Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-22

creating a great deal of comment. and il
is denounced by the smaller settlers.
Among the big estates are those of Lord
Hindlp, who has over 900 acres, -.
the East African syndicate. which has
500 900 square miles. or 100000 acres. and
of Lord Delamare. who has 100000 acres
and more Lord Delamere's estate is 1000
feet above sea level. and the equator
runs through it, He has already l.obo
acres under cultivation. and has stocked
his pastures with 5000 native sheep and
600 imported Merinos. He has also i'm
ported rams and 30 Ryland-crosseP ma
tive lambs. He is experimenting I'm cat
tie rearing, and has a herd OF H.oh
native head. including 500 oxen. He has
fourteen Shorthorns and a numbe~ of
Herefords He has also model dairy.
Other farmers are bringing in European
stock for breeding purposes There is A
settler not fa- from Nairobi who has re-
Gently imported thirty Merino rams and
100 Merino ewes. This man is also en-
gagged in dalrying, and has several fine
Guernsey bulls.
No Place for Poor Americans.
There is one thing I should like to say
about British East Africa: 1t is no place
fo- poor Americans. and the poor Eng
lishman who can do well here is a wonder.
The land seems to be good and II can
be bought comparatively cheap; but every
thing is far from the markets. and all
imports are high. Labor is exceedingly
low. A native can often be employed
TO- or 10 cents a day, and hundreds
work for 3 cents a day. But IL is diff
cult to control them. and the conditions
are impossible for the ordinary Ameri-
can farmer who has but little money and
relies largely on his muscle and brains.
The British East African government ad-
vises no one to come to the country unless
he has at least $1,000. and it says he
should have 5000 to do we'll. The cost
Of land ranges from 66 cents to 81 80 an
acre according to whether It is near or
Tar from the railroad This is for farm
lands. Pastures can be bought for as low
as 80 cents an acre and homesteads OF 100
acres, with the right of preempting 4SD
acres more, can be purchased by install
ments, spread over sixteen years. The
right OF presumption lapses at the end Of
three years. II As acres out of the 100 have
not been cultivated. AS a general thing
the government will not grant more than
5000 acres to any one man, although
10000 acres may be acquired by special
arrangement. It would take about 5000
sheep to stock 600 acres of good grazing
land; and the government estimates that
the capital needed to start with 500 sheep
and 20 cows would be in the neighborhood
Of $1,000.
Dissatisfied Settlers.
AS II is now the settlers who have taken
up small holdings are dissatisfied with the
prospects. This country is a world of
undeveloped possibilities. and if it were
thrown open. as was our great west each
man being given 16O acres outright and
aided as Canada is now aiding it's settlers
the land would soon be taken up and
considerable white population would re-
suit. AS it is now most of the best tracts
along the railroad are in the hands Of
English nabobs. and the hundreds of COM
paratively poor men who came here from
South Africa at the close of the Boer war
have left. Many of those who remained
are living in little galvanized iron shacks,
and are not doing overly we'll
Nevertheless there is no reason why this
should not some day be white mans
country. settled by white men. Every
where above 5000 feet the climate Is
seen in the early morning a great part
Of the highlands has good rainfall. and
Almost any kind of crop common 10 rhe
temperate zone Will grow. Farther down
near the coast patches of cotton have been
planted. and are yielding 800 or 400 pounds
Of lint to the acre. / have already spoken
OF the coffee plantations about Narobi
1 am told there are also good coffee lands
on the slopes of Mount Kenia. Some to-
bacco farms have been set out along the
RamiSi river, end vegetables are now
being raised here for Mombasa and the
other ports farther down the coast The
people hope to raise European vegeta bies
for South Africa. and il is their idea that
they will eventually export meat to that
country. The greatest obstacles now in
sight are the insect pests and animal
diseases, but they VIII probably he con-
Quered. and these vast plains which are
now supporting thousands upon thousands
OF antelopes. Zebras, gnus and other wild
animals. will eventually be teeming with
cattle and sheep.
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.