TBE AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



803 



District Reports. 



INGWAVUMA, 6th February.— The weather 

 has been excessively hot, espec ally during the 

 early part of the month. The highest tempera- 

 tu e, 95, was resis ered on the 4th, and the 

 lowest, 51, on the 18th. Heavy rains fell duringr 

 the latter part. The total rainfall was 7.15 

 inches ; the heaviest— 2 inches— fell on the 

 26th. All the rivers in the district were in 

 flood, and sjme of Ihem, for many days, were 

 quite impassable. In consequence of the favour 

 able weather experienced, the native crops are 

 all that can be desired, and there is now n • 

 longer any probability of a shortfall of food this 

 season. Large swarms of hoppers are renorted 

 to have hatched in the lew country di ring 

 December, and are now tlowly making their way 

 up the mountain. Up to the present very little 

 damage has been done by them to crops. An 

 unusual quantity of rats have made their 

 appearance on the mountain this summer. I i 

 fact they are now so numerous as to almost 

 amount to a plague, and it is quite unsafe to 

 leave any wearing apparel, Sc , within rea h of 

 thtse destruc'ive rodents. One native chiet has 

 reported that his growing crops — princi; ally 

 mealies — are be'ng destroyed by them. pIi 

 stock continue to thrive, and no outbreaks of 

 any disease amongst them have been reported 

 during the month. 



R. COLENB SANDER, 



Magistrate. 



VERULAM, 20th February.— Agricultural 

 matters have been progressing in a normal tnd 

 satisfactory manner since I last wrcte, aiid a l 

 cereals are reaching the last stage of iheir 

 development The later mealies are looking 

 better than those put in early in ihe summer, 

 but taken all round, they and totacco are i.ot 

 looking so well as last summer. 'I here wiil, 

 however, be a heavy crop of both- above the 

 average, ("c me of the sugar mills have stopj td 

 crushing for th s season, and Ihtir owners are 

 busy with the weed?, and tidying up tor the 

 winter season. Doubtless before commer cing 

 next se. son's crushing they will have had their 

 boilers tested in terms of the new Act, establish- 

 ing the inspection of boilers in the Colony, 



which is now in force. There are a cinsiiJerible 

 number of small boilers now working in this 

 district brickmabing, which should undergo the 

 same test as soon as possible. This merely by 

 the way. The cane fields are looking grand, and 

 the young plant cane is coming on in fiue style. 

 The output of siigar for this Division for the year 

 1901 is returned at 12,561 tons, which, I believe, 

 is the tiahest for several years. The following 

 are a few of the meteorological observations 

 made hereduring January : — Maximum tempera- 

 ture in the shade, 100 degrees < n the 16th. 

 Minimum, 63 degrees on the 29th and 31st. 

 Rainfall, 4 88 inches, which fell on 17 days. The 

 heaviest fall was 2.38 inches on the 30th. The 

 mean temperature for the month was 78.4 de- 

 grees. The rainfall was below the average, but 

 being fairly well distiibuted, and accompanied 

 by cool weather, ttie shortfall was not missed. 

 This summer, so far, has been remarkable for 

 its coolness. There have been a few hot days, 

 but never any long spt lis of heat, and few hot 

 nights. For these reasons, i understand, the 

 health of the Division is excellent, there being 

 no epidemics, and few ailments of any kind 

 about. Locusts, too, have not proy. d the 

 trouble that was expected. Considering the 

 vast swarms which laid eggs throughout the 

 Division, there are very few hoppers about ; the 

 eggs appear to have been rotted by the f i equent 

 rains and a maggot which got amongst them. I 

 have not yet heard of any ca?es of horsesiciness, 

 which is remarkable for the coast at this season 

 of the year. In fact, the 1 ivision is at present 

 clear of disease of all kinds amongst stock. At 

 present it is somewhat dry, no rain having fallen 

 for a matter of ten days. So far r,o damage has 

 resulted, but a continuance much longer migtit 

 tell on the developing mealies, and lighten the 

 crop. The present, and I hope, temporary, 

 stoppage of rain is of course due to ihe heavy 

 rains which have been falling in the Western 

 Province of the Cape Colony. 'Ihese untimely 

 rains invariably draw the rain away from us 

 here along the East Coast. 



JOHN L. KNIGHT, 



Magistrate. 



Weeiiiy Rinderpest Report, 



25th FEBRUART, 1902. 



Ladijsmith Division. 



KIRKINTULLOCH.— Fresh outbreak 

 amongst natives' cattle. Three dead, 

 five sick. 



Swaartkloof, Doornkraal, Vlaakplaats, 

 and Kleinfonteiu. — No deaths ; no fresh 

 cases. 



Buy'e Farm. — Military Cattle : No 

 deaths ; no fresh cases. 



Buy's Farm. — Natives' Cattle : First 

 outbreak ; no deaths ; no fresh cases. 



Buy's Farm. — Natives' Cattle : Fresh 

 outbreak ; three dead ; four sick. 



Wachtenbeetjekop, Van Reenen's. — No 

 deaths ; no fresh cases. 



