annual average is a little over sixteen inches, while in the south-west
it is almost twenty-four inches. As a rule the former portion is but
poorly watered, the farmers depending to a large extent on springs and
the artificial storage of water.
The karroo is well adapted for Angoras, as well as goats of the common
type. More than one-half the number of the Cape sheep in the Colony is
found in this region, which, owing to its vast extent and low rainfall,
is better suited for animals of an active and hardy nature.
In the karroo the bushes are short and stunted, but they nevertheless
form most excellent grazing for small stock. When dry seasons set in,
the plants, although denuded of every green leaf, retain nourishment for
a remarkable period; and as long as water is procurable, stock maintain
their condition fairly well by feeding on the bark and dry twigs. The
most valuable bushes are: the Draaibosch (_Diplopappus filifolius_); the
Schaapbosch (_Penlzia virgata_); the Gannabosch (_Caroxylon silsola_);
and the Vygebosch (_Mesembrianthemum spinosum_). When rain falls, the
bushes shoot into leaf, and in the course of two or three weeks, what
appeared to be a barren and parched wilderness, is transformed into
beautiful and highly nutritious pasturage.
[Illustration: ANGORA GOATS (YOUNG RAMS)]
The karroo is badly watered, the farmers depending chiefly on springs,
wells, and dams for their supply. Underground water is found at various
depths, the average being about sixty feet. In but few cases, however,
does the supply rise to the surface, which necessitates the use of
windmills and pumps. The average annual rainfall is over ten inches,
though in some districts it does not exceed six inches. Given good
seasons, there is no part of the Colony which is healthier for small
stock than the karroo, and there is certainly no portion in which sheep
and goats multiply more rapidly. One severe drought, however, will often
sweep away the increase of several years, and leave the farmer on the
verge of ruin.
Throughout the Colony but few attempts are made to supply winter feeding
for stock, or to make adequate provision for times of drought. Of late
years the cultivation of lucerne has been on the increase, and in the
north and north-east, where the winters are long and severe, turnips are
grown, and these amply repay the farmers for the labour and expense
incurred.
The last reliable returns of the small stock in the Colony were taken in
the year 1898, since which date the disturbed state of the country has
prevented the collection of statistics of any value. At the close of
1898 there were: 10,565,844 woolled sheep; 1,560,439 Cape or fat-tailed
sheep; 3,039,482 Angora goats; and 2,312,052 common or Boer goats. These
figures, especially as regards sheep, will no doubt show a considerable
decrease when the next census is taken, for the demands of the military,
and the losses incidental to war, must to a certain extent have caused a
marked reduction.
Merino sheep from the Royal flock of George III. were first introduced
at the Cape about the year 1793, but it was not until 1838 that any real
progress in breeding was made.
[Illustration: FAT-TAILED HAIRY AFRICANDER SHEEP (RAMS)]
Of late years Australian merinos, Tasmanian and Vermont sheep have been
largely imported; and there are many flocks in the Colony which have
been bred up to a very high standard. The Vermont sheep, which are
close, heavily-woolled animals, possess many advantages, which, by
judicious crossing, are well suited to counteract some of the defects
noticeable in the flocks of this country. At the present time a very
large proportion of the woolled sheep are inferior in quality, and far
below the standard of excellence which every breeder of stock should
strive to attain to.
The Cape or fat-tailed sheep is a leggy, active animal, with a hairy
skin, bred solely for the butcher. These sheep are noted for their
enormous tails, which weigh from ten to fifteen pounds, although in some
cases this last weight has been considerably exceeded. Being active and
free from wool, the animal is peculiarly adapted for the karroo, where
long distances have generally to be traversed in the search for pasture
and water. The skin of the fat-tailed sheep possesses a special value
for glove-making, and good, sound skins readily fetch fifty shillings
per dozen, and as much as seventy shillings when the quality can be
guaranteed.
The Angora goat was first introduced into the Colony from Asia Minor in
1838, and crossed with the common or Boer goat, the progeny of which
formed the nucleus of the Angora industry of the present day. From time
to time fresh importations have taken place, the last consignment
arriving in 1895-96. These goats, however, proved disappointing, and
although they realised high prices, were distinctly inferior to the best
goats bred in the Colony.
The Angora is a delicate animal, and as the shearing season usually
commences in the winter months, success in farming depends in a great
measure on the provision of suitable shelter, as a protection against
cold and wet weather.
The common or Boer goat is a large, well-made, active, and hardy animal,
which thrives in every part of the country; especially in the dry and
barren north-western districts. Large numbers of these goats are sold to
the butchers, the carcasses averaging from sixty to sixty-five pounds in
weight.
In many localities they are kept for their milking properties, on which
account they are extremely valuable, since they often supply milk for
household purposes when it would be impossible for horned cattle to
exist. Goat-skins are largely used for tanning, and supply the farmer
and his family with materials for their boots and veld schoens.
Cape wool, as a rule, takes the lowest place on the principal markets,
and is the first to be effected by any downward tendency in prices.
There are several reasons for this unsatisfactory state of affairs.
These reasons have been brought prominently to the notice of the
colonial farmer, but, in spite of their importance and interest, they
have not as yet received the attention they deserve. Scab, the greatest
enemy that stock farmers have to contend with, is prevalent in nearly
every part of the country, and has proved so destructive to the flocks
and clips generally that the annual loss to the country has been
estimated at from five hundred thousand to one million pounds sterling.
That this disease was a source of great trouble in the early days at the
Cape is very evident, for placcaats or edicts were framed, as far back
as 1693 and 1740, dealing most stringently with any man who neglected
the cleansing of his flocks. These placcaats, however, in the course of
time fell into desuetude, and it was not until 1886 that any serious
attempt was made to cope with the disease. The law passed at this time
was only enforced in a small portion of the Colony, but it proved of
such service, that in 1894 another Act was framed, which was proclaimed
over the whole country. Owing to certain defects in this legislation,
the good results which were anticipated have not been effected; but,
nevertheless, some advance has been made, as evidenced in the improved
quality of the wool and skins which leave these shores. Until more
stringent measures for the eradication of scab are introduced, the
stigma attached to the wool products of the Colony will not be removed.
[Illustration: ANGORA GOAT (RAM)]
In 1838 the quantity of wool exported was 490,754 lbs., valued at
£26,627. In 1891 the highest figures were reached, the record being
75,520,701 lbs., of the value of £2,264,498: this in 1901 had fallen to
65,209,699 lbs., valued at £1,489,246.
Mohair, the name given to the fleece of the Angora goat, is peculiarly
liable to variations in price, according to the fashions which may be in
vogue. On a well-bred animal the fleece should hang in long wavy locks
or ringlets of white, silky, lustrous hair; and when full grown, should
touch the ground. The fleeces vary in weight according to the breed of
the animal, and to the class to which it belongs--oily or non-oily. From
a well-bred flock of Angora ewes the mohair should average about four
pounds weight per animal. In the case of rams and kapaters, or wethers,
there is a considerable increase, as much as from eight to fourteen
pounds being sometimes clipped. A dry climate is essential to the growth
of good mohair, and therefore the karroo and mixed grass and karroo
country are admirably adapted for its production. Almost all the Angoras
in the Colony are the progeny of rams imported from Asia Minor, crossed
with the white Boer goat; and it is probably owing to this fact that in
many flocks a considerable amount of kemp, or coarse white hair, is
still to be found. Even in the most favourable circumstances Cape mohair
realises less than the Turkish produce by from twopence to threepence
per pound; this probably being on account of the lack of brightness and
spinning properties possessed by the former article.
At the present time the Cape produces about one-half of the world's
supply of mohair. In 1857 the quantity exported was 870 lbs., which
realised £10. These figures in 1897 had increased to 12,583,601 lbs.,
valued at £676,644; and in 1901 had fallen to 10,813,239 lbs., of the
value of £502,605. The decrease in the exports of wool and mohair for
the year 1901 is no doubt due to the effects of the war and the
disturbed state of the country.
At present, however, the outlook is more hopeful, and there is no doubt
whatever that for the progressive and enterprising farmer the future is
one of great possibilities.
SOUTH AFRICAN RAILWAYS
BY W. BLELOCH
_Author of "The New South Africa"_
South Africa is a country of magnificent distances, with the centres of
industry situated at points far apart in the wide interior; the country
villages are dotted about with thirty to fifty miles of brown karroo or
verdant veldt in between; even the homesteads of the Boers are planted
at respectful distances from each other. In such a country a
comprehensive, efficient, and cheap railway system is absolutely
necessary; without railways the development of trade and industry could
not be pushed forward on any large scale. The great staple products of
the Cape--wool, skins, and hides--could not compete with the like
products of Australia and the Argentine. The diamond mines of Kimberley,
which support an industrial population of about 50,000, and the great
gold mines of the Rand, which at the present stage of development supply
the wherewithal to live to 200,000 people, white and black, would be
able to work only on a restricted basis; the greater number of the Rand
mines would have to shut down, and without railways it may be said that
the stimulating production of wealth in the nearly indestructible form
of gold and diamonds would practically cease.
To meet the requirements which the circumstances demand, a
far-stretching network of railways--with wide meshes it is true--is
growing over the country. Instead of the old system of ox transport and
coaches drawn by mules, which ten years ago were the only means of
approach to the Transvaal and Rhodesia, there are now modern freight
trains, drawn by heavy-type locomotives, hauling up the vast import
traffic to the Rand, and running down return loads of wool and hides
from the grassy uplands of the Orange River Colony, and the
barren-looking, but wide and productive, karroo plains of the Cape.
There are _trains de luxe_ with corridors and platforms to enable the
passenger to stretch his limbs _en route_, or sit in comfort and view
the scenery as the train plods on its twenty-five or thirty miles an
hour.
Twelve years ago Bulawayo was the head kraal of a bloodthirsty savage,
and was approached only by a few adventurous spirits who recked little
of danger and less of time. The journey from the coast to the inland
centre took at least three months, and now it can be visited with
comfort and despatch. Without alighting from the train the traveller can
enjoy his morning bath; he can breakfast, lunch, and dine; he can press
a button and call for cool, liquid refreshments at any hour of the day;
and he can complete his journey of 1360 miles from Cape Town to the
Rhodesian industrial capital in 3-1/2 days. The Cape Town-Johannesburg
journey of 1000 miles is done just within 44 hours. These results may
not be considered of much account by the English or American traveller
accustomed to a speed of 50 miles an hour for long distances, but South
African railways have been built to suit the special necessities of the
country. The gauge is only 3 feet 6 inches, and on all the lines heavy
gradients have to be negotiated.
The interior of South Africa is a great plateau elevated from 4000 to
6000 feet above sea-level. The edge of the plateau runs round the
sub-continent at no great distance from the sea, its bold escarpments
looking over the 50 to 100 miles of broken, low-lying coast lands which
skirt the continent. In consequence, all the railways to the interior,
within the first 100 miles from the coast, begin climbing up steep
inclines cut along the sides of one or other of the few passes which
admit of ascent by railway trains. Whether the journey is made from Cape
Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, or Delagoa Bay, the ascent
has to be negotiated. The tedium of the uphill journey is compensated to
some extent by the grandeur of the scenery in these initial stages of
the routes to the interior. On the Cape line there is the magnificent
view of the Hex River which, like Fair Melrose, can best be seen in pale
moonlight as towards morning the night train from Cape Town winds along,
gradually climbing up and up above the valley lying 1000 feet below. On
either side grand brown mountains rise like sentinels to guard the pass.
It has often been conjectured what would have been the upshot if the
Boers had marched right south and seized this pass at the beginning of
the war. It would have been Colenso over again, only worse. On the Port
Elizabeth line, from Coerney to Cradock, the line passes up through
rugged valleys in places bright with the sub-tropical evergreen bush of
South Africa, and hemmed in with massive mountains forming the broken
edges of the continent. The line through Graaf Reinet negotiates similar
country, as does also the line from East London through King William's
Town. The ascent from Durban is the most difficult of all. Natal is
formed almost wholly of great fragments of the South African plateau
which seem to have broken off, and now lie in long lines of broken
mountain chains running north and south. These mountain ranges lie
transverse to the route of the railway, so that ascents and descents
have to be made time and again before the Transvaal high veldt is
gained. From Durban to Charlestown the aggregate ascent is 12,600 feet.
Altitudes of two, three, four, and five thousand feet are gained _en
route_ and then partially lost again. Some of the scenery on this line
is of surpassing interest and beauty. Near the coast there are fruit
gardens, pine and banana plantations, and orange groves, with here and
there fields of pasture fenced in. Farther up, mealie fields spread
along the slopes of the hills and down the valleys. Then there follow
stretches of open grass country alternating with bush. Herds of cattle,
fat and sleek, graze on the rich grass lands. Above Pietermaritzburg the
line ascends for three thousand feet to highlands to descend again two
thousand to Colenso.
[Illustration: BRIDGE OVER THE TUGELA, ZULULAND EXTENSION (1330 FEET
LONG) CONNECTING NATAL AND ZULULAND]
The next stretch of fifty miles has become one of the historic districts
of the empire. In a winding of the Tugela lies Colenso. Then Pieters
Hill is climbed, and the traveller can realise the desperate nature of
the task set to General Buller's army. Then come Wagon Hill and Cæsar's
Camp, with Bulwan on the right and Ladysmith lying in a hollow in the
centre. Beyond Ladysmith the train climbs again to Elandslaagte, and
begins in a succession of gradual ascents to climb to the crest of the
Drakensberg, the final climb being made under the shadow of Majuba, and
through the tunnel of Laing's Nek. Once at Charlestown the high veldt is
gained for good. The ascent from Delagoa Bay is easier, in that there is
not the same repetition of ups and downs as on the Natal railway. The
line runs through the Komati Poort, and then up the Elands River Valley,
a beautiful valley indeed, but a veritable valley of death to the
builders of the railway. At Waterval Onder the final steep ascent is
begun, part of the way being so steep that the cog-wheel system is
required. At Waterval Boven the high veldt is gained, and the main
difficulties left behind.
The Beira railway to Salisbury has a similar ascent to make. Having
described the approaches, some idea may now be given of the railway
routes on the interior plateau itself. The Cape Town line to De Aar and
Kimberley after gaining the plateau traverses the Great Karroo, a
monotonous stretch of several hundred miles of parched brown,
barren-looking plain with isolated, flat-topped mountains, and ranges
which serve to give variety, and make a scene of widespread solitude,
having a melancholy charm wholly its own. This barren-looking veldt,
with its sparse vegetation of stunted shrubs, supports millions of sheep
and goats, and however unpromising its aspect, it plays an important
part in the railway and general economy of the country. The Midlands
railway from Port Elizabeth to De Aar and Norval's Pont traverses
similar country, but not so arid. The Eastern railway, from East London
through King William's Town and Queenstown to Bethulie, traverses more
undulating country covered with grass intermixed with karroo shrub. In
some districts, notably round King William's Town and Queenstown,
agriculture has made considerable headway. The western line continues
from Kimberley through Vryburg (British Bechuanaland) to Mafeking, and
on to Bulawayo through grass-covered country, with clumps of Kameeldoorn
trees, presenting in many places the appearance of an English park. This
is a great cattle country, and provides considerable traffic for the
railway over and above the mining traffic of Kimberley and Rhodesia. All
the Cape lines connect with one another with two necks which converge at
Springfontein for the Orange River Colony and Transvaal traffic. From
the Orange River northwards the railways are known as the Central South
African Railways. The line through the Orange River Colony runs through
flat grassy plains for a distance of 300 miles: plains which, after a
devastating war, still hold over a million sheep and 160,000 head of
cattle. In time of peace the whole country is one monotonous scene of
pastoral prosperity. On entering the Transvaal at Vereeniging--the place
of the declaration of peace--the railway enters at once into the rich
gold-bearing region of the Transvaal. There is a gradual rise over open
country to the Rand. On every side there is evidence of great industrial
activity, and at many places along the line beginnings may be seen of
Transvaal agriculture, beginnings which promise a great future.
The south-eastern branch of the Central South African Railways connects
with the Natal line at Volksrust, and proceeds along the high veldt viâ
Standerton and Heidelberg to the Rand. The high veldt of the Transvaal
has an average height of 5000 feet above sea-level. It is a vast open
grass country with rocky ridges rising a few hundred feet above the
ordinary level. A magnificent stock country, and rich in coal, iron, and
gold. On the eastern line, the Central South African line connects with
the Portuguese line at Komati Poort, and passes up the Elands River
Valley already described. From Waterval Boven the railway continues to
ascend to the summit of the high veldt at Bergendal, near Belfast. It
was here where the last big pitched battle was fought before the
break-up of the Boer army into guerilla forces. The line passes along
the northern limits of the high veldt _viâ_ Middelburg to Pretoria. The
country it passes through is equal in stock-raising capabilities and
mineral riches to the south-eastern line. There are enormous areas of
coal of good quality and abundance of iron ore, and limestone sufficient
for the establishment of a great industry which itself will doubtless
bring about and maintain great railway expansion in the future.
From Pretoria, the Pretoria-Pietersburg line, formerly a private
company, now taken over by the Central South African Railways, strikes
north to Pietersburg into the heart of the tropical part of the
Transvaal. The country it traverses is partly flat and partly hilly, at
some places thick bush and at others wide grassy plains. In the northern
district there is a large population of Kaffirs who cultivate the
extremely fertile soil, and produce great quantities of mealies (maize)
and Kaffir corn, which products, together with timber for the mines,
form the principal items of traffic carried by the railway. The Beira
railway to Salisbury, originally a narrow gauge, has now been widened to
the standard 3 feet 6 inches gauge of South Africa, and carries all the
traffic for the Mashonaland mines.
[Illustration: JOHANNESBURG MAIL TRAIN AT THE FOOT OF MAJUBA]
In all, South Africa possesses approximately 5000 miles of railway,
having a capitalised value, including rolling stock, of about
£50,000,000, or £10,000 per mile. The three important systems are the
Cape Government Railways, the Natal Government Railways, and the Central
South African Railways (Transvaal and Orange River Colony). The Cape
system has a mileage of 2135 miles, and in addition it works 587 miles
of the Rhodesian Railways, or a total of 2722 miles. The Natal system
covers 612-1/2 miles, and the Central South African system 1312 miles.
In addition to these there is the Beira Railway, already briefly
described, and there are also several small privately-owned railways.
The three chief systems own altogether 1239 engines and 27,806 waggons,
and a large but still insufficient equipment of coaches for passenger
traffic. Great attention has been given and much money expended in the
past two years in bringing the rolling stock up to a state of efficiency
for dealing with the greatly-increased traffic anticipated on the
establishment of peace in South Africa. The Central South African
Railways--the State Railways now owning and working the old Free State
and Netherlands systems--have almost doubled the carrying capacity of
these railways. Natal had 129 engines before the war; she has now 209.
She had 3101 waggons before the war; she has now 6154. The Cape railways
have also largely increased their stock. The enormous traffic now being
handled, more or less successfully, will justify this provident policy.
All these systems make large annual profits. In its best year, 1896, the
Cape Government system showed--
Total Earnings. Total Expenses. Profits.
£4,078,561. £9,921,809. £2,156,752.
Or £10, 7s. 6d. per cent. on the then capital of £20,799,288. This
included the Free State share of profit under the then working
arrangement. Deducting the Free State share, the profit was at the rate
of £8, 19s. 7d. per cent. In the same year the Natal Railway showed--
Total Earnings. Total Expenses. Profits.
£1,136,213, 16s. 1d. £421,989, 14s. 2d. £706,224, 1s. 11d.
Or £11, 9s. 0-1/2d. per cent. on the then capital of £6,236,555.
In the same profitable year the Netherlands Railway returns showed--
Total Expenses,
Total Earnings. Plus Interest on Capital. Total Nett Profits.
£2,903,516, 0s. 5d. £1,197,841, 18s. 8d. £1,705,674, 1s. 9d.
The profits of this railway in this year equalled 59 per cent. of the
total earnings.
In 1901, notwithstanding the state of war, the Cape Government Railways
showed--
Total Earnings. Total Expenses. Profits.
£3,852,871. £2,875,571. £977,300.
Equal to £4, 8s. 4d. per cent. on the then capital of £22,125,085.