposed, but it came up freely, and is 

 now 6 to 8 inches high, but it is. so mixed 

 up with a grass, which comes up on all 

 cultivated soil, very similar to it in ap- 

 pearance, that it is impossible to tell 

 which is which until it seeds. 



Plot No. 2, 4 X 8 yards.— Finding the 

 method of broadcasting on plot No. 

 1 unsatisfactory, I determined to sow 

 in drills about nine inches apart. I 

 formed these drills with the back of the 

 rake, giving it a backward and forward 

 as well as a dragging sideway movement 

 in the direction of the lines at th*^ same 

 time ; this made the drills about | inch 

 deep ; the seed was then sown and covered 

 carefully over with the teeth of the rake 

 and patted down along the drill with the 

 back. These seeds came up well. I en- 

 close specimen of plant taken ixp this 

 morning. The plot was sown in Novem- 

 ber, I'JOl. 



Plots Nos. 3 and 4, -1 x 3 and G x 4 yards. 

 — These were sown in the same way as 

 plot No. 2 with the addition of fine bone- 

 dust in the drills, below the seed ; the 

 seeds in botli these plots came up as thick 

 as possible, tuUcLing each other, and are 

 growing as much as the small wingless 

 grasshopper will allow it to do. These 

 plots were sown latter end of Novem- 

 ber, 1901. Anyone who lias yet to 

 sow this seed will ])erceive the advantage 

 of doing so in drills, as the oth<-r grasses 

 and weeds can be j)ull('(l out and you can 

 see how it is progressing. 



Danthonia Semi annularis. 



Plots Nos. 1 and 2, each 8x4 yards.— 

 The land for this was prepared in the 

 same manner as lor Pai^palwn Dilitatwn. 

 Sown in October, 1901, broadcast, and 

 i-aked in ; hardly any c ine up except where 

 it had partial shade for the latter half of 

 the day. On the two plots L daresay there 

 are from 150 to 200 plants. I enclose 

 specimen. It will be seen that it is quite 

 different to any native grass, and there is 

 no difftjulty in distinguishing it from 

 them when you have once seen it. 



Plot No. 3.— The ground was treated 

 with fine bone-dust: seed broadcasted, 

 and th^n soil was broadcasted over it, so 

 that the seed was first covered and 

 patted down wiih the back of the spade ; 

 not one seed came up. This plot was ex- 

 posed to the sun the whole day. 



Locust Noticcm 



OWING ti) the extensive hatchings oi 

 locusts in portions of the Lion's 

 River and Umgeni Divisions, the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture desires to draw the 

 attention of farmers and other land- 

 owners to the necessity for united etfort 

 on their part, with a view to controlling 

 and coping with the pest whilst it is in 

 the hopping stage. It is suggested that 

 the sugar or tre.icle and arsenic solution 

 should be useil for the purpose, and in 

 order to enc jurage and assist in combined 

 aclion, the Department invites communi 

 cations from farmers and others desirious 

 of taking action, and will make a contri- 

 bution in each case where such c jmbined 

 action is t 'ken. 



H. D. WINTKR, 

 Minister of Agriculture. 

 Agricultural Department, 

 10th January, 1902. 



