SOUTH AFRICAN FARMS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 270, 15 November 1932, Page 5

SOUTH AFRICAN FARMS

SALVATION ARMY’S PART' AN ADDRESS TO ROTARIANS Possibilities of British South Africa as a farming country formed the basis of an address to the members of the Wanganui Rotary Club yesterday by Commissioner J. Cunningham. Com-mander-in-Chief of the Salvation Army of New Zealand. Commissioner Cunningham said that he had spent some 20 years in South Africa, going there as il young captain in 1893. As far as the British territory in Sou tii Africa was concerned it was about 75 times the area of England, or 4,000,000 square miles in extent, he said. New Zealand people extolled their climate, saying it had not extremes of heat or cold, but if the South African climate was not better than that of New Zealand it came a very close second. Much had been heard of the fevers met with in the South African War, but they had been largely overcome with the introduction of proper sanitary systems in the cities and the towns. Iho fertility of tho soil was outstanding, and, said the speaker, he had seen again and again the best of loam from fio to 70 feet deep without any line of metal in it. The great difficulty had been the lack of water. The rainfall there was good, but the rivers carried the water away too quickly. It was then that the dry climate hindered agriculture. The South Africans wore now busy trying to correct that want, and were building dams, carrying out irrigation works and sinking bores. That, thought the speaker, would solve tho problem very largely. It was thought that at one time South Africa was one vast forest, and traces ot that forest could still be seen the belief being that the whole country was swept by a huge fire at some time. So far he did not think that the real value of the land had been realised. Many of those who had gone to South Africa had been attracted primarily by the diamond fields, and later by the gold-fields of Johannesburg. It was generally taken that the life of a goldfield was about 30 years, but the Johannesburg field had been going for 40 years, and ho thought it would go for another 40 before being worked out.

Besides those others, South Africa had iron, coal, vopper, and above all grass, as her assets. Especially in the Orange Free State and the Transvaal there were great sheep pastures. The sheep from South Africa had not entred into competition with the sheep from New Zealand, owing to the fact that New Zealand concentrated to a Luge degree on the fat lamb trade, while South Africa concentrated on the Merino wool. The sheep had been originally imported from the South of Franco and tho strain improved by the best rams from Australia.

Speaking of the cattle, Commissioner Cunningham said that some 40 years ago the only cattle of any extent in South Africa had been trek oxen. After the Boer War several young men fram the British troops stayed behind, and they took it upon themselves to improve the strains of the cattle. They imported the best of blood for the Shorthorn, Red Devon, Hereford and Polled Angus breeds. There had been developed a pedigree trek oxen breed, and the colour had been decided on as the Red Devon red. The South African now had a strain of pedigree oxen cattle which pulled the huge carts, which carried as much as 10,00(1 pounds in a load. He did not think the beasts would develop into butcher cattle. It was found that the Shorthorn and Hereford breeds did not stand up to the roads there, and the Friesian breed, or Friesland, as it was called, had been imported. Big sums had been paid for the original cattle, and they had been improved so that now some of the finest Friesian cattle were to be found in South Africa. Ihe South Africans had been very careful about type, and it had been his experience, said Commissioner Cunningham, that big milk producers were liable to lose type. The South Africans had also been very careful about shade and marketing in the cattle. Incidentally the Salvation Army had some of tho finest Friesians in South Africa. When a Salvation Army conference had been held in London in 1914, representatives had bought three fine bulls in Holland. Those bulls had been landed in Africa after the outbreak of war. At the Capetown, Bloemfontein and Johannesburg shows the bulls had consistently taken the first three places for show beasts.

The Salvation Army had a number of farms outside the main cities on to which were taken the men who could be helped, said omniissioncr Cunningham, and one of those farms with which he had boon associated for some time had run a fine herd of Friesian cattle. Milk was supplied to city residents, and as many as 2000 shoxv prizes a year had been taken with the cattle, Berkshire pigs and poultry from the farm. In concluding his address, Commissioner Cunningham said that he was grateful to the member of the Rotary Clubs throughout the country who helped the Salvation Army from time to time. He said he was proceeding to Taranaki to-day and understood that, the members of the Hawera Club had taken an interest in the boys’ home at Eltham. He asked that if any member of the Wanganui Club knew of a v.-ell-bred Jersey calf which might be presented to the farm. If he were advised the calf would soon be collected. At the present time he was anxious to build up a good Jersey herd at the Eltham boys’ home. Mr Campbell voiced the appreciation of the members of the club to Commissioner Cunningham for his address, leading a vote of thanks to him.