The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1912-09-27


dNTs[R NZTJ C1yEBZTU NZu IN
I WHEN the settler has chos-
MAP en- his farm, he will lose
va no time in proceeding there.
W VI 50 as 10 begin the new
round OF existence at once.
The farm may be of 5000 acres, or
Of 5000 morgen, whlcE is about 5000
acres, and il will be readily under
stood hat in such a wide area OF an
broken land there is much TO do. AS
likely as not the farm will consist Of
an almost unbroken plain with a few
undul2tions, or perhaps it may have
a few rocky kopjes on its borders, to
vary the monotonous outlook. There
may be a w~0tercourse. which very
likely VIII be dry if the time of the
year IS between April and October.
Most Of the water-courses are dry at
that period of the year, and form drifts
only, which sometimes are a terror
to the trekker. For In RhOdesia the
farms adjacent 20 the railway are
pretty Well all taken up, and it will
be necessary to trek to some distant
spot. either by bullock or mule wag-
on, so as 10 enter into possession OF
an unbroken farm. 1t is to be borne
in mind hal while the farms" are
large in size they are cheap enough,
costing only some 6s. per acre for
the freehold. and even then may be
acquired on extended payment terms.
surely there IS every Involvement here
TO the farmer who would seek to own
his farm.
Mules and Oxen.
The settler must needs start off
with mules or oxen, and slowly trudge
along from day to day towards his
destination. 1t is a pleasure to trek
on the weld. Ii is best 10 start at sum
rise, and get on a good part of the
. way before ten or eleven O'Clock.
Then it Is we'll 70 outspan you leans
and prepare the forenoon meal. The
outSpan must be near water, for that
Is the first consideration for the mules
and oxen. They will forage for them
selves OF the weld. and pick up suf-
ticient TO keep them going from the
sweet weld grass. The heat Of the
day IS always trying. and lasts pretty
we'll till . o'clock in the afternoon,
when the cams may be inspanned and
tire journey renewed. For the most
part the roads are good. but some
times the drifts are difficult TO nego-
tate, and 1t is just as well 10 leave the
wagon then and negotiate them on
foot. 1t is characteristic OF the roads.
which are merely tracks through the
weld, that near to the riSer-beds they
are frequently broken up by the heavy
rains which have fallen during the
wet season. and great chasmS often
occur OIL the track. A detour must be
made to avoid these washed away
reads, as, If you travel in a buck
board" or a covered ambulance wag.
on. YOU will certainly have a hard
time OF it ii you try TO negotiate q
track that has been partially washed
away. The journey Is interesting
enough as you push on IN the cool of
the evening: then you may see game
OF all kinds on the weld, such as stem
box. duiker. reedbuci and all kinds
Of a%ntelopes. and the supply OF fresh
meat for the journey depends upon
being able TO stalk some OF these sue.
cessfully. But there is plenty Of 9th
er game, not only of animals but
birds. such as bustards, g~uinea-fowl
and Snipe.
But the trek TO the farm comes TO
an end, and then the real business of
agriculture begins. The oxen, mules,
or donkeys, which have brought YOU
, 50 far, must now be utilized for break.
Ing mp the farm. and the sooner the
work is started the better.
The clearing has first TO be done,
and stumping will most likely be the
first task. 1t consists of removing
stumps OF trees from the ground, go as
10 make a continuous field. The
stumps are the relics OF the native
method OF clearing the weld. They
break down the branches OF the trees
and set fire TO them at the base. and If
possible Inc stump Is tneN removed,
More often than otherwise it is left
behind, and the native cultivation goes
round about it. There are great ex-
panses of territory where such stumps
exist in large numbers. and the only
thing for the settler to do is to start
and remove them. They may come in
| useful for building a dam over a
donga. so as to conserve the water
supply; hut In any ease they must
come out.
If the settler Is wise he will have
seen that his farm has a large catch
ment area. as during the dry months
from April TO October he will want all
The water he can get. Possibly there
Is an ~alluvial valley with black, rich
| soil, and alongside may be a portion
! If red formation" soil, or granite for.
nation. These are the three princi
,al soils in Rhodesia. and X Is usual
TO have them mingled on most farms
[ They all nave their uses. but the red