T he exp lan ation as to why m u ch larger crops have been recorded since 1936 appears in the Annual R eports for 1937 and 1938.

AG RICU LTU RAL ASSO C IA TIO N S:(F arm ers’ Associations, C o-operative Societies and Native

W om en ’s V egetable G ardening A ssociations.)D uring the previous season there were 101 A ssociations, viz.:

23 m en 's, 37 w om en ’s and 41 com bined associations. On the 30th Septem ber, 1939, there were 125 A ssociations: th is is an in crease o f 24. The M en ’s A ssociations show an increase o f 5, the W om en ’s an increase o f 30 and the C om bined A ssociations a decrease o f 11. T h e tota l m em bership o f all A ssociations shows an increase o f 922 m em bers. T he fo llow in g table show s the p osition as it is to -d a y : —

NUMBER OF AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS IN THE TERRITORY.

District. Associations.C om ­bined.

T ota l No. o f

T ota l No. o f

M en ’s W om en ’s Assccs. Assocs. M em bers

M a s e r u ....................... 6 24 10 40 952M a f e t e n g .................. 3 6 11 20 1,119M ohale ’s Hoek . . 3 9 5 17 292Q u t h i n g ...................... 3 8 — 11 144Q ach a ’s N e k ............. 4 5 — 9 257M okh otlon g . . 1 1 — 2 40T eyateyan en g . . 1 1 2 32Leribe (in clud ing

sub - districts of P eka and Butha B uthe) ................ 7 14 3 24 743

T otals . . 28 67 30 125 3,579

NATIVE (M EN’S) FAR M E RS’ ASSOCIATIONS:A lthough the form ation o f M en ’s Farm ers' A ssociations is

o fte n disappointing, it being m ost d ifficu lt to find m en o f su ffi­c ient edu cation and keenness w ho will undertake, gratis, work on the com m ittee or the im portan t post o f secretary, there are a num ber o f A ssociations w hich are doing really usefu l w ork.

T he A gricu ltural O fficers are doing their best to start C entral D istrict Associations, to w hich all the sm all A ssociations are to be affiliated . Th is schem e has already been carried out in the M afeten g d istrict and gives prom ise o f being very successful.

T he F arm ers’ A ssociations are fu n ction in g in the fo llow in g m a n n er:- -

1. A doptin g better agricu ltural m ethods and assisting the A gricu ltural O fficers to persuade other people to do the same.

2. D oing everyth ing in their pow er to advance the G overn ­m en t's war m easure, nam ely, to increase p roduction of foodstu ffs in the territory.

3. U ndertaking the m anagem ent and the ru n n in g o f the A gricu ltural Show s, w ith the help and advice o f the district A gricu ltural Olt'icers.

4. H elping in the run n ing and advertising o f the Stock Sales and V egetable Sales.

5. C o-operatin g in the purchasing o f vegetable seeds, fen cin g for gardens, fertilizer and agricu ltural im p le ­m ents.

6 . T endering, co -opera tive ly , for G overnm ent supplies, such as m ealies, teff, etc.

NATIVE W OMEN'S AND COMBINED ASSOCIATIONS:The form ation o f these A ssociations m eets w ith continued

success. Their efforts are chiefly d irected tow ards vegetable gardening. T h e w om en are very keen and hard w orking, and greatly assist the district A gricu ltural Officers by p rom oting general in terest in the laying out o f good terraced gardens in the villages, and in the grow ing o f a p len tifu l supply of green vegetables.M ARK ETS FOR STOCK AND NATIVE PRODUCE:

D uring the season w hen vegetables and fru it were abundant, Vegetable and P roduce Sales were held regularly at M aseru. T eyateyaneng, Leribe, B utha Buthe, M afeteng, M oh a le ’s Hoek and Q uthing.

A good supply o f vegetables was grow n th rou gh ou t the season, and garden produce m et w ith a ready sale at rem unerative prices.

The Agricu ltural A ssociations assist in the run n ing o f m arkets, and a sm all toll is co llected from each person o fferin g produce for sale.

ST O C K SALES:Stock sales have been held at each centre w here sale pens

have been erected, viz.: M aseru. M afeteng , P eka and Leribe.W hen these stock sa les are better understood by the Natives

they w ill serve a m ost usefu l purpose as they fix a m arket price fo r all types of stock. Full particu lars o f the sales w h ich have been held up to the 30th Septem ber, 1939, are fu rn ish ed by the P rin cipa l V eterinary O fficer in his report.

AG RICU LTU RAL SH O W S:A gricu ltural Show s were held at Leribe, Peka, T eyateyaneng,

M orija , M afeteng , M ohalinyane (M oha le ’s H oek D istrict), Q ach a ’s Nek and S eforong.

These show s were organised by the F arm ers’ A ssociations in the respective districts, w h ich were helped and advised by the loca l Agricu ltural O fficer and h is A gricu ltural D em onstrators.

T he G overnm ent m ade grants up to £ 1 0 to each show on the pound for pou nd princip le. These grants are used as prize m on ey fo r the classes w hich encourage the agricu ltural p ro jects o f the D epartm ent.

As a w hole the entries in the S tock Classes have been few and disappointing. A num ber o f good exam ples, how ever, o f both cattle and sheep, w hich were the progen y o f G overnm ent bulls or im ported ram s, were seen at several o f the show s, and it was apparent th at considerable im provem en t was tak in g place.

T h e Produce Sections, including vegetables, w ere very good. G reat keenness is displayed by the exhib itors in these sections.

ECOLOGICAL SU RVEY OF BASUTOLAND:Mr. R. R. Staples, Ecologist to the T an gan yika T erritory ,

m ade his second visit to B asutoland during the period covered by this report. A fter carefu l consideration and in the ligh t o f fu rth er experience gained since his previous visit he replanned the schem e o f experim ents for the m ountain areas. T h e fen cin g o f these plots has been tem porarily held up ow ing to the death o f the late P aram oun t C hief. I t is hoped, how ever, th at in the n ear future th is w ork w ill be undertaken.

Mr. Staples arranged the herbarium con n ected w ith the E colog ica l Survey and also the D ieterlen co llection o f Basutoland plants. T he B otan ica l an alytica l w ork of the M aseru G razing an d E xperim ental P lots w as carried out by m eans o f the p o in t quadrat m ethod , and a detailed report on the herbage was subm itted.

These plots were stocked on the 3rd January at the rate of one beast to three acres, and grazed accord in g to the p lan laid dow n. In no instance was the grass quite so closely grazed as th at o f the surrounding pasture. T h e cattle did w ell until the end o f August, w hen it was fou nd necessary to supplem ent their grazing w ith 5 lb. o f hay per diem for three weeks. T h ey rapidly rega ined their con d ition during O ctober.

T he general rotation a l grazing p olicy agreed on for G overn ­m ent Reserves is being carried out; and this, together w ith the a n ti-so il-eros ion w orks w hich have been undertaken on m ost o f the Reserves, is responsible for a w onderfu l change for the better in the grass cover.

T h e 'pasture enclosures at T h aba Putsoa and T h ab a Tsoeu were inspected du ring January, 1938, by Mr. Staples and the A gricu ltural O fficer, and the counts o f C hrysocom a ten u ifo lia (B itter K arroo ) in each quadrat were taken. T hese counts appear in the Annual R eport for 1938. No further counts have been taken since th at date, a lthough both p lots were inspected du ring O ctober, 1939. The fo llow in g statem ents in dicate the p resen t p o s itio n :—

Plot 1.— T h ab a P utsoa Enclosure. T h e w hole o f th is enclosure h ad acciden tally been heavily burned o ff during Septem ber, and It appeared th at practica lly all the bushes were dead. Previous to burning there was a heavy crop o f grass.

Plot 2.— T h ab a Tsoeu Enclosure. T he coun t o f bushes taken In 1938 was very sm all. W hen this enclosure was inspected in O ctober, there was a trem endous crop o f the previous season ’s ■dry grass. Very few bushes were seen alive except for those on ston y ou tcrops w here they could n ot be killed by burning or sm oth ered by grass.

F rom the above statem ents it m ay be taken th at C hrysocom a ten u ifo lia has been eradicated in both these enclosures. The results obta in ed in the eradication o f B itter K arroo are reflected in the general grazing o f the surrounding districts, w hich , in th e past, were som e o f the w orst in Basutoland. T o -d a y , through ligh ter stock ing, w hich has rested the pasture h ith erto badly in fested by C hrysocom a ten u ifo lia and by ju diciou s early spring bu rnin g from tw o to three tim es, it is apparent th at this pest can be controlled . M ost o f the grazing has m ade a w onderfu l recovery.

RODENT DESTRUCTION:The Agricu ltural D epartm ent continues to co -op era te w ith

the M edical D epartm ent in the destruction o f rodents. There is evidence th at rodents are again increasing in several d istricts in the territory. This m enace is being dealt w ith by the M edical D epartm en t’s R odent Inspector, w ho is m a in ta in ing a supply o f poisoned w heat for issue in the a ffected districts.

G erbilles were seen to be on the increase in the m ou n tain areas o f Sem onkong and L esobeng and were dam agin g the w heat fields. These outbreaks are being dealt w ith.

LECTURES AND VARIOUS D EM ONSTRATION S:T he Agricultural and L ivestock O fficers, the Assistant

Agricu ltural and L ivestock O fficers and the A gricu ltural D em on ­strators continue to avail them selves o f every opportu n ity to lecture on and to dem onstrate the various G overnm ent schem es for the general im provem ent o f Native Agriculture.

Special endeavour has been m ade to induce as m any people as possible to start vegetable gardens in their villages. The benefits to be derived from the grow th o f vegetables and their addition to the daily diet are constantly poin ted out to the Natives, and considerable success has been attained.

Lectures are given at appropriate tim es on m any subjects, such as the selection o f seed; the proper m ethods of p lantin g and cu ltivating the various crops, etc.

A large num ber o f dem onstrations have been given all over the territory by O fficers and D em onstrators on the fo llow in g su b jects :—

(1) T he righ t m ethod o f terracin g and laying out o f vege ­table gardens; the m aking o f com post p its and the preparation o f good com p ost; the fu rn ish in g o f w ater supplies for gardens, either by the m aking o f sm all ca tch m en t dam s or leading water by fu rrow from perm anen t supplies.

(2) T he proper m ethod o f p lou gh in g betw een the contour banks erected in con n ection w ith the soil reclam ation cam paign.

(3) The proper m ethod of p lantin g fru it and forest trees and the prun in g o f fru it trees. All Natives w ho receive fru it trees from the G overnm ent are instructed in pruning.

(4) T h e G overnm ent schem es for the im provem en t o f all classes o f stock.

D em onstrations have also been given on m any other sub­jects. The Basuto are becom ing m u ch m ore appreciative o f these lectures and dem onstrations.

The D em onstrators stationed near the C h ief M ission Stations continu e to supervise the school vegetable gardens and to lecture from tim e to tim e to the students on vegetable grow ing. It has now been laid dow n, how ever, th at a dem onstrator m ust not devote m ore than one day a week to these duties.

T he Agricu ltural O fficer visited M okh otlong during S ep tem ­ber and, together w ith the Assistant D istrict C om m issioner and Assistant A gricu ltural and Livestock O fficer, toured the district, selecting good seed and lecturing on the need for im prov in g the quality and type o f w heat grow n in the district. T he proper m ethods to adopt in all operations con n ected w ith w heat growing, and the adoption o f better m ethods of agricu lture were also stressed.

T he tour had been well p lanned and m eetings were held at the fo llow in g p laces:

C h ief Seeiso ’s v i l l a g e ...................... 300 persons attended.C h ief R a fo le tsan e ’s village .. . . 200 persons attended.C h ief M osu oe ’s village,

L elingoanas a r e a ...................... 800 persons attended.T he people w ere keen and attentive.T h e fo llow in g is a list o f the tota l num ber o f lectures given

by the A gricu ltural O fficers and D em onstrators. T he list also gives the num ber o f Native Farm ers w ho attended.

No. o f Lectures. No. Present.A gricu ltural O fficers. 233 20,424D em onstrators. 620 20,687

CO -O PERA TIO N W ITH THE EDUCATION DEPARTM ENT:W herever possible, the A gricu ltural D epartm ent w orks in

co -op era tion w ith the Education D epartm ent. Agricu ltural O ffi­cers and D em onstrators help and advise on the laying out o f sch oo l gardens, etc.

A vacation course for teachers was held at the B asutoland H igh S ch oo l from the 26th June to the 7th July. The agricu ltural side o f the course was arranged by the Agricu ltural D epartm ent, and m em bers o f the S ta ff prepared and delivered lectures dealing w ith the su b jects com in g under their supervision.

T he Officials o f the E ducation D epartm ent and the Native S ch oo l M asters w ho attended the course greatly apprecia ted the help given. T w enty lectures and practica l dem onstrations were given on the fo llow in g su b jects :—

1. A n ti-so il erosion m easures and the in ter-depen d en ce of th e various measures.

2. M easures required to preven t soil exhaustion .3. A fforestation and the value o f trees in relation to live­

stock and agriculture, etc.4. V egetable gardens and fruit grow ing. T he econom ic

value and the e ffect o f these on the health o f the people, etc.

5. Crop produ ction and seed selection. T he e ffect o f varied crop farm ing on soil fertility , on the health o f the people and the econ om ic returns.

6 . L ivestock im provem en t— sheep, cattle and horses, w ith practica l dem onstrations.

REPORT ON WINTER ANI) SUMMER CEREAL EXPERIMENTAL WORK, GRASS PLOTS AND SEED MULTIPLICATION LANDS.

W IN TER CEREAL W O R K :W eather cond ition s th roughou t the season, from the poin t

o f view o f ra in fa ll, were generally very favourable for the p la n t­ing o f w heat, and extrem ely good results w ould have been obtained but for several heavy hail storm s early in N ovem ber and a severe and untim ely frost in the m iddle o f the sam e m onth.

Of the varieties o f im ported C anadian w heats, “ R elian ce,” “ R ed Bobs ” and “ Ceres ” appear generally to be the best types, particu larly from a poin t o f view o f yield and quality. W hile for quality only, “ R ew ard ” and “ G arnet ” present the best appearance.

SUMM ER CEREAL W O R K :The season was very favourable for the grow th o f m aize and

sorghum , as good rains were recorded th roughou t the grow ing season. Results from the earlier plantings, how ever, were a d ­versely affected by hail storm s and the late frost experienced during the first h a lf o f Novem ber.

Six new varieties o f sorghum from the B ech uanalan d P ro ­tectorate were tested. T hese were a com plete fa ilure as they proved very late m aturing, and are, th erefore , n o t suitable for grow th in th is territory.

GRASS PLO TS:No new varieties o f grasses w ere in trodu ced for testing

during the season under review. Paspalum n otatum , D igitaria scalarum and Setaria p h acelata continued to show prom ise. It is considered, however, that from an an ti-erosion p oin t o f view they are n ot likely to displace K ikuyu or C ynodon dactylon .

T he eight varieties o f M elilotus (sw eet clover) in troduced from C anada for trial, were p lanted .in beds on the new seed m u ltip lication land at the river and are m aking excellent and rapid growth.

REPORT ON THE GOVERNMENT SCHEME FOR THE SUPPLY OF SUPERPHOSPHATE TO THE NATIVES AT COST PRICE.

A lthough not as m any Natives as one w ould expect avail them selves o f the G overn m en t’s schem e fo r the buying of their requirem ents of fertilizer, m any are realising the beneficial results to be obtained from its use, and the am ount o f fertilizer used in the territory this season is m ore than double th a t o f last. Extensive propagan da is continu a lly carried ou t by the A gricu ltural O fficers and D em onstrators to persuade th e Native farm ers to buy m ore fertilizer.

Last season the A frican Explosives and Industries, Lim ited, don ated eight Silver Cups to be com peted for th rou gh ou t the territory fo r the best m anured p lot in each d istrict w h ich had received a dressing o f artificia l fertilizer. U n fortun ately , ow ing to lack o f su ffic ien t entries, it was on ly possible to h old com ­petitions at three centres during the report year, nam ely. Leribe. Peka and Teyateyaneng. T he other five cups w ill be com peted for during April, 1940.

T he prize -w in n in g fields at the three centres w here the com petition s took p lace w ere outstanding and w ere excellently m anaged.

A tota l o f 1,028 bags of Superphosphate was bought by the Basuto during the year 1938-39, as against 416 in 1937-38.

It is h igh ly sa tis factory to note th at the quantity o f super­phosphate purchased during th e period under review has increased by 612 bags on that o f the previous year.

PRODUCTION OF STRONG WHEAT IN BASUTOLAND:M ost o f the rem arks m ade under th is h eadin g in the Annual

R eport for 1938 continu e to apply.T he bulletin w h ich w as w ritten and published on the p r o ­

d u ction o f S tron g W heat in this territory, g iv ing the h istory of in trodu ction s and particu lars o f m illing and bak ing tests carried out by the Im peria l Institu te M illing C om panies and the

E lsen bu rg-Stellen bosch U niversity on a num ber o f local and in trodu ced varieties o f w heat, and also the h istory up to date o f all th a t the A dm in istration has done to im prove the quality o f B asutoland W heat, has stim ulated the interest in B asutoland w heat and has been w ell received.

T h e quality o f m uch o f the M anitoba w heat grow n during the period under review was undoubtedly high, m any first-class sam ples being seen. M anitoba w heat grow n in the M afeten g d istrict fe tch ed up to 2 1 / 6 per bag.

T he best o f the w heat varieties from Canada, in cluding “ R ed B obs,” “ R elian ce ,” “ G arnet,” “ Ceres ” and a South A frican variety know n as “ B ird proo f,” were grow n on an exten ­sive scale in the Seed M ultip lication P lots at M aseru, in order to use the seed produced for testing, on a large scale, the su ita ­bility o f these varieties in the higher altitudes o f Basutoland. U n fortun ately , ow ing to a very severe frost on the 25th N ovem ber, relatively little seed was secured, thus retarding for another year the w ork o f in troducing , on a w holesale scale, these w heats in to the h igh lying m ountain area. T h ere was a fa ir crop of M an itoba w heat (M arquis) grow n in a num ber o f d istricts in the territory. It is sa tisfactory to n ote th at there are to -d a y very m any grow ers o f M anitoba w heat besides those w ho have received G overnm ent issues o f seed. This w heat continues to be favou rab ly reported on. T he Natives say it is a very fair cropper, m atures earlier th an m ost varieties and th at it c o n ­tinues to resist rust better than m ost o th er varieties. In the Q hoalinyane district alone, th ere are fifty grow ers o f M an itoba w heat: w hilst in the M okh otlong d istrict there are 110 know n growers.

A crop o f 1,5725 bags o f M anitoba w heat was grow n in 1938-39 by Natives w ho had received G overnm ent issues o f seed. Full particu lars o f the grow th and issues o f M an itoba w heat appear in annexures A and B o f th is report.

Sam ples o f the C anadian w heats, together w ith “ B ird proof ” w heat, were sen t to the S.A. M illing C om pany for analysis. The results were outstanding, proving once again th at strong w heat o f excellent quality can be grow n in Basutoland. T h e protein co n te n t o f the C anadian varieties o f w heat grow n in B asutoland w ere, w ith the exception o f two, considerably h igher th an the results secured w hen these w heats were grow n in Canada.

Variety. M oisture. N itrogen.P roteincontent.

P rotein con ten t w hen received from Canada

Bushelw eight. G luten quality.

G arnet ..................................... 10.8 3.18 18.13 14.4 61 j lbs. E xceptionally tough.

M a r q u is ..................................... 11.6 2.89 16.48 14.5 61 „Very good. Very good.

R e w a r d ..................................... 10.8 3.22 18.35 16.4 62 „ Very strong, exce l­

H uron ..................................... 11.2 2.70 15.39 not available. 614 „lent.Very good.

Ceres ..................................... 11.6 2.58 14.71 15.3 62 „ Very good.

Red Bobs ................... 11.2 2.56 14.60 14.2 614 „ Very good.

Early R ed F y f e .................... 11.8 2.64 15.04 14.1 62f „ Very good.

B ird proof .......................... 11.6 2.44 13.90 A B asutoland variety. 60| „ T ou gh — good.

R uby ..................................... 11.8 3.02 17.20 15.4 62| „ Very good.

R e l ia n c e ..................................... 12.2 2.71 15.45 14.9 62 .. Very good.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL AGRICULTURAL

DEMONSTRATION WORK CARRIE!) OUT IN THE TERRITORY DURING 1938/39.

T h e dem onstration work carried out during the period under review w as outstanding, especially in con n ection w ith m aize and sorghum . T h e im provem en t was m ost n oticeab le where p lou gh in g and sow ing had been properly carried out under dem onstration m ethods, and where the crops had been properly cu ltivated and the land kept aerated and clean o f weeds. T he season was very w et during January and February, and w here h a n d -h o e in g had to be relied upon m any farm ers were unable to clean their lands, w ith disastrous results to the crops.

V ery little dam age was done by pests, w ith the exception o f a m inor attack o f m ealie stalk borer w h ich dam aged the later sow n bread m ealies.

T h ere were m any m ore w heat dem onstrations carried out in the low lands th an usual, and very fa ir crops were obtained.

T h e w ork o f the A gricu ltural D em on strators is increasing annually, and m uch usefu l w ork is undertaken by these m en. They are now devoting far m ore o f their tim e to the Vegetable G row ing C am paign, and this m ay be regarded as a very success­fu l part o f their duties as is proved by the num erous useful gardens seen all over the country. P articu lars o f th is cam paign appear later in th is report.

T he dem onstrators co -op era te in every possible w ay w ith the V eterinary D epartm ent, particu larly in con n ection w ith the e lim ination o f undesirable sires o f all types o f stock. Particu lars o f th is work appear in the V eterinary Section o f this report.

T he particu lars o f all dem onstration w ork carried out appear in tabu lated form in the annexures.

T he fo llow in g seeds were issued for dem onstration purposes during the Spring o f 1938.

Seventeen bags o f P eanuts distributed to the low land d em on ­strators, 36 bags o f Anveldt M aize, 11 bags o f D avid M akanya Sorghum , 7 bags o f Sw aziland C ross-bred Sorghum and 4 bags o f Sw aziland (Stra in 2).

Seed is issued to approved Native farm ers on th e u nder­standing th at a sim ilar am ount o f selected seed will be returned to the D istrict Agricu ltural O fficer after the harvest, for re-issue during the fo llow in g season. A fa ir return from the seed issued was obtained.

The A dm in istration is m ost anxious to im prove the d iet of the Natives, and, in order to foster th is schem e, has inaugurated com petition s and is g iving prizes to encourage the fo llo w in g :—

(1) The im provem en t and the increased production o f field crops, such as m aize, sorghum , wheat, standard legum es and heavy oil bearing legum es, e.g., peanuts. T h e A dm in istration holds com petition s for the best lands o f the above cereals. The grow th o f beans and peas is encouraged in every possible way. D uring the last few years the grow th o f peas Ifes increased rapid ly in the m ountain districts. Fresh, in troductions o f peanuts are m ade annually. T hese nuts are relished by the Basuto and are grow n chiefly as a garden crop. U n fortun ately the period of the grow th o f peanuts is long, and unless they can be planted

early they do n ot m ature before the adven t o f the frost. I t w as very satisfactory to see a num ber o f good exhib its in the classes for peanuts at the various shows.

(2) T he better a ll-rou n d m ethods o f cu ltivation o f the ch ie f crops grow n in the territory. C om petitions for the best cu lt i­vated lands are held annually.

(3) T h e grow th o f a greater range o f crops, especially legum es. Pea and bean seeds have been issued and advice is continu ally being given, especially by the m ou n tain d em on ­strators, to increase th e grow th o f peas and to use these in rotation w ith wheat.

(4) Native agriculturalists to grow pure strains o f the various crops and to select good seed and becom e seedsm en them selves. The G overnm ent has bou ght p ractica lly all its re ­quirem ents for the com in g season o f sorghum , m aize and w heat seed, d irect from Native growers. T he dem onstrators also advise people, w ho wish to buy seed, w here their requirem ents can be m et.

T h e com petition s were divided under three headings, these being m ade up as follows':.-—

Class A.— T he free d istribution o f seed u nder certa in co n d i­tions, viz.: Seeds are issued free w hen the G overnm ent w ishes to in troduce a n ew crop, such as peanuts, or to en courage a new venture, such as vegetable gardening. F or the last three years a free issue o f these seeds has been m ade and th is has been m u ch apprecia ted by the Basuto.

Class B.— Sm all cash prizes were aw arded for Field C om peti­tions. These covered all operations in the p rodu ction o f the ch ie f crops.

A first prize o f £ 1 and a second prize o f 1 0 /- were given for the best m anaged spring sown field, such as m aize or sorghum , if 15 or m ore fields w ere show n in each group. S im ilar prizes were given in the low lands for autum n sown crops, such as w heat, etc. In the m ountain d istricts there was on ly on e class, as all the crops, in cluding w heat and m aize, w ere spring sown.

G reat keenness w as show n in these com petitions. A large num ber o f the entries show ed first-class m anagem ent th rou g h ­out. In som e instances the ow ners had either bou ght super­ph osph ate or m anured their lands w ith kraal m anure. E xcellent crops o f m aize and sorghum were reaped on m ost o f the lands entered.

Class B. (S u b-class I) (L ow lan ds).— S pring sown crops (W h eat). T here were entries from 14 dem onstration centres. T h ree hundred and fifty -fiv e fields were show n and £ 1 9 5s. Od. was aw arded in prize m oney.

Class B. (S u b-class II) (L ow lan ds). Autum n sown crops (W h eat). Entries w ere received from 12 dem onstration centres. N in ety -fou r fields were show n, and £ 1 4 aw arded in prize m oney. Som e excellent fields o f w heat were show n. Som e o f the prize w in n in g fields had been m anured w ith su perphosphate (200 lb. per acre) and had been planted early and grazed off several tim es w ith sheep. ^

Class B. (S u b -c la s j^ ff 'i . (flffluntain d istricts), (W heat, m aize and kaffir corn ). One entry was received from one d em on stra ­tion area in the M okh otlong d istrict. Seventeen fields were show n and £ 1 10s. Od. aw arded in prize m oney.

Class C.— Field C om petitions for the p roduction o f h igh class seed.

Entries w ere received for th is class from three dem onstration centres. S ix ty -e ig h t fields were show n and £ 6 was expended in prize m oney. Som e excellent fields o f m aize were show n in th is class, but all the prizes were w on by N atives show ing fields o f M anitoba wheat, w nich was o f a very h ig h quality. W heat show n in this com petition afterw ards secured prizes at the A gricu ltural Shows.

T ota l prize m oney expended in the 1938-39 Crop C om petitions was £ 4 0 15s. Od.

Full particu lars o f the Crop C om petitions and the scale o f poin ts to be used w hen ju d g in g the p lots, etc., appeared in the Annual R eport for 1938.

VEGETABLE GARDENING AND FRUIT CULTURE.T he G overn m en t’s cam paign to encourage the B asuto to

lay out terraced vegetable gardens in their villages, w ith the provision o f w ater conservation schem es and com post pits, is m eeting w ith great success. Everyw here in the territory one n ow sees w ell la id out gardens. Even w here there are no d em on ­strators stationed the people have profited by w hat they have seen elsew here and have started vegetable gardening on their ow n. There are m any w ho have beautifu l gardens although these were n ot la id out under G overnm ent advice. It is d ifficu lt to estim ate the num ber o f such gardens, but at the present tim e there m ust be at least 3,000.

T h e appoin tm en t in M ay, 1939, o f e ight new dem onstrators w ho have been station ed w here their services are m ost required will help forw ard this p ro ject rapidly.

The A dm in istration is en cou raging the p roduction o f vege­tables and fru it fo r the fo llow in g pu rposes:—

>1) T o obtain as m uch food as possible from a sm all area o f ground.

(2) T o provide a change and a better d iet for the nation .(3) As an an ti-erosion m easure.(4) T o teach the Native th at m u ch food can be obta in ed

from apparently denuded useless ground in the villages i f th is ground is properly terraced.

These schem es were fu lly dealt w ith in the Annual R eport for 1938.

The fo llow in g vegetable seeds were given to all dem onstrators for free issue to people starting gard en s :—

74 lb. Lucerne, 4-J lb. Cabbage, 2i lb. Cauliflow er, 5f lb. Carrot, 3| lb. O nion, 5J lb. Swiss Chard, 8 f lb. Sw ede T urnips, 2J lb. T om ato and I 4 lb. H ubbard Squash.

These were issued in the spring o f 1938-39.It has been decided th at no issue o f free seed w ill be m ade

to Natives w hose gardens were started m ore th an three years ago. T he people w ho have old -establish ed gardens are jo in in g togeth er and buying seeds and fen cin g m aterial co -op era tive ly th rough their respective Agricu ltural Associations.

Lucerne p lantin g on the terrace banks in the vegetable gardens is becom ing quite a feature, and this crop is m ost useful for stock feed and for hum an consum ption as sp in a ch in the young stage.

C om petitions were held all over the territory for the best laid out vegetable gardens w hich were provided w ith a w ater supply and facilities for the m aking o f com post. Full particu lars and a scale o f poin ts for ju d g in g these com petition s are given in the Annual R eport for 1937.

T h e ju dg in g o f the various entries was an in teresting but arduous undertaking, as so m any o f them were o f a very h igh standard and so nearly equal.

The com petition was divided in to tw o classes, v iz.: Class 1, for villages and A gricu ltural A ssociations entering at least 10 and under 20 gardens. Class 2, for those entering over 20 gardens.

T here were 957 gardens show n under Class 1 and 1.976 under Class 2, m aking the tota l num ber o f gardens show n in the 1938-39 com petition 2,933, out o f the tota l o f 3,999. as against 1.625 show n in 1937-38.

An am oun t o f £ 9 1 5s. Od. was pa id out in prize m oney for the 1938-39 V egetable G arden C om petitions.

List of Vegetable and Fruit Gardens in the Territory up to the 30 th September, 1939, and in previous years.

No. of Increasegardens No. o f No. of No. of from

D istrict. worked gardens gardens gardens previous1935/36 1936/37 1937/38 1938/39 year.

M aseru 177 456 795 950 155M afeten g 192 317 523 576 53M oha le ’s Hoek 114 186 199 333 134Q uthing 33 90 237 315 78Teyateyaneng 50 57 83 148 65Leribe, B utha

Buthe & Peka 131 279 555 1.009 454Q ach a ’s Nek 125 339 485 580 95M okhotlong 15 50 50 88 38

Totals .. 837 1,774 2,927 3,999 1.072It w ill be n oted from the above tabu lated list th at th ere

were, on the 1st O ctober, 1938, 2,927 properly la id out vegetable gardens w h ich had been established under th e advice and help o f the A gricu ltural D epartm ent. At the end o f Septem ber, 1939. there w ere 3,999, an increase o f 1,072, w hich Is very sa tisfactory . As has already been stated, it is estim ated th at there are at least an additiona l 3,000 gardens in the territory w hich have been la id out w ithout the assistance o f the D em onstrators.

Fruit trees, chiefly peaches, raised from seed in the G overn ­m ent nurseries, and also a sm all num ber o f grape vines struck from cuttings, were issued in the late w inter as a sm all rew ard to those Natives w ho had carried out the D epartm en t’s advice w hen laying out their gardens, and w ho had also carried out the proper w inter cu ltivation operations. A num ber o f pea ch trees have also been p lanted on the contour banks w h ich have been erected as p a rt o f the an ti-so il erosion cam paign.

Eleven thousand eight h undred and e igh ty -e igh t p each trees and 471 vines w ere d istributed to ow ners o f vegetable gardens, and 4,600 peach trees were p lanted on the contours. Tw elve and a h a lf bags o f peach pips were issued for grow th in the nurseries.

M arkets fo r the disposal o f surplus vegetables are held regularly at Leribe, T eyateyaneng, M aseru and M afeteng .

M arkets are also held from tim e to tim e at B utha Buthe, M ohale ’s H oek and Q uthing.

G ood m arket shelters exist at Leribe and M afeteng , and an exce llen t m arket bu ild ing is in process o f erection at M aseru.

Very fa ir prices have been obtained for vegetables at the various m arkets during the period under review. T he provision o f m arkets, and the decision o f the A dm in istration to buy d irect from Native gardeners the vegetables required fo r gaol rations th roughou t the territory and also, in the M aseru district, the Leper S ettlem en t’s requirem ents, have greatly stim ulated the grow th o f vegetables. A rrangem ents were m ade w hereby th e various G ardening Associations took it in turn to supply the vegetables.

T h e price paid by the G overnm ent for vegetables w as: l id . per lb. for cabbages and 2d. per lb. for root crops. T h irteen thousand seven hundred and two lbs. o f vegetables were supplied to the G overnm ent by the m em bers of the M aseru G ardening A ssociations, and the sum o f £ 8 4 14s. 6d. was paid out to the various m em bers; £ 3 6 16s. 4d. was paid out to m em bers o f the Leribe Associations.

T h e vegetable classes at the various shows were w ell p a t ­ronised, and this section was one o f the best. M any o f the exh ib its were o f a h igh order o f merit.PROTECTION OF THE FLORA AND FAUNA OF BASUTOLAND.

T he protection o f the A loe P olyph ylla and d ifferen t varieties o f the G ladiola a fforded by the R esident C om m issioner’s N otice o f the 20th Septem ber, 1938, w hich appeared in the O fficia l G azette 1958. dated the 30th Septem ber, 1938, has stopped the export o f these flora except by perm it. A survey w as carried out o f the know n habitats o f the Aloe Polyphylla in order to ascerta in roughly the num ber o f these aloes w hich still exist. It was estim ated that there were approxim ately 750 specim ens. Added to th is num ber are a fu rther 250 specim ens w hich have been grow n from seed by a trader in the M aseru D istrict. Export o f the la tter is allow ed only under perm its issued by the R esident C om m issioner.PUBLICATIONS:

(1) W inter Cereals In terim R eport. By Mr. H. C. M undell, (2) Sum m er Cereals, Grasses, TreesA gricu ltural and L ive - In terim R e p o r t ..............................stock O fficer.

PART III.FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

REVENUE: EXPEN DITU RE:Nil. £10,099 15s. lOd.

T h e period covered by this report is from the 1st O ctober, 1938, to the 30th Septem ber, 1939, w hile the F in an cia l year is from the 1st April, 1939, to the 31st M arch, 1940.

PART IV.CONCLUSION.

I w ish to tender m y sincere thanks to m y staff and colleagues for their assistance and loyal co -op era tion th roughou t the year.

(Sgd.) L. F. WACHER.Agricu ltural O fficer.

IMPORTED MANITOBA WHEAT ISSUES AND RETURNS, ETC..1938/1939.

(ANNEXURE A.)

M aseru 49 49 *49 47 3139 47

M afeten g 41 41 82 77-i 614

M oh a le ’s H oek 321 *294 59 394 219* — 39-J

— 1194

No M antioba w heat was issued in the low lands for the 1938- 1939 crop, as the previous crop w as an entire failure. T h e results given are from

the Setleketseng.* A llow ed to give back one bag for one

issued.

A good crop was grow n in the M a fe ­teng district, m u ch o f

it excellent quality. '"Includes 13 bags at M afeten g n o t issued the year before and 29 bags returned in the Falls area. No particu lars are avail­able o f crops reaped, as the dem onstrator kept no records.

*3 bags 50 lbs. de­stroyed by m ice. A fa ir crop o f w heat was obta in ed in th is

district.

Carried 1 i IForw ard 122} 1119| 190 164 11,147g — i 206

(C ontinued N ext Page.)

IMPORTED MANITOBA WHEAT ISSUES AND RETURNS, ETC.(ANNEXURE A C ontinued .)

________ ( Continued from Previous Page.)__________________

District.

£ OJ MHH y—i t> &D

c3

GO dsCO COC i CO

M ’

CO2 O i

r - i

CS rd r n< 1 1 a>. o w °

• H 0s c : T " pHo <M • 2 0 1 —

~ ^-ei-t

" a ,—c G c J-i c

O 0Q O r r O pj « ]

S ^ 3 o

< J§ •Sj.i's

Q uthing

T eyateyan en g

Leribe (in clu d in g su b-d istricts o f Peka and Butha B uthe)

84

Q ach a ’s Nek (in clud ing su b-d istrict o f M okh otlong)

Totals.

60s

B roughtForw ard 1223 1194

55'

21 19J 38 i

— Oris3 «:

T3 .S 3 * -

X u O' — « ^ > — oo ■” » rr' <r. Off

—K o - u . £ ro C

190 164 11,14741

27i 201

17 14), 37

111 674 182

2153 2051- 3624 275* 1.5723

Rem arks.

206

284 cn +3 CD O

' 5 ^ 2i—I OD QJ

C ,Q «1in

A fa ir crop o f M an i­toba w heat w as grow n

in th is district.

The M an itoba w heat 2 crop was poor in th is

district.

No M anitoba w heat was grow n in the

144 Leribe dem onstration area. T he crop grow n in the Peka & B utha B uthe area was poor.

A fa ir crop was reaped. U n fortu n ate ­ly the entire crop in the dem onstration area o f Q ach a ’s Nek was destroyed by hail, and th at in the

_ ^ § M ashai d istrict was « seriously dam aged.

72ibec* ^I s -.S S ’d

A total o f 1.572J bags w as harvested from l,053f bags sow n, and 3204 bags were returned to the G overnm ent for re-issue. A lthough poor, the return o f 7.64 bags from one sow n is m uch better th an last season ’s return, viz.: 2.95 to the one sown.

U nit o f m easure for w heat is— 1 bag = 200 lb. T h e m a jority o f the bags harvested were w hat are know n as “ m ach in e filled bags.” w hich , in the case o f M anitoba w heat, average 250 lb. ~er bag.

THE 1938/39 ISSUE OF MANITOBA WHEAT RETURNED TO THE GOVERNMENT BY PRODUCERS IN 1939, PLUS MANITOBA AND SPRING WHEAT GROWN ON SEED MULTIPLICATION

PLOTS.(ANNEXURE B.)

D istrict.

Am

ount

re

turn

ed

from

19

38-3

9 is

sue,

pl

us

seed

on

hand

fro

m pr

evio

us

seas

on.

Am

ount

of

seed

gr

own

on m

ulti

plic

atio

n pl

ots

for

re-i

ssue

.

Total. Rem arks.

M aseru 47 47Re - issued in the D em onstration area^

where produced.

M afeten g 1194 — 1194 D itto.

M ohale 's Hoek 39J .03

394 Ditto.

Q uthing 281- j§ — 284 Ditto.

T eyateyan en g 2 3 §

— 2 Ditto.

Leribe ( including sub-d istricts o f Peka and Butha B u th e-)

■s

144 ^ 14i Ditto.

D acha ’s Nek (in clud ing su b-d istrict o f M okh otlong )

724 724 Ditto.

Demonstration Plots. Native worked or CheckPlots.

District.Variety. No. of

P lots.

Y ield Acreage per acre

in bags.No. of P lots.

A creageY ield

per acre in bags.

Rem arks.

M aseru M ostly M anitoba Taalberg, W ol- koren. Red E gyptian and B ontaar.

43 130 3 42 140 1.5 T he w heat crop in the low lands o f th e M aseru d istrict was fair w hile th at in the sem i-m ou n tain districts was n ot up to ex p ecta ­tions due to rust caused by hail

and excessive m oisture.

M afeten g Chiefly M an i­toba, W olkoren and U nion 52 and 27.

37 146 3.1 15 48 1.8 The w heat crop was good in the M afeten g district.

M ch a le ’s H oek M anitoba and B asuto m ixed w heat.

39 86 2 76 220 1.7 T w enty M an itoba w heat plots in the M pharane district. The w heat crop was fa ir in this

district.

Q uthing M anitoba, U nion 17 and Red Egyptian.

35 78.25 3.2 47 114 1 T he w heat crop w as fa ir in the low lands and good in the h ig h ­

lands o f the Q uthing district.

Demonstration Plots. Native worked or CheckPlots.

District.Variety. No. o f

P lots.Acreage

Y ield per acre; in bags.;

No. of Plots.

Y ield Acreage per acre

in bags.

Q ach a ’s Nek (in clu d in g su b -d istrict of M okh otlon g )

M ostly M anitoba 23 47.5 5.4 19 38.5 3.6 The w heat crop was good in the Q acha 's Nek d istrict, except round Q acha 's Nek and M ashai, w here great dam age w as done

by h ail and untim ely frost.

T eyateyaneng M anitoba. 8 18 1.4 8 27.5 1.5 W heat crop in th is d istrict not as good as in the previous year.

Leribe (in clu d in g su b-d istricts o f Peka and B utha B uthe)

M an itoba and Basuto m ixed wheat.

39 118 3.1 14 40 2.2 T here w as p ractica lly n o w heat grcw n in the Leribe dem onstra­tion area. A good crop w as ob ­tained in the P eka and B utha B uthe su b-d istricts . T h ere were 22 p lots o f M anitoba w heat

grow n at Peka.

T here were 20 plots w hich w ere com plete fa ilures in the W heat dem onstration w ork, com prising an area o f 50.5 acres. T h e m ain causes o f these failures were h ail and u ntim ely frosts w hen the w heat was bloom ing.

WHEAT DEMONSTRATION PLOTS AT MISSIONS. _________ (Results given in bags of 200 lb.)___________

No. o f Plots. Variety.

T ota lacreage.

Y ield per acre

Rem arks.

1 M anitoua 2 3.5 G row n at R om a after Potatoes.

1 RedEgyptian

6.75 2.75 G row n at Leloaleng.

All w heat sown in D em onstration P lots is treated, prior to being sown, w ith Copper C arbonate or Copper Sulphate as a preventive against smut. G ood results have always been obtained from these treatm ents.

The N atives in the low lands treat their w heat seed, as a preventive against sm ut, to a m u ch larger extent th an those in the m ou n tain districts, and it is m ost n oticeab le how m uch m ore w heat in the m ountain districts is a ffected by th is disease. It is hoped to encourage m ore people to treat their seed.

MAIZE DEMONSTRATION PLOTS, SEASON 1938/39. (Results given in bags of 200 lb.)

(ANNEXURE D.)

District.

DemonstrationPlots.

hoaCD

Native worked or Check Plots.

CDbfl

CD

Q.S •Pen mbeT3 OJ ca o - °

IT!Rem arks.

Maseru 31 104

M afeten g

5.9 34 113 2.3

14 45.5 4.1 26.5 2.9

T h e m aize crop at the tw o dem on stra ­tion centres in th e m ountains was an e n ­tire fa ilure due to frost and snow in November. A fa ir crop was reaped in the low lands w here the land was properly

cultivated.

No m aize dem onstra­tion p l o t s w e r e planted in the S e- m onkong area. The m aize crop was bad in the M olom o ’s Hoek area, and less m aize t h a n u s u a l was p lanted in the M a fe ­teng d istrict ow ing to the larger area

planted to wheat.

M ohale's Hoek 27 57.5 2.6 I 30 108.5 1.2 T he m aize crop w as v e r y bad in the M pharane d istrict ow ing to dam age by frost. A fa ir crop was reaped in the low land portion s o f the dis­

trict.

Quthino 37 154 4.3 43 135.25 2.7 A fa ir crop o f m aize was obtained. T here were s e v e r a l ou t­stan d in g m aize de­m on stration p lots in this d istrict. O ne p lot yielded 15 bags from

1.25 acres.

T eyateyan en g 12 5.7 10 5.4 T he sm all num ber of m aize dem onstration plots w orked in th is area is due to the dem onstrator being

dism issed.

Q ach a ’s Nek (in clud ing su b-d istrict o f M okh otlong)

41 161.5 5.4 38 86.25 2.03 T he m aize crop was alm ost a fa ilure in the M ashai and M ok ­h otlon g areas due to frost, but ou tstan d­ing crops were reaped in som e o f the other areas, especially S e -

forong .

Leribe (in clud ing sub-d istricts of Peka and Butha Buthe >

76 212.5 5.9 33 82 2.1 T he m aize crop was poor in the Leribe district but m u ch better in the sub­districts o f P eka and

B utha Buthe.

T h e m a jority o f the m aize dem onstration w ork w as o u t­standing, som e o f the plots g iving a y ield of up to 10 bags an acre. T here were, how ever, 38 plots, com prising an area o f 96 £ acres, w hich w ere com plete failures in the m aize dem onstration work. M ost o f these p lots were situated in the foo th ill country and the fa ilure was due to a very severe frost on the 25th N ovem ber, 1938, and to early frosts in M arch , 1939.

MAIZE DEMONSTRATION PLOTS AT MISSIONS, SEASON 1938/39.

District.

DemonstrationPlots.

Native worked or Check Plots.

R em arksN

o.

of

Plo

ts.

Acr

eage

.

Yield

pe

r ac

re

in i

bags

.

No.

of

Plo

ts.

Acr

eage

.

lYie'

ld

per

acre

in

ba

gs.

I R om a 5 23.75 7.7 6 18.5 3 These plots were wellMa.seru-I cu ltivated and all the

i M ori j a 1 4 ____ ____ — — . plots received 20 0 lbsuperphosphate peracre. Cut for silage.An excellent crop but

too late to m ature.

SORGHUM DEMONSTRATION PLOTS, SEASON 1938/39. (Results given in bags of 200 lb.)

ANNEXURE E.

DemonstrationPlots.

Native worked or Check Plots.

D istrict.

No.

of

Plo

ts.

Acr

eage

.

Yield

pe

ri

acre

in

ba

gs.

1

No.

of

Plo

ts.

Acr

eage

.

Yiel

d pe

r ac

re

in

bags

.

M aseru 7 18 4.2 6 14.5 2.7 The sorghum crop in the sem i - m ou n taindem onstration areas was a com plete fa i l­ure. A fa ir crop was reaped in the low ­

lands.

T eyateyan en g No sorghum dem on ­stration plots were planted in this area ow ing to the dis­missal o f the dem on ­

strator.

Leribe(in clu d in g the su b-d istricts o f Peka and B utha B uthe)

18 49 6 2 3 8 No sorghum plots in the Leribe dem on ­stration areas. E xcel­lent results w ere obtained from the dem onstration plots at Peka and B utha

Buthe.

M afeteng No sorghu m dem on ­stration plots in th is

area.

M ohale ’s Hoek 9 10 1.8 9 33 1 M ost o f the sorghum plots w ere at M ph ar- ane a n d su ffered serious dam age from

frost.

Q uthing 16 66.25 3.6 16 62.25 2 T he sorghhum crop was fa ir in the low ­lands o f the Q uthing d istrict, but poor in the h igher country.

Q ach a ’s Nek 19 42.75 7 19 46 2.3 A good crop o f sor­ghum was grow n in the O range R iver va l­ley. N earer Q ach a ’s Nek the crop was

killed by frost.

M okh otlong ) — — — -— — — A sm all am oun t o fsorghum grow n in the O range R iver valley. All d em onstration plots were tota l fa i l­ures due to frost In

Novem ber.

T here were 17 plots, com prising an area o f 32 acres, w hich were com plete failures in the Sorghum dem onstration work. The reason for these failures was the heavy frost w hich occu rred on the 25th N ovem ber, 1938.

POTATO, PEA, RYE AND BEAN DEMONSTRATION PLOTS, SEASON 1938/39.

ANNEXURE F. ____________

Crop.

Potatoes

Variety.

Chiefly Lord R oberts up to date.

™ " ’ .....y ie ldNo. o f Acreage, per acre P lots. in bags.

6 7.75 44.7

Rem arks

T he fo llow in g are the results o f the actual p otato dem onstration plots. M ore potatoes are b e i n g grown, chiefly in gardens. A record c r o p was grow n at R om a, 250 bags on 2 acres. T h is land received a good dressing o f k r a a l m anure and 200 lb. o f

superphosphate.

Peas Chiefly Basuto yellow peas and one plot o f B lack eyed Susan.

4 5 4.66 These pea d em on ­stration plots w ere all p lanted in the low lands a n d t h e crop reaped was a

very fa ir one.

Beans

Oats

Cowpeas, Seven Year Beans and Canadian W onder.

Algerian.

21

2.5

3.06 The season was n ot a good one fo r beans. G reat dam age was done to the blossom by the C.M.R. beetle. The excessive ra in fa ll in January and_ F eb ­ruary also seriously dam aged the p lants. T h e l a r g e s t crop reaped was 5.75 bags per acre o f Seven Y ear Beans at L eloa -

! leng.

2.000bundles.

B eans and Peas U nit o f M easure: A bag — 200 lb.P otatoes U nit o f M easure: A bag = 150 lb.

T h e pea crop was very good in the m ountain districts, but u n fortu n ately there were n o pea dem onstration p lots in th es® areas. Th ere w as a fa ir crop o f peas in the low lands, and alt th e dem onstration plots were situated here. A num ber ot sm all issues o f peas and beans were m ade to Native gardeners, and fa ir crops o f the Seven Y ear B eans w ere obtained. At the present tim e far m ore beans are grow n in gardens th a n in field plots.

H eavy yields are obtained, as under good condition s the p lant flow ers about three tim es during the season.

T h e Native farm er is grow ing potatoes on a m uch larger scale than ever before. These are being grow n in field plots as well as in the gardens. At M ohale ’s Hoek the Agricu ltural O fficer secured 15 bags o f seed potatoes for sale chiefly to m em ­bers o f the various G ardening A ssociations in his district. ANNEXURE G.

COMPARATIVE M A M RIAI. TRIALS, 1938/39.Results given in bags of 200 lb.

M AIZE:Superphosphate.

F ifteen acre plots o f maize, laid dow n on all types o f ground throughout the territory, were m anured at the rate o f 2 0 0 lb. o f Superphosphate per acre and average 6.5 bags per acre.

Sorghum: One s ix -a cre p lot o f sorghum , m anured at the sam e rate as the m aize, yielded five bags per acre, while n o n ­m anured check plots yielded three bags per acre.

Wheat: One tw o-acre p lot o f w heat m anured at the rate o f 200 lb. o f superphosphate per acre, yielded 4.5 bags per acre. T he check p lot in the same field yielded three bags per acre.

Maize: Eleven plots o f 43.75 acres, at the various m issions, were m anured at the rate o f 200 lb. o f superphosphate per acre and average 8.4 bags per acre. T h irteen check plots o f 22 acres yielded 5.7 bags.

Kraal Manure: A field o f acres m anured at the rate o f 10 tons per acre yielded 9.6 bags per acre. T he acre check p lot unm anured produced 2.7 bags per acre.

Kraal Ash: Five ten acre plots o f m aize received a dressing o f K raal Ash, varying from 3,000 to 5.000 lb. T h e average yield was five bags per acre. One acre o f potatoes p lanted on very poor land, a fter receiving a heavy dressing o f kraal ash, produced 26 bags.

No Manure: Fourteen check plots o f 30 acres of m aize yielded 2.6 bags per acre. (T hese are the check plots to the 15 plots m en tioned in paragraph 1 .)

T he average production per acre, w ith the exception o f the yields o f m ission plots, are greater than last year. T h is is accounted for by the fa c t that all the plots were w ell cu ltivated and kept clean o f weeds. All lands w hich were so treated p ro ­duced better crops th an last season.

ENGINEERING SECTION.

A N T I-SO IL EROSION AND IR R IG A TIO N W ORKS.

PART I.

STAFF ANI) ORGANIZATION.

(1) STAFF:E. R. R oberts, B.Sc., C ivil Engineer:W. K. H udson, Surveyor.Mr. H udson, w ho w as seconded in July, 1937, returned to the

P ublic W orks D epartm ent in July o f th is year as Surveyor o f Bridle Paths.

T he n am es o f the eight Agricu ltural and Livestock Officers w ho are in charge o f all an ti-so il erosion operations in the field, and the Staff changes w hich have been m ade during the year, are recorded in the A gricu ltural O fficer’s report.

T he A gricu ltural and L ivestock Officer. Peka. Mr. F. O. A. W ande, w as appoin ted during the year as R elieving Officer. Mr. W ande fills the vacan cy created by the Surveyor’s transfer to the Public W orks D epartm ent.

Mr. I. L. Chard, w ho was appointed Agricu ltural and L ive­stock Officer in Septem ber, is at present stationed at M aseru, but w ill proceed to Peka to take over the T eyateyaneng D istrict w hen the R elieving Officer is transferred to M aseru.

(2) O RG AN ISATIO N :No essential change has been m ade during the year in the

general organ isation originally outlined in the report for the year ended 30th Septem ber. 1937.

T he R elieving Officer, w ho has becom e proficient in the use o f the tacheom eter. w ill be closely con n ected w ith the activities o f the E ngineer's Office.

All field officers are now capable o f m aking sim ple contour surveys w ith the D um py Level fitted w ith a horizonta l circle. S uch surveys, w hen decid ing on the relative value o f alternative dam sites, have proved o f considerable value.

D uring the year a R elieving Forem an was appoin ted to take over from forem en proceed ing on leave, as it w as found ineffi­cient to run a labour gang, even for a short period, w ithout a European forem an in charge.

T he train ing o f forem en in the various aspects o f the work w as continu ed during the year, and at the end o f Septem ber nine forem en had been prom oted to the h igher w age scale on account o f their efficiency in the use o f the level, in keeping the requisite books, in dam and terrace con stru ction and in all other phases o f soil conservation w ork in th is territory.

PART II.

ANTI-EROSION WORK, PLANT AND GENERAL.

W O RK DONE.<1) Area Terraced and Terrace Bank Constructed.

T he follow ing table gives the area recla im ed by terracing and the length o f terrace bank com pleted in each district during the year.

Area te rra ce d : L ength o f terraceDistrict. in acres. com pleted

in yards.

B utha Buthe ...................... 664 90,950L e r i b e ..................................... 1,006 138.500T e y a te y a n e n g ..................... 3,667 435,190Maseru (Reserve) 183 31.290M aseru (P ack Saddle) . . 1,293 101,910M aseru (M atsieng) .. .. 2,461 256,520M a f e t e n g .............................. 2,746 259.100M ohale ’s H o e k .................. 1,727 180,990Q u t h in g ................................. 606 68,610

T o t a l ................................ 14.353 1,563,060

T he am ount o f work com pleted in each district during the year was resultant on the period and cond ition s o f w orking, the date o f acquisition o f suitable pow er plant, the supply o f labour,etc.

(a) Area Terraced.Area terraced during the y e a r ..................... 14,353 acres.Area previously t e r r a c e d ................................... 27,556 acres.

T ota l area t e r r a c e d .................................... 41,909 acres.The figures given represent the actual area recla im ed by

terracing and do not include the very considerable areas below the works, w hich are safeguarded from erosion by the terrace system s constructed sbove.

Over fifty per cent, o f the area reclaim ed during the year lay below fast, rocky catchm ents w hich necessitated the con ­struction o f heavy and costly in tercepting works above the areas terraced.

All the areas w orked suffered from sheet and gully erosion. Two sm all areas were so severely eroded th at it is doubtful w hether the actual value o f the land w arranted the h igh expen­diture involved ;n reclam ation . There can be no question, h ow ­ever, that these areas are o f inestim able value in dem onstrating to the people the benefits o f the work, and in this w ay obta in ­ing the goodw ill and co -opera tion o f the Native landholders, w hich is so vital to the sm ooth execution o f the soil conserva­tion program m e.

(b) Length of terrace bank constructed.L ength o f terrace bank constructed ^ ^

during the y e a r .....................................L en gth o f terrace bank previously cor yards,

s t r u c t e d ....................................................... 'T ota l len gth o f bank constructed 4.500,640 yards.

s i ^ f f S a t gully crossings by scrapers

Over 1,900,000 cub ic yards of e a r th ™ as ™ov ®'£ “ o f^ e r r a c e ing ? h 3 1,563,060 y „ £ ^ s p e r t o e a r

J2S fJewasdue 2 S'-Si C T a n d f o f ^ r d f ^ yT n V a ^ h t r ^ d ^ S ^ e f ^ S o r ^ f b l e terrace than

hlU T h e ' dim ensions of the t e r r a c e standardised as being the m ost suitable under existing conditions, are. ft ln

14 0Base w i d t h ............................................................ . ' ' " .H eight at centre (above orig inal ground leve . . ^W idth of upper f u r r o w ................................................... ; ()W id th o f low er f u r r o w ..................................................T he value o f a clean, wide, upper furrow and gently sloping

» ___ _^ vnnootpHIvlilt: vaiuc wx c* ---- . .

bank has been proved repeatedly.

a i o u ^ e a r s . '

(c) Unit costs. .Area: T he m ean unit cost o f all an tl'% 0nn°^hYiifnEs°p er

p leted in the territory during the year was 15.95 shillings per

T h is figure includes supervision and running costs o f P°w er P'lani tree_pianting, dam con stru c- J im °"tcT ta t 'ex c lu d es oveSe.d 'departm ental expenditure and deprecia tion on plant and equipm ent.

expenditure that w as necessary Qf the considerable

a m o u S r S wo0rkeddoneeain tree -p la n tin g and fen cin g during the

year' Terraces. T he m ean unit costs for the to ta l length o f terrace com pleted during the year w ere.

8 12 sh illings per 100 yards o f com pleted terrace.0 67 shillings per 10 cub ic yards o f earth shifted.

by officers, transport expenses and overhead departm ental expenses.

T rain ing banks are included in the ca lcu lation o f unit costs o f terraces.

T he m ean unit costs o f terrace con struction show such an appreciable reduction over those for previous years. T h e red u c­tion in w orking costs is due to the increased experience of officers, resulting in m ore efficient organisation o f labour and o f constru ction o f terraces by plant.

(2) Weirs.N um ber o f weirs constructed during the year: 1 .As stated in last year ’s report, the constru ction o f weirs,

w hether o f m asonry, stone in wire, or concrete , is n ot favoured unless no p ractica l alternative exists. This applies to structures for the disposal o f excess w ater from terrace system s in to m ain drainage lines.

In on ly one case th is year was the constru ction o f a w eir considered necessary. T h is structure is o f stone in w ire and is situated across the gully at the in let o f the large dam con ­structed last year to irrigate the additiona l m u ltip lication plots on the M aseru Reserve. The purpose o f the w eir is to divert the flood w aters over pasture before entering the dam , and thus to m inim ise silting, w hich , previous to constru ction o f the w eir was rapid.

As regards the disposal into selected drainage lines o f excess w ater from terrace system s or o f flood w aters from dams, m asonry and concrete structures have been superseded by grass in lets w hich can be established at a fra ction o f the in itia l cost and are easily m aintained.

(3) Grass Inlets and Meadow Strips.N um ber o f grass in lets constructed during the year: 26.Num ber o f m eadow strips established during the year: 3.C onstruction o f grass in lets w as continued on the general

lines m en tioned in the previous report.T he use o f grass instead o f stone continues to prove suc­

cessfu l w hen constructin g a m eans o f disposing o f excess w ater from terrace systems. In lets w h ich have been established for three years and have had to w ithstand considerable velocities o f w ater, h ave resisted the strain rem arkably well, and little m a in ten an ce has been necessary. In one instance, fo r a short period a grass in let successfu lly h an dled w ater w ith an esti­m ated m axim um velocity o f 18 ft ./se c .

It th erefore appears th at a correctly constructed grass inlet is an efficient, perm anent disposal m easure, w ith a greater fa ctor o f sa fety th an w as at first thought. F or the in let to be p er ­m anent, how ever, the dense vegetative cover m ust be m a in ­tained. M any o f the in lets constructed during the year were fertilized in order to accelerate the th orough establishm ent of the grass cover.

In general, K ikuyu has proved the m ost suitable grass for sodding o f grass inlets and w aterw ays in th is country. In dry situations a little Eragrostis curvula has tended to creep into the stands o f K ikuyu, w hile in very w et p laces a fa ir am ount of A grostis la ch n a n th a is to be seen am ongst the K ikuyu, but in

n o case is there any evidence th at the K ikuyu is being ousted by other grasses.

C vn odon dacty lon has proved successful under dry con d i­tions. but in w et situations has been rep laced alm ost entire y by A grostis lach nan th a .

R ooiw ater kw eek (H em arthria fascicu lata) although not extensively tested has proved satisfactory tor grass ln lets sub je c te d to a lm ost perm anen t flows. Its establishm ent, however, is slower th an K ikuyu.

As regards the m a in ten an ce o f the vegetative cover o f grass in lets and m eadow strips, controlled grazing is desirable to pre vent the grasses from becom ing m atted, w ith resu ltant deten ora tion o f the under grow th. A healthy con d ition of the vegetative cover should at afl tim es be m aintained by controlled grazing, cutting or even by burning at suitable periods, the last m etho being the least desirable.

L ittle opposition w as encountered to the enclosing o f the three areas established as m eadow strips during the year in spite o f these areas being situated in the m idst o f cultivated lands. T h e three areas are now w ell established to grass w ill m ake valuable w inter grazing.

As poin ted out in last year’s report, the establishm ent of m eadow strips in cultivated lands is considered an essential m easure in the con tro l and cure o f soil erosion m Basutoland.

(4) Dams Constructed.n „ m con stru ction form s an in tegral part o f the soil co n ­

servation program m e in Basutoland. In addition to slowing up and conserv in g excess w ater from terrace systems, dam s have considerably reduced tram pling o f pasture and the creation cattle path s by provid ing conven ient drinking p laces for stock, t o general a dam is constructed in each valley or m in o r w a te r - shed the d istance betw een m a jor dam s being, as a rule, about fm irm ile s A fter rain how ever, num erous sm all drinking place “ r f . “ liable i " areas terraced , due to the beh ind gully banks and at poin ts w here sm all depressionscrossed by terraces.

T he provision of conven ient drinking places for s oc as o-reatlv assisted in the sm ooth progress o f soil conservation w ork by obta in in g the goodw ill and support o f *h ® w ho now frequently ask fo r various erosion con tro l m easures tobe undertaken in their areas.

A num ber o f the large dam s have been stocked w ith black bass w h ich appear to be doin g w ell and it is a , pleasu record th at num erous varieties o f birds, n otab ly w ild due , tak ing advantage o f the dam s and recla im ed vleis as nestingand feed in g grounds.

T he standard o f dam con struction during the year has been fmnd E m bankm ents have been w ell consolidated during conft r u c t io n a n d greater experience by the E u r o p e a n forem en hasresulted in em bankm ents being bu ilt w ith even and neat slop T h e design a n d con struction o f spillw ays has also been sa tis fa c­t o r y , a greater discharge per square m ile o f ca tch m en t beingprovided lor. „ „

W ith the exception o f three o f the sm aller of the n iteen dam s constructed during the year, dam em bankm ents have been

fen ced to prevent dam age by grazing to the vegetative cover established on the em bankm ents. In the few cases w here the dam basin itself has been enclosed, a lane to the w ater h as been le ft for the w atering o f stock.

The p lantin g o f K ikuyu on the upstream slope o f dam em ­bankm ents is proving a successfu l m ethod o f protectin g em ban k ­m ents against wave action and erosion by rain. T h e grow th of the K ikuyu in such m oist situations is usually good. In itia l establishm ent o f the grass is greatly assisted by fertilizing or by spreading a layer o f good soil over th e fin ished em bankm ent. Runners o f K ikuyu, w ith a length as great as th irty feet, are to be seen ly ing on the w ater surface o f num erous o f the older dams, effectively b lanketing wave action : runners o f ten feet are com m on.

C ynodon dacty lon is frequently used fo r p rotectin g the dow n ­stream slope o f dam em bankm ents ow ing to its ten acity under dry conditions.

(a ) Number constructed.Num ber o f dam s constructed during the year . . 15 Num ber o f dam s previously c o n s t r u c t e d ............... 49

T ota l num ber o f dam s c o n s t r u c t e d ............... 64In ad d ition to the fifteen m a jor dam s constructed during the

year, a considerable num ber of sm all dam s, form ed by w ater being retained beh in d gully crossings, w ere built.

(b ) Principal dams.T he m ost im portant dam constructed during the year is

situated in the B utha Buthe district. A lth ough o f on ly three m illion g a llon capacity it w ill prove o f considerable service in supplem enting the supply o f w ater o f an old established dam for irrigating the new m u ltip lication plots at B utha Buthe.

By utilising the bed o f an old vlei in the M aseru district, an econ om ica l dam o f w ell over th irteen m illion gallon s was constructed , and a large valuable area protected thereby.

In the M afeten g district, w hich conta in s the driest areas in Basutoland, fou r greatly needed stock dam s were constructed . One o f these dam s has a capacity o f over six and a th ird m illion gallons, w hile another has nearly three m illion gallons.

>' c) Total capacity.The total am ount o f w ater im pounded at fu ll supply level

by the fifteen m a jor dam s constructed during the year is tw en ty - n ine and a th ird m illion gallons.

fd) Unit costs.The unit costs o f construction varied considerably. The

follow in g are the m ean unit costs : —Cost per 1,000 gallons o f w ater im pounded 0.57 shillings. Cost per 10 cub ic yards o f em ban km en t .. 4.14 shillings.

These costs include labour and supervision, tractor expenses, feed fo r oxen, etc., but exclude overhead departm en tal expenses, depreciation on plant, im plem ents, etc.

T he unit cost o f em bankm ent con ten t fo r the year shows a decrease o f alm ost one shilling per 10 cubic yards over last year’s figure.

(5) Multiplication Plots.Three add itiona l areas were enclosed durmig the year and

the ground prepared for the m u ltip lication oi trees and grasses, in tw o d istricts the facilities for irrigating the m ultip lication plots w ere greatly im proved.

In spite o f spells o f u nfavourable w eather during the year,w ork on the propagation and S o t ^ h a J T M Whas in general, proved m ost successful, and all plots have nowla r g e quantities o f trees and grass from w hich to draw.

In vestigation w ork on the suitability o f various trees and grasses for erosion con tro l w as continued th roughou t the year at the M aseru experim ental plots.

Grasses. K ikuyu continues to take pride o f p lace o f all grasses vet tried for soil conservation w ork in th is country. It fs perennial and o f rapid grow th, and, in general, has w ithstood frost and drought unexpectedly well. Each m u ltip lication p has now a fa ir sized area under K ikuyu from w h ich supplies can be draw n for p lantin g out on gully banks, training ban and dam em bankm ents.

C ynodon da cty lon has also proved satisfactory and is especially usefu l in dry localities.

FxDerim ents aim ing at the establishm ent of a vegetative ...STS have Seen carried out w ith n u m .rou s v a n e t g o f grasses, but field trials have proved disappointing. Setaria ph acelata is the m ost prom ising o f the varieties yet tried.

T h e establishm ent o f H yparrhenia (th a tch in g grass) f 1'01 seed has n ot proved successful. E xperim ental work, how ever, is being continued.

Successfu l sow ings of the indigenous laevifo liu m ) have been recorded, but u n fortu nately it is n o t a perenn ia l grass and affords on ly tem porary, although useful, cover.

A m ongst the m ore im portan t o f the num erous experim ents carried out at the M aseru experim ental plots during the year was the w ork on ten varieties o f im ported clover to determ n the m ost suitable fo r B asutoland conditions.

T h e clover experim ents, it is hoped, are a prelim inary to propagating clover seed on an extensive scale, firstly at M aseru and later in all d istricts, in order th at large quantities o f seed of the m ost suitable varieties m ay readily be available for in con n ection w ith soil conservation work.

In general, the establishm ent of a vegetative cover from seed h as not proved successfu l ow ing to the excessive grazing to w h ich such cover on tra in in g banks and terraces is subjected. As m en tioned in last year ’s report, steps are being taken to pre­v e n t grazing o f banks in cu ltivated lands during the period Septem ber to M ay o f each year.

Trees. O f the num erous varieties o f trees as yet tried for erosion con tro l in th is country, R ob in ia p seu d o-a ca cia and the loca l poplar, P. canescens, continue to prove the m ost suitable.

Large num bers o f R ob in ias were raised from seed in all m u ltip lica tion plots, and considerable quantities are now avail able for p lantin g out.

Y oung saplings o f the loca l pop lar are readily availab le in all districts and are taken from poplar bushes close to th e areas being planted.

P each trees were also raised on an extensive scale in all m u ltip lication plots during the year.

In addition , num erous other varieties o f trees, n otab ly G leditsia triacanthos, were raised but n ot on such an extensive scale as R ob in ia and peach trees.

Several varieties o f elm and poplar are being tested in the M aseru district w ith apparent success. Populus m acrophylla , it is thought, w ill prove a useful tim ber tree for p lanting, in ter­spersed am ong R obin ias in p la n tation s : u n fortu n ately it does n o t appear to w ith stan d severe drought.(6) Planting and Sowing of Banks.

The p lanting o f gully banks and dam em bankm ents, and the p lanting and sow ing o f terraces, has been continu ed during the year in order th at a vegetative cover m ay quickly becom e estab­lished on all banks as a protection against the scouring action o f rain and surface waters, and dam age by stock.

It has been decided that ow ing to the com paratively h igh cost o f planting, on ly dam em bankm ents, train ing banks and other m a jor w orks on w hich the quick establishm ent o f a vege ­tative cover is essential, w ould in future be p lan ted ; standard terrace w ould n ot be p lanted but m ight be sown to clover, setaria or blue grass.

Investigations to determ ine the effectiveness o f grass buffer strips as erosion checks are being continued, but it is as yet too early fo r any definite conclusions to be drawn.

Pasture areas.In pasture areas, h ardy perenn ia l grasses, w h ich are p a la t­

able to stock, have been planted.(i) A pproxim ately 108,000 yards o f terrace bank was planted

during the year to the loca l Couch grass (C ynodon dactylon ) and open ings in th is len gth o f bank were sodded. Num erous gully banks were also sodded w ith Cynodon. E stablishm ent has been good.

(ii) Over 69.000 yards o f terrace and train ing bank was planted to K ikuyu w hich , in m ost localities, has becom e quickly established. In addition, large num bers o f gully banks and all dam em bankm ents were sodded to K ikuyu. Deep p lanting of K ikuyu in W inter w as tried during the year and proved p a r­tially successful.

Cultivated areas.G rasses w hich are difficult to eradicate are n ot planted on

terraces in cu ltivated lands.(i) A pproxim ately 331,000 yards o f terrace was sow n to

lucerne and clover during the year. In spite o f in tensive grazing at m uch too early a stage in the p lan ts ’ grow th, a fa ir p ro ­portion o f the lucerne and clover has becom e established. An especially fine stand o f clover is to be seen in the Q uthing district.

(ii) T he p lantin g o f H yparrhenia roots (th a tch in g grass) on terrace banks was continu ed during the year, and a tota l o f 104,000 yards w as planted. T h atch in g grass p lanted in previous years has done well, especially in wet. heavy soil conditions.

(7) Tree Planting.N um ber o f trees p lanted d u r i n g the year . . 2 3 2 . 7 0

N um ber o f trees previously p la n t e d .............. ’

T ota l num ber o f trees p l a n t e d ............... 404.660

in th is country. By the ejstabl recla im ed. and considerabledenuded areas and gullies a ? k en shortage in B asuto-

la n ? ^ 1 w ill ° eventually ^ ^ cattled u n g Sfor fertih zer instead o f l u e l , w ith resultant increase in the ferU lity o f the lands and their resistance to erosion.

P lantations are established 07 1 u S r w m 6be

in tensified1 'as^oon 'as^the A dm in istrative m easures for the control o f grazing in gulhes have been c o m p l e t e ^ ^

As is show n by the ngures, g iveii * ■ extent thisbeen greatly during e y ^ approving in stead ofh as been m ade possible by t P P ce sufficient num bers ob jectin g to tree P lanting. As a c°nseaue ,no f trees, prin cip ally R ob m ia pseudo aca , b f treesall d istrict m u ltip lication plots. O f the tota l n um oei p lanted during the year 94.000 were R obim as. ,

Approximately 7 1 0 0 0 p o p l a n S ra^ ' rreeS t „ a e r

2 k T 'c o m J S d « '\ ™ a rS i , yeaSnS I a m ' ? °ct w S T e S l yrooo 'w er“e' p U n tea p S e , wm ows. ’U . y - M c u s .s , oaks ana e!m a

' Acf e ldecP th at oSwas decided th at iu tu ie _rpspnt these have

experim ental purposes.Tt w as also la id dow n that instead o f em ploying a special

tree p la m ta g , » n g th ropgP ou t

S S S c h ' S e a ' V » ” 1. S e m p S a S . ™ —

f a t f l a m m e 'r The* U m S ™ ? “ a n K ‘” M ‘th ? o l th e

S «“>reduction in th e cost o f p lanting w ill result.

In general the establishm ent of trees p l a n t e d d u r i n g the vpnr h as been good R ats were troublesom e m certain localities.

soil conservation m easure, p lantation enclosures Pro^able and greatly needed W inter pasture. These enclosuresi aregrazed annually during the dry season as soon

trees have becom e th orough ly established, in order th at the danger o f fire m ay be m inim ised.(8) Fencing.

T h e area fen ced in con n ection w ith soil conservation work in the territory is as fo llo w s :—

A rea fen ced during the y e a r ................ 936| acres.Area previously f e n c e d ............................. 653-J acres.

T ota l area f e n c e d ................................. 1,590 acres.In addition to the 936i acres fen ced during the year,

num erous dam em bankm ents and grass in lets were protected by the erection o f fencing.

The total area fen ced during the year is com posed o f eighteen separate areas all suffering from severe sheet and gully erosion. T w o o f the areas in particu lar form such a striking and dread ­ful picture, on accoun t o f com plete denudation and in ter-lin k ed gully erosion, th at they are know n th roughou t B asutoland and give an in sigh t o f w hat the future con d ition o f large tracts o f th is country w ould have been had soil conservation m easures n ot been taken. In addition to their u ltim ate in trin sic value, these areas, w h ich have been fen ced and p lanted to trees, wili undoubtedly prove o f considerable benefit as dem onstration areas.

O w ing to the cost o f fen cin g , w h ich is h igh under n orm al cond ition s and is rapid ly becom ing excessive on accoun t o f the war, the in trod u ction o f adm inistrative m easures is being co n ­sidered w hereby any denuded areas w ould be beacon ed off by officers o f the D epartm ent and w ould be proclaim ed “ p rotected areas.” These areas w ould be regarded exactly as if they were fen ced , in th at they w ould be p lanted to trees, and grazing w ould be strictly controlled . T he saving in expenditure by the estab­lish m en t o f p rotected areas instead o f fen ced areas w ould be considerable.(9) Maintenance.

A ppreciable dam age to new ly constructed terrace system s w as done by severe storm s in several areas during the year. A portion o f the M afeteng district w here terrace constru ction was being carried out, experienced a cloudburst early in the year. T he storm was so intense that the L ikhoele stream , w h ich is a fa ir-s ized river w hen in spate, jum ped its banks at a turn and w ashed aw ay roads, lands and a considerable length o f new ly constructed terrace. T erraces w hich had becom e established, how ever, w ithstood the strain o f the flood w aters extrem ely well and played an effective part in slow ing dow n and disposing o f the flood.

M ain ten an ce o f the older terrace system s has been surpris­ingly small. L ocal breaks in a few o f the system s have occurred as a result o f heavy storm s, and a certain am ount o f dam age was done by stock tram pling dow n terraces n ot fu lly protected by a vegetative cover. T he accum ulation o f silt in terrace fu r ­rows has also proved a problem in certain areas, but in view of the large area already reclaim ed, th e year ’s expenditure on m aintain ing established terrace system s has been rem arkably low.

A considerable portion o f the year ’s total m a in ten an ce expenditure was incurred in the in spection o f terrace systems.

Collection Number: AD1715

SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTE OF RACE RELATIONS (SAIRR), 1892-1974

PUBLISHER: Collection Funder:- Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation

Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive

Location:- Johannesburg

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