DRY-FARMING CONGRESS, WICHITA, 1914 



195 



America, yet we feel that we are only the baby of the human race. It is 

 only about 30 years that we have begun to develop, and I am sorry that 

 someone who is more able than I could not speak for that place, i'or I feel 

 only a baby myself when we all meet together at this congress| -I am only 

 a student and am here to learn. Perhaps after staying here I will be able 

 to apply some of the things I have learned here. 



Since the Boer war, there has been more progress in South Africa. At 

 that time, as you will probably remember, the whole country was devastat- 

 ed — absolutely nothing left on the farms. But although they gave up their 

 farms, when they got back to their farms, although they had given up 

 their liberty, they had not given up their intention of becoming a great 

 nation, and the government was behind them and helped them, and they 

 began to till the soil again, and today our country is almost back to the 

 same stage as it was just before the war began. I hope this little revolt 

 which has just broken out will not break up the country again. 



I think I have had the same experience as the speaker who just spoke. 

 T met a man on the train the other day and when I told him I came from 

 Johannesburg, he asked, "Where is Johannesburg? How big is it?" It is 

 about six miles square. It is there the diamonds which attract the women 

 folks so much are found. At least they like to have a $150 diamond ring 

 when they marry. 



After all we have a great stretch of country there. I think that South 

 Africa, which is made up of four colonies, is one-fifth or one-sixth of the 

 area of the United States. At least it is about 1,000 miles one way and 500 

 miles the other direction. Now, what about the topography? Going up 

 from the sea coast about 100 miles, you rise several thousand feet above sea 

 level. Then we have big plateaus. The country rises abruptly, not like 

 the mountainous portions of the United States. 



-Vs far as our soil is concerned, I believe we have about all the differ- 

 ent soils you have in this country. Now, the plants. We grow about every 

 kind of plant you can think of, or every variety of grain. There are some 

 places where we can grow wheat; other places where we can grow corn. I 

 did not realize you were so great that there was no chance of anyone else 

 being greater, for I used to think that we had the greatest agricultural 

 country in the world. We have barley, oats, and also, alfalfa. What will 

 probably surprise you, is that we can grow just as well as you can here, 

 all these products. We raise alfalfa under irrigation measures, and I do 

 not think I have seen any better here than on our farms. 



A certain part of the country is fruitful. We have a great wine in- 

 dustry near Capetown, and we pride ourselves on having just as good wine 

 as France. All the subtropical fruits are raised. Near Johannesburg we 

 raise apples, peaches, oranges, lemons, etc. Grasses are abundant, live- 

 stock also. In fact we can raise almost anything under the sun. 



Of course, when people hear about Africa they think of the wildest 

 country in the world. They think of wild animals, and think of going hunt- 

 ing, but when you get down to South Africa you do not find the animals any 

 more. There are about five negroes to one white. As to livestock I just 



