PART II.
Average yields of maize in the maize belts are probably, in a good
year, about 10-15 bags of 200lbs. nett per acre, and this over large
individual blocks of 1,000 arces or more. - Smaller blocks have yielded
up to 25 bags per acre. The figures just given may seem unduly
optimistic, but they pre-suppose an adequate and timely rainfall and,
equally as important, reasonably good farming. ‘Given these
conditions, and they are usually met with in the Colony, the above
figures are by no means too large. They have been given in order
to show that as far as soil and climate are concerned, large parts of
the country are capable, even under present conditions, of producing
as high yields of maize per acre as any country in the world. When
better methods of farming are employed and well bred seed only is
used, it can be confidently anticipated that these yields will be
increased by 50 per cent. and that the maize belts of this country will
become the Eldorado of the maize grower, though, on account of the
smallness of the country, only a few individuals will be able to enjoy
it. Even now, when scarcely any attempt has been made to improve
the quality of seed maize, the average yields per acre is double that
of South Africa, where much attention has been wnaid to the
improvement of seed.
There are at present about 200,000 acres under maize, and a large
proportion of the crop, consisting chiefly of Grade No. 2 flat white is
exported to Europe. The price of maize depends largely on the Plate
crop and varies here f.o.r. from about 8/50 to 13/- a bag. Gunny
bags, and transport from the farm and to the rail vost together usually
about 3/- a bag, so that the nett price a farmer obtains when maize
is 10/- a bag f.o.r. is about 7/- a bag. The cost of growing maize is
about £2 per acre, so that with a yield of 10 bags per acre, the profit
per acre is about 30/-; with the yield of 15 bags per acre the profit
is about £3 per acre. These figures are very rough, but they give
some indication of the possibilities of maize growing in the Colony.
Barley is as yet very little grown, although it is perhaps more
suited to the whole of the highlands than any other crop. The soil
of Kenya Colony is par excellence barley soil, and the climate,
particuiarly at the higher altitudes, equally good for it. If the time
of sowing is judiciously selected it can be an absolute certainty that
the weather will be dry at harvest, and this is important in so far as
obtaining a malting sample is concerned. Most of the samples
produced so far have been excellent malting samples, and those that
have been sent to England have been pronounced upon most favourably
 and a high price offered. It is difficult to understand why more
is not grown. It is hardly attacked by any pests or diseases except
the smuts (which can easily be controlled), and the yields compare
favourably with any country in the world, being about 10 bags of 150
Ibs. nett to the acre. Perhaps the chief reason why only a negligible
quantity is grown is that there seems to be some doubt in the minds
of farmers as to finding a markc* for it. There is no local market for
malting barley, and when the me: 26 is entirely foreign, there is
always some difficulty and hesitation in starting the ball rolling.
There is little doubt, however, that as soon as farmers realise that
they are likely to find a good market abroad for Kenya malting
barley that large acreages will be put under that crop. Most of the
English malting varieties appear to do well here. It cannot be too
strongly stressed that on the whole the soil and climate of the
highlands of this Colony seem made for the growing of malting barley

97