The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-02
Germany's Land of Promise

Gern1any's most valuable place in the African sun, German Southwest Africa, was occupied by the< Teutons thfrty-three years ago today. z Ger many was the last of the powers to enter the race for the domination of the Dark Continent, and by 1883 the most desirable. sections had been par titionedl between Briton and sGaul- In Southwest Africa, however, the Ger mans believed. that they had won a real land of promise, capable of great development. Now. this whole vast territory has been wrested from German hands by Gen. Botha and his forces of the Union of South Africa, and the banner of the German En- peror has been replaced by the Un- ion Jack.
 German Southwest Africa includes Great Namaqualand, Damar1and and Ovambo1and, with a total area or 322,450 square miles. Itis still large ly a wilderness, with a fertile section here and there, and is only very sparsely populated. The best esti- mate of the number of people, places the figure at 100000. The coast line, extending from Cape Eric to Walfisch Bay is about as. desolate as could be imagined, but. in. the hinterland there are vast possi biltieS of agricultural development. Considerable quantities of coffee are grown.
 Before the war German Southwest Africa had a white population of about 15s000, a majority of them be- ing in the capital, Great VVindhoek, ITO miles inland from Walfisch Bay. The German auth critics have had many clashes with the natives, and between 1908 and 1907 the Herreros were in active rebellion against their TeutOn masters, and inflicted severe Herreros have never been placated. and they gave a joyous greeting and much aid to the South African forces sent to drive out the Germans and occupy the country.
 Only about 15,000 acres of land were actually under cultivation at the outbreak of the war;, although some s3 3, 100000 acres had been divided be- tween 1. .33O farmers and agricultural companfes. Besides coffee, the prin- cipal products are tobacco. grapes, potatoes, nealies and melons Much of the soil is fertile, but poorly water ed. and irrigation would result in a great development. The Germans had planned several extensive irrfga- ton projects.
 Southwest Africa is likely to be- come far more important as a cattle country than as an agricultural coun- try. There are vast stretches of rich grazing land, and experts have de- c1ared that it is an almost ideal place for cattle raising. Experts haxe esti- mated the valuable pasture land to be equal in area to that of the whole European Germany, and to be ca.pa- ble of carrying 100000 head of cat tie and nearly two-thirds as many sheep and goats. At the outbreak of the war the stock raising companies had over a million sheep and goats and about 200. 900 head of cattle.
 The mineral wealth of German Southwest Africa has been it's great est source of profit up to date. The diamond fields extend for a distance of 250 miles, and since 1908 the Ger man operators, employing about 5000 worth of the precious stones from this field. The copper mines are also very valuable, and before the war the copper companies were exporting about S2,OO0,0O0 worth of the metal every year. The copper fields are be- lieved to be capable of great develop ment- There are large deposits of iron and tin, and immense layers of Valuable white and Acp1ored marble. Coal has been found in small quanti- ties.
 Except in the b-tropiea1 northern section, where fever is prevalent, the climate is heaIthfuI and well suited to European colonization. The mining districts and farming and grazing sec tions could give employment to hun dreds of thousandsAperhaps millions of white co1onists, but practically nothing has been accomplished by the Germans in this direction.