Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1922-07-21
AlvORD SEES FAMINE
IN SOUTHERN AFRICA
Eormer Pullman Man Relates Con-
ditions in Letter to G. y. Curtis
Rabbits Destroy His
Wheat

nv G.. n. Curtis from e. d. Alvord,
agricultural missionary to South
Africa. and a former Pullman man:
I would like to report to you that
with the money you sent out before
for fencing, Mr.. Hosmer our pur-
chasing agent at Boston, has pur-
chased ESQ rods of barbed bottom
netted hog fence, which left Boston
last year but has not yet arrived
here. I suppose that by the time
YOU get this letter it will have ar
rived. We have gone ahead cutting
posts and setting them. 1t has been
quite a problem as posts when set
in the ground are eaten up in a few
wears by the white ants. However,
there is variety called "Chinga"
that when cut and put in the ground
will last a lifetime. We located a
great quantity of these trees about
20 miles from here, and have gotten
out about 500. All we are waiting
for now is the wire.
We are all very much pleased to
hear that more money is coming out
for this purpose as we need consid-
cradle fencing yet. We must have
at least two strands of barbed wire
above the hog wire. Then it would
be a great saving to the work if we
had land fenced for pasturage, as we
have on hand over 40 head of oxen
and several milk cattle belonging to
the agricultural department. At
present these cattle must be herded
and we are continually troubled
with damage claims where they get
into gardens of the natives
l would like to get all the fields
fenced. Have had one team of IA
oxen hitched to a double disk pillow
on the go for the last two months
and would like to get two or three
hundred acres under cultivation in
the next year or two Am sorry that
I did not get started at it two years
ago For from all indications we
are confronted in the near future
timers say it will be the worst the
country has ever seen in the mem
DRY of living man
The situation here at Mt. Silinda
is very grave, and there is more
food here than anywhere els: in the
country, but with the board ng de-
partments of the school on our
hands with nearly 200 mouths to
feed. I fear we shall be up against
it. We ad in about - acres Of
corn and after the anHua war with
balloons, wild pigs and other seal
lams we were able to harvest a lit
tie over 500 bushels of shelled corn
Each person eats two pounds of mol
per day, so you see that 500 bushels
won't go far Harvest time has just
passed and many natives are alread"
crying for food. Many native gar
dens were complete failures this
year.
1t makes my heart sore when !
see the present food shortage and
feel so strongly that it might have
been avoided We have so many
thousands of fertile acres here in
what is spoken of as the garden r,"t
of all Rhodesia, but very little has
been done to develop these lands.
The mission has always depended on
buying grain from the natives. but
this year the natives have none to
sell. In March I planted over 90
acres to wheat, expecting to get a
good crop to help out in the famine,
but it has been completely destroyed
by rabbits. Wait till the hog wire
gets here and we will fix Mr.. Rab-
bit. Now the only hope of saving
lives is to plant early corn in July
1.-THE usual time is November) and
this should be ripe in December.
have about 80 acres ready for these
early mealies (corn).
One has only to look at the rain
fall records to understand why we
are confronted with severe famine
Here in tropical Africa we have a
rainy and dry season. During the
rains all vegetation grows luxuriant-
~ then during the dry season every
thlng seems to wither and die from
drought. Here we have a plenty Of
water yearly rainfall average sc
lnches) but we also have a plenty Of
sun. And so here the great prob
lem is water for moistening the soil
II during the rainy season, which il
the summer time of the year, with
the sun directly overhead, there hap,
pens to come a period OF days with
out rain or clouds, the sun sucks
up the water so rapidly that in &
comparatively short time 1t leaves
the ground parched, and so Injuries