The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-06-08
sol TN AIRICA'S BRIGHT FTTI RE
I Land Of Crca, Rr~"urccs Many WI.
Hers. os People Can Live There.

ItUNs Ot beoIvs y ~ law '"V'-
Some writer has spoken Recently Of South
Africa A. a srca; thirst Land. largely dimin-
i-h@i IN value Nv the prevailing dryno-s.
This statement \ mainly true. but II needs
Qualification ur an impression
- the country Is conveyed.
More than half Of South Afrioa h deficient
In rainfall. including the s-tire western hall
~ IL; but a large part Of this great region.
which IA not adapted for farming except
where irrigation IL possible. IL covered
with nutritious gra~s- that are particu-
larry reli-h.d hy sheep: 50 that, bcfore IN"
war. ls.UN.uo Sheep were grazing On the
Great KArroo and other dry plains Of Caps
Colony. and 100000 were heriing on thu
high. dry. cool plain Of the little Orange
Free State.
Thus the dry regions Of South Africa,
slishtingly referred tn by the writer just
mentioned. A. yet supply the largest riches
81 the country excepting the gold and
diamond fields. The foreign sales 81 wood
are more thar double those 81 any other
commodities with the exceptions men
toned.
The dry regions are always destined 70
10 one Il South Afr1ca's largest sour ces ~
wealth: for wool growing on them may be
vastly increased, although South Africa.
In tirne Of peace. Ia already one Of the great
wool-producing countries. No one knows
what mineral riches they may yet develop,
hut we do know that most Of the diamond
fields thus far discovered are on the dry
plains and hat the Germans are develop
ing gold mining In their part Of the western
desert In some Of the valleys. also. three
Is every PROSPECT that considerable agri-
culture Will lie deV sloped with tho aid 81
irrigation.
On the whole. Il may h. said that the entire
western part of South Africa can never In
tue home ~ a den-e population: but. never
theles-. with it, great grazing ami CON
siderable mining ~r-sourccs. the dry AREA
will contribut. very largely To the agsr-
gat. wealth Of the country.
What II the raSon that the western part
~ South Africa 10 emi-aIid9 II IL because
the prevailing winds are from the east
Most 81 the region south Of the Laml-esi
dep.nis for rain upon winds from the
Indian Occan. The eastern coast lands
and highlands receive the larger part Of
his precipitation. A. tho winds move west
ward. The winds are wrung dry by the
time they rrarh the heart 81 tho country.
They pass out over ths Atlantic as the
southeast trades. and the country -carrly
ever gets a drop " rain from the Atlantic:
thus the eastern half 81 south Africa II wet
and tho western half Ia dry.
Strrching across tho south end - Africa
Is "a strip IL fine farming lands who're all
the crops II the temperate regions are
raised. Some 81 tho brst wheat In tho
world Is grown rs far inland a. the southern
border 70 the Orange River Colony. Tho
supply 81 home hr'adStuns may In largely
incrcaroi. hu, South Africa now has To
import much wheat and -four; and rs pppu-
lntinn grows IL 10 likely that there will CON
ttnue 20 - a home market FOR all the CEREALS
II, however. the country is ever able to
export maizr and other cereal-. one fact To
the advantage - South Africa should he
ramamharcd Her cereals arr harvested
and marketed In the winter and spring 81
the north temperate zone when prices are
likely 10 be largest. The graz" crop 81
Caro- Colony has benefited largely by
this fact.
tn. region east and northeast ~ Cape
Town has Hcarcrly h-n thought 81 a. a
great region - vncyarts. The fact IL,
however. ~ millions Of gallons 81 wine
arc made there every y"ar, though the
Quality ~ much ~ II viii IT, much improved
when morn intelligent methods 81 manu-
fscturr arr employed In February n
March last the Craps rrachel their high
c-t perfection and enormous quantities 81
clusters were, n usual. carefully packed,
PLACED In cpul rooms on the steamers and
srn, 20 N. LONDON mArket. together with
reachcS. ~recrsrines an plums, the delicious
fr,sh fruits hcing PLACID on British dining
tables aliaost l~furr 'h~ English fruit
tr.-s Ne-e ont - hlus~om Australian
cen.al. and fruits alsn slhr~ this advantage
~ l-ing ahlr To- supply British markets
a. a time - war ~hea other -ourcs- ar"
falling: hu, Australia and New Zealand
are thousands of miles further a~av than
CAI- Colony from the markets Of tho mother
country; 49, Cape Colony grapre. for eS-
ample. l-e' Auztral n o. In frni,s la the raw
to the
Now ths, p-scs has h~~n rssfo-rd, tho
wt~a,orsrand viii soon prr-en, one VI the