D
Palatial Estate Created by a
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to
ZEBRA BROKEN TO HARNESS AND SADDLE.
(Copyright, 190!!, by Prank O. Carpenter.)
AIKOBI, Feb. 23. (Special Corre-
Nl upondence of The Hee.) Urltlsh
I Kant Africa has an American
IxiuIb, and, like his prototype
of Ilngrlad, In the days of
Haroun
At R&tchld, lie has created a
Krent estate
In a nltfht. He has rubbed
the golden lamp of hla fortune.
and the
genii who serve It have chopped down the
Jungle and fenced In the wilds., A year
ago all was a wllderneea. Now 20.AO0 acres
are under hla pastoral tr agricultural con
trol, and many miles of wire fences have
CTone up about It. He has erected stables
for hundreds of horses ar.d ponies, has a
dairy supplied by over 100 cows, and a
magnificent bungalow home with electrto
. lights, Icemaklng machines and the other
comforts which the nabobs of St. Louis
must love. All this la In one of the wild
est parts of the black continent, where an
telope are as thick as sheep in Ohio, where
there are more sebras than there ar cows
In Kentucky, where the gnus Are more
numerous than homes In Virginia, and
where the lion still roars night after night
and the leopard lies In wait for his prey.
The estate Itself teems with wild animals;
and It Is one of the great private game
preserves of the world.
Pike CoontyMllllnnalre.
The man I refer to Is Mr. William N.
MacMUlan of Missouri. I have caHod him
a Pike county millionaire, although I am
not sure that he comes from Tike. Like
all MlRsourlans ha usually registers from
Et. Louis. He Is about S3 years old) is
dark complexloned, tall, straight and fine
looking, and he weighs, I Judge, about 170
pounds. He Is a man of culture as well as
a man of muscle and enterprise, and he Is
also evidently a man of great wealth.. He
has already spent a fortune on his African
estate, and I am told that he Is now put
ting out from 180,000 to 1100,000 a year 1n
improvements. He Is supposed, by the cltl
sens here to be worth some 10,000,000 and
to have an income running into the hun
dreds of thousands a year.
As to these things, however, I know only
from hearsay. Mr. MacMUlan la a modest
man, and when I took tea with him at his
city home here In Nairobi the other day I
did not feel at liberty to ask him personal
questions. Indeed, a large part of the In
formation which I give In this letter con
cerning his farm and his operations conies
from other seurces, although considerable
cropped out In our chat about farming,
land holding and big game hunting on this
great African plateau.
The JnJa Hanrh.
The name of Mr. MacMlllan'a big rancft
Is the Juja farm. I see a posting notice
concerning It In the Nairobi Globe Trotter
of this week, stating that Us boundaries
are unmlstable, that shooting Is absolutely
prohibited and that trespnsxera will be
prosecuted. The farm lies right In the
heart of the big game country. It Is on
tlie Athl plains, more than a mil.) above
the sea, in a region which Is h.-M utnl
healthy.
The Juja ranch Is bount'.ei by three ilv re
and Is now surrounded by a wire fm-e.
Inside the fence are thousands f nntflpes,
great droves of sebras ami a lurso number
of gnus, or wllde beeste. which we u com
bination between a horse nrd a cdw :inil
are of the antelope species. There are hI.io
rhinos. and hippos unnumbered. The hip
popotamuses Infest the lands alont ha
rivers and thuse streams nr.' also inhao
Ited by' crocodiles. The other Co; Mrs.
MacMlllan'a favorite terrier attempted to
swim a creek not far from the house; and
was gobbled up by a crocodile. A day or
two before that a rhinoceros attacked on
of the negroes who was hoeing the lttuce
In the garden and damaged him consider
ably, and every now and then a hippopota
mus from the swamps of the Athl river
breaks in end has a meal off the peanuts
or sweet potatoes. The amount that these
: animals eat Is not so great, hut they tramp
over the garden, crushing the vegetables
Into mush with their giant feet and they
are apt to wallow In the flowers.
A Palaee Im faT" WlldrrnrM.
I don't suppose I ought to call Mr. T.laf.
MUlan's country home a palace. It would
not be one In London, Paris, Washington
or Berlin, but It Is certainly palatial In
this land, where, until within a dor. n years
ago, there waa nothing but mud iui'.a
thatched with straw, and where ti-.e im
tlvea are still conspicuous by tl .'tr i,u lit.
The home is a low bungalow, pn'iteil u
cool green and white, with wli!e halls,
spacious verandas and long, e:sy clialrs, all
whispering comfort to the suddlc tired
hunter who may have Just come In, rhnsd
by a lion, or from a long hunt on the
plains. The house Itself was Imported from
England In sections, the material being
brought thirty miles by oxen over flooded
rivers through almost ImpassaJble swamps
and through a country filled with wild
beasts. This Is so also of the furniture,
the wall papers and the beautiful engrav
ings and books, and also of the modern
farm implements of various kinds which
are now used on the estate.
The same la true of the machinery of the
pumping station and electric light plant,
which are down near the river and carry
light and water to all the buildings on the
homestead. The structures Include an en
gine house and rooms for dynamos, storago
tells and an ice chamber.
Dalrr a4 It Haadrcsl Caw.
In talking with mo Mr. MacMUlan said
he had now 100 milch cows In his dairy.
Etch gives only a gallon of milk a day,
but th milk 1 almost pur cream, and
far richer than that of our American cows.
i v
-"A ,r mA-VvS,"'
It
- f 1,
Mr. MacMUlan tells me that he Is now
making a, great deal of butter find that
most of It finds a ready market In Nairobi.
He speaks confidently of the future of
British East Africa as a dulrylng country,
saying that the grass Is rich in Its butter
producing qualities, and prophesying that ,
this colony will some day export butter to
India, South Africa and London.
Mr. MacMlllan'a dairy on the Juja ranch
Is a wonder to the people here. It Is
equipped as well as any of the cow houses
belonging to our millionaires of the United
States. Its fittings are of white enamel;
It has a boiler for sterilizing the utensils,
a Bteam separator with white enamel fit
tings and everything Is managed in the
most sanitary way. On one Bide of the
dairy Is a bacon room containing flitches
and hams, and down on a marshy bend of
the river nearby are piggeries in which are
swine of all sizes, fattened on the refuse
milk.
Stables and Abyssinian Ponies,
The Juja stables have quarters for 10.)
horses and ponies with box stalls and all
other conveniences. The floors are paved
North Platte Masons Dedicate Beautiful Temple
ASHINGTON'S birthday was one
Of the great days In the his-
w
tory of North Platte. The oc-
caalon was the dedication of
ll Deautlful Masonic temple, largely attended, and yet of a private na
mmLJ erected at a cost of more than ture, the Invitations being Issued only to
130,000, besides thousands more which have
been or will yet be spent in furnishing It
agreeably to the taste r.d needs of the
several Masonlo organizations that have
combined In Its erection. In addition to
the usual patrlotlo nags many of the bus-
Iness men appropriately deoorated their
stores and windows In honor of the occa-
ston. The exterior of the temple was brll-
llantly and beautifully decorated with elec-
trlcal designs. In attractiveness they have
never been surpassed In this city. The
square and compass, with the letter G,
wer displayed the entire length of the
Dewey street side of the building, while
streamers were suspended In rows the full
length of the temple on Fifth street. The
Interior of the lodge and reception rooms,
parlors, corridors and banquet hall of th
t
r:.
I V
BEAUTIFUL NEW 'HOMB OF THE MASONIC FRATERNITY AT NORTH PLATTE DEDICATED SATURDAY WITH AP
PROPRIATE CEREMONY.
temple were resplendent with beauty, a
wagonload of bunting of national colors
having been used In effecting the several
artistic creations of the decora-:ng com-
mlttee, with Lester W. Walker a chair-
man-
Early In the day the reception and en-
tertalnmrnt committees, headed by Hon.
H. M. Crimes, Judge of the district court;
W. II. C. Woodward, receiver at the United
State !arl office; E. F. Beeberger of the
H' si National bank, Samuel Goozee of the
MoPonnld State bank, and a number of
the foremost business men, were busy
meeting the Incoming trains from' the east
and west, welcoming and providing for the
convenience of the guests of the lodge, prandial speeches were given at the dlrec
Th lodges at Sidney, Chappell, Ogallala. tlon tn tostmaster. Past Grand Master
Gothenburg, C'osud. Iexlngton, Gandy, Elm Frank B. Billiard. Among the after-dinner
Creek, Kearney, Gibbon, Shelton, Wood
River and Grand Island, had been Invited
as bodies, and all sent delegations, from
six to thirty members being present from
each place. The officers of the grand
lodge of Nebraska Were present aa fol
lows: Grand Master Ornnn W. King of
Lincoln, Deputy Grand Master William A.
De Bord of Omaha, Grand Senior Warden
Michael Dowllng of Omaha, Grand Junior
Warden Harry A.' Cheney of Crelghton.
Grand Treasurer James B. Dlnsmore of
Sutton, Grand Secretary Francis E. Whlto
of Omaha, Grand Chaplain Very Rev.
Gcorge Allen Beecher of Omaha, Grand
Lecturer Robert E. French of Kearney,
Grand Marshal Henry Gibbon of Kearney,
Grand Ben lor Iucon John R. Cain of
Falls City, Grand JuAlor Deacon Alpha
Morgajt of Broken Bow, Grand Tiler Jacob
King of South Omaha and peclal grand
orator of th day, th Hon. Henry II. Wll-
son of Lincoln, past grand master. Be-
sldes thsse, ther wer present visiting
THE OMAHA
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and drained and the loose boxes are netted
against mosquitoes, which during the rainy
season are death to horses In this part of
the world. Outside the stables are chicken
runs and not far from them are a large
number of farm wagons lately Imported
. from Wisconsin for use on the estate.
.Among the animals used for draft are
Hombay mules and East Indian oxen, both
of which seem to thrive here. Mr. Mac
MUlan has reoently brought In about 100
ponies and mules from Abyssinia. He has
altogether 000 cattle, having Just begun to
stock the ranch. His cattle have humps on
their backs; they are descendants of the
sacred bulls of India, but he Is now Im
porting Hereford and Guernsey bulls to Im
prove the breed.
Question of Labor.
In my talk with Mr. MacMUlan I asked
him as to the African natives as an avail
able labor supply. He says they do, well,
and that the wages paid average about
$1.33 a month per man. He has about ten
white foremen and something like 700 hun
dred Hindoos, Bomalls, Masai and other
native Africans.' The Masai are a stock-
brethren from Hastings, Fremont, Beatrice,
Lincoln, Omaha and other cities, the total
number of guests exceeding 160.
The several services and ceremonies were
Masons and their immediate families,
Promptly at 2 o'clock Platte Valley Lodge
No. 32 assembled at the ball, marched to
the Pacific hotel and escorted the Grand
lodge to the new temple, an orchestra
meanwhile discoursing sweet strains of
music for the entertainment of the ladles
and brethcrn in waiting. The dedicatory
exercises were conducted by Grand Master
Ornan J. King, assisted by the officers and
metjjjers of the grand lodge and a largo
choir of Masons, their wives and daughters,
They Included the Te Deum and several
hymns and solos by North Platte's
best vocalists, an oration by the Hon. Past
Grand Master of Nebraska, Henry H. Wll-
son of Lincoln, the grand honors and the
'patrlotlo hymn "My Country 'Tls of Thee"
by Uj entire assembly. Following the
ceremonies a social hour was most pleas-
antly spent, during which light refreshments
were served and every lady waa presented
with a souvonlr by the executive com-
mlttee.
At 7 o'clock the great banquet hall was
opened, the members and guests entering
anl being seated with orchestral accom-
panlment. The banquet, which was x;hi-
slvely Masonic, none but Masons partlcl-
Patlng, was a great social success. Covers
were laid for 250. The dinner, served In a
hlf dosen courses by the Order of the
Eastern Star, and the menu of the very
host. Following the serving came the flow
of wit and humor, as the several post-
speakers were Grand Master King, John
Halllgan, esq., of North Platte, Deputy
Grand Master De Bord, Grand Chaplain
Beechcr and Rev. John F. Selbert of North
Platte,
For several years Platte Valley Lodge
No. 3) has had under consideration th
erection of a building more In keeping
with the progressive spirit of the city.
After due consideration, by a strong vote
the lodge decided to erect a temple purely
fo' Masonlo purposes, and plans were
drawn and adopted. Tho unexpectedly
Kreut demand for lueieused rooms for mer-
can til pursuits caused by rapid expan-
slon of tho city, together with the fact
that th Masonic property was located on
one of th most valuable business cor-
ners, caused a reconsideration of the sub
Jcct and the present handaomo building
shown in th cut is the result. By order
of th bodies participating th trustee
of th several societies perfected an er-
ganlcatioa called th Tempi craft with
SUNDAY BEE: FEBRUARY 23, 1903.
St. Louis
NATIVE8 WHO MAKE GOOD HERDSMEN.
rearing people and they are valuable upon
the ranches, as they know how to care for
cattle. They will do nothing in the way
of cultivation or other hard labor. The
Waklkuyu, on the other hand, are fond of
farming and can use hoe fairly well, Buch
men as are working away from their own
country have to be fed, but this costs only
about 75 cents a month over their pay.
Those who are employed from the tribes
nearby and are allowed to go home every
night feed themselves.
Most of the farmers here us Afrtoan or
Indian servants. The Bomalls are good
boys and the Bwahllls are in great demand.
The wages of a fairly good house boy are
about 10 cents a day and his food. The
better class cooks, however, sometimes get
as much as $13 a month and such wages
are rising.
Domestication of the Zebra,
There are great droves of cebras run
ning about over the wilder parts of Mr.
MacMlllan'a big farm. He permits no
shooting upon It by strangers, and, as a ro
sult, these animals are remarkably tame,
considering their character and locality.
all corporate powers, and this craft, whose
members are: F. E. Billiard, president;
W. H. McDonald, treasurer; George Qra-
ham, secretary; F. W. Rlncker, E. F.
Beeberger, Samuel Goozee, Arthur Mc-
Namara, Albert Muldoon and Charles F.
ladings, erected the building. The temple preparation room . -10x16 feet. Doors con
Is probably the largest and most Imposing nect these with the lodge room 4Cx50 feet
structure, with the-exception of the high and having eighteen-foot celling. These
school building, erected In the city. A apartments will all be furnished In keep
light brown Dressed brick and the best ma- lnr'wlLh. the. magnificence of the hulldlnir.
terlal of every kind were used In the con-
structlon. The extreme dimensions of the
main building are 88 feet on Dewey street
by 90 feet on Fifth street, two stories In
height, to which Is added a wareroom,
20x 60, .and a boiler room, 13x30. The entire
first floor, including the addition, Is occu-
pled by the Wilcox department store, mak
ing this the largest and finest storeroom
in western Nebraska. From a hall at the
Fifth street entrance by a flight of wide,
easy stairs, the second story Is reached
ana entrance maue into a cornaor seven
foot in wldtU that extends th entire length
t;
of the building. From this corridor at the
front Is another one to the north, flanked
on either side by cloak rooms, 8x17 feet,
leading to parlor, !Hx21, and double doors
open from thiB into a splendid banquet room
SSx50 feet, finished with maple floor and
suf flclently spacious to adequately care for
the large crowds present at the various S i-
rial functions so frequently given by the
craft Attached hereto Is a kitchen IHjcM
feet, fitted with range, cupboards, tables
and all necessary utensils. The large toilet
rooms complete the arrangement on the
north side. The south side Is used exclu-
Biviy fur MwKiuiu puryukM. At Uiu IruiU
- t.
PIONEER STRUCTURE IN WHICH TUB FIRST MASONIC LODGE AT NORTH PLATTtt WAS CONSTITUTE J
Nabob in
'- - ' - - " - - - -
After the farm Is In good running order,
an attempt will be made to domesticate
the zebra, and experiments in cross breed
ing will be carried on. Indeed, this has
already been attempted here and there
throughout the country and especially at
the government agricultural farm at Nal
vasha lake, between here and Uganda, I
have gone through Nalvasha and the wild
ebra about there look fine and healthy.
It la different with the tame ones on the
government farm. The experiment was
begun in 1904, when 100 head were brought
in from the wilds. They fell off, on by
one, being attacked by parasites and dis
ease, and the experiment Is now considered
a failure. The secretary of agriculture
says that he has great hopes from the
sebra oolts born in captivity, and thinks
they may eventually be handled like don
keys and horses. As to the wltd sebras, he
says It Is Impossible to take them from the
plains and use them for farm animals, and
he advises the settlers that oxen and mules
are better and chesper. A wild zebra
never becomes docile and the natives can
not possibly handle It. The colts, If treated
kindly, seem to change their nature,
is th reception room 20x40 feet, almost the
Identical size of the old lodge room, fur-
ntshed with elegant Brussels rugs and fur-
nlture for club house purposes. From this
entrance to the tiler's room 16x1:6 feet, fitted
with a set of Individual lockers and the
the designs of the several rooms and the
esthetic Ideas of Masonry. Four Wilton
velvet rugs of delicate design cover the body
of the lodge room, while the elegant furnl-
ture secured several years since is ro-
tained. Over the tiler's and preparation
room Is a room for storage purposes, 16x37
feet. Here Is mounted a dissolving lan
tern purchased at a cost of $150, with nu
merous slides to properly Illustrate and
Illuminate the lessons of Masonry.
Platte Valley lodge No. 23 has a history
that can scarcely be excelled by any In
the Jurisdiction. The first meeting of
Masons that resulted In Its organization
was held November la, 18C9, at Cotton
wood Springs, twenty-two miles east of
North Platte, then a strong government
post, under the command of Colonel W.
II. Emery. Fifth United States cavalry.
The five Masons present were all officers
in the army. They were: A. A. Reese, a
Methodlst minister from Baltimore, post
chaplain, who afterwards became first
master of thei lodge; A. B. Taylor. W. II.
Brown and Edward A. Lleb, captains, and
Charles B. Brady, a lieutenant. Shortly
afterward Charles McDonald, now of this
city; Dr. F. N. Dick, deceased, and Eu
gene A. Carr, who later became brigadier
general and who was In command of the
forces In the historical fight with Indians
at Julesburg, were admitted. Mr. Mo
Donald was a member of Capitol lodge
No. 1 of Omaha and was a prime worker
in the movement to establish Masonry at
the post, but at the time of the first meet
ing was at Washington, D. C, on business
with the government. The second story of
Iiis store building and ranch house, a rather
primitive structure, was secured for the
lodge hall. It was 24x24 feet In size and
60 was spent In Its furnishings. Following
the first Installation of officers, what Is
described as "a sumptuous social gather
ing" was held at the McDonald home, the
Fifth United States Cavalry band fur
nishing the music. Eight petitions for
membership were presented at the first
meeting after the letters of dispensation
had been granted by the grand master.
The f,rst Lo1e of Emergency was called
January lm- ,0 'telll tn8 funeral of
Richard Ormsby of North Platte and was
attended by eighteen brothers of the order,
th8 number being Mr. McDonald,
Dr- Dlck' MJr Woodhurst, James H.
Babbitt, who, with the exception of Dr.
uu lt are yet nenil,r of this lodge.
To publish some of the proceedings of the
lodge during the time of Its location at
Fort McPherson would make decidedly
spicy reading, but would hardly be ad-
vlsable. Suffice It to say. the records of
the lodge as well as th testimony of the
iutuubeis of that period, rval wonderfully
v..
the Wilds
AFRICAN CATTLE RUN
and I have seen sebras driven about
hitched to carriages and spring wagons,
and In some places even ridden by natives.
How to Break the 7,ebraw
I have before me the report made by
the farmer In charge of the government
ranch giving his conclusions as to xebra
training. After saying that the animals
need a wide range, he tells how he broke
five zebra stallions, after they hnd been
haltered and stabled for more than a
year. He says that one of these was
savage to ferocity and unsafe to approach
In the stall or outside. The others he
hitched up to an old military wagon,
using a set of mule harness reversed, with
the breeching acting as the breast collar,
and with rope tugs. It took him one
whole month before he could run a pair of
these zebras together, and six weeks be
fore a good team could bo depended upon.
After that they went fairly well. He
worked them for several weeks hauling
brush and wood, and at the end they be
came thin. They would eat only grass,
and turned up their noses at bran and
corn. They were good pullers and strong.
strenuous and truly exciting times caused
by the hostility to Masonry In general, and
this lodge In particular, by the commanding
officer. To attend the meetings was said
to incur his displeasure and the several
citations of the members of the committee
of Investigation, two of whom are yet
resident, seems forcibly to establish the
claim. Because of this unfriendly attltudo
and continuous opposition and the removal
of some of the prominent members, a vote
was taken to remove the lodge to North
Platte. At the meeting authorizing the re
moval, George 11. Thummel, now clerk of
the federal court at Omaha, was present as
worshipful master pro tempore.
The erection of a building for tho lodge
was at onco considered which resulted In
the construction of the one that has Jutt
been replaced by the new temple. The cost
was $2,600 and the funds was secured by
Issuing stock at $50 per share. This, bulld-
Ing Is historic also because of the lowor
story having been leased by Lincoln county
for county offices preceding the erection of
a oourt house. The letters from members
now scattered all over the country testify
to many of the delightful gatherings spent
within this building during the passing
years and' from the precincts of that hall
have gone forth many Influences looking t j
the Joy and happiness of its constituency.
Platte Valley lodge, successful In the
past, has never boen more prosperous than
at the present time. The roster contains
the names of 170 members In good slaiyl
ing, presided over by John G. Mcllvain
as worshipful master, than whom there a'e
few better Informed men on Masonry any
where, Frank L. Mooney, senior warden;
John F. Belbert, Junior warden; Frank E.
Billiard, secretary; Samuel Goozee, treas
urer; Robert Armstrong, senior deacon;
Dr. O. H. Cressler, Junior deacon, and
Platte J. Oilman, tiler.
Besides the blue lodge, North Platte hts
th Chapter, the comma ndery and the
Order of the Eastern Star.
Euphrates chapter No. 16 waa organized
in 1S76 and now numbers seventy member!".
Its officers are; William 3. Stuart, nltfh
priest; Fred W. Rlncker, king; James a.
McDonald, scribe; Charles McDonald,
treasurer, and Frank f.. Billiard, secre
tary. The chapter has applications In suf
ficient number to furnish work for some
months.
Palestine commandery No. 13 was organ
ised in IM, und has also a membership of
about seventy. Work Is being continu
ously done, a number of applications being
pending. The directory of the commundory
is aa follows: Commander, Emil F. Bee
berger; generalissimo, M. H. Douglas; cap
tain general, John O. Mcllvain; recorder,
James B. McDonald; senior warden, F. W.
Rlncker; Junior warden, George M. Gra
ham; prelate, Frank E. Bullard.
The Order of the Eastern Star la likewise
In a most flourishing condition. The mem
bership Is over 150. The presiding officers
are: Mrs. M. rl. Douglas, worthy matron;
Robert Armstrong, worthy patron; Mrs.
George W, Finn, secretary, and Mrs. F. II.
Thompson, treasurer.
Platte Valley lodg. and the allied organ-
(Conlinued on Pag Four.)
i. .V V i -n , ., !.-'..', .'
of Africa
LARGELY TO HORN 3
Shortly after turning them out on pasture,
they picked up and grew fat onco more.
One of the chief toubles of keeping th"
zebras in captivity. Is that they boom
Infected with worms and parasites of
various kinds. Old settlers, who under
stand th country, say that the zebra hns
these same parasites when he runs II. 1
on the plans, but that ho knows certain
plants and grasses which are antidotes for
them and seeks them out and eats them.
This keeps him In health, notwithstanding
the parasites. When In captivity such wide
ranging Is not possible, h can not find
Ms medicine and as a result grows skk
and dies.
filar Forms In Africa.
The farm of Mr. MacMUlan, which I
have described. Is one of the big eststes
which are springing up here on the high
African plateau. There are a number of
the kind, and the papers are filled with
warnings to hunters that they must not
shoot upon these largo properties. Thn
division of the land Into big holdings,
through favoritism or In other ways. Is
creating a great deal of comment, unci It
Is denounced by the smaller settlers.
Among the big estates are those, of Iird
(Rlndlip who has over 100,000 acres,
the East African syndicate, which lias
600,000 square miles, or 320,000 acres, nml
of Lord Delamare. who has lon.OOO ones
and more. Lord Delnmare's estates It 7.(l
feet above sea level, and the eqimtur
runs through It. He has already l.()
acres under cultivation, and has stocked
his pastures with 8,000 native sheep and
600 Imported Merinos. Ha has also Im
ported rams and BOO Ryland-crossed na
tive lambs, He Is experimenting in cut tin
rearing, and has a herd of 17,000 native
head, including 800 oxen. He has fourteen
Shorthorns and a number of Herefonls.
He has also a medal dairy. Other farmer
ar bringing European stock fur breed ins
purposes. There is a settler not far from
Nairobi who lias recently imported thirty
Merino rams and 100 Merino ewes. This
man Is also engaged In dairying, and has
several fine Guernsey bulls.
No Place' for Poor Americans.
There Is one thing I should like to say
about British East Africa. It Is no place
for poor Americans and the po.ir English
man who can do well here Is a wonder.
The land Beems to be good und it can bo
bought comparatively cheap, but every
thing Is far from the markets and all im
ports are high. Iabor Is exceedingly low.
A native can often be employed for 6 or
10 cents a day and hundreds work for 3
cents a day. Bui. It Is difficult to control
them and the conditions are impossible for
the ordinary American farmer who has
but little money and relies largely on his
muscle and brains. The British East Af
rican government advises no one tn cmi!
to the country unless he has at least $1,W
and It says he should have $5.0"0 to do
well. The cost of land ranges from titi
rests to $1.30 an acre, according to whether
It Is near or far from the railroad. This Is
for farm lands. Pastures can be bought
for as low as 30 cents an acre and home
steads of 160 acres, with the right of pre
empting 4S0 acres more, can be purciias-d
by Installments, spread over slxleen ycar-i.
The right of pre-emption lapses at the (nl
of three years If forty-eight acres out of
the 160 have not been cultivated. A a
general thing the government will not
grant more than 5,000 acres to un' en-i
man, although 10.0U) acres may be ac
quired by speclul arrangement. It would
take about S.OnO sheep to stork l.w
of good grazlimland, and tho government
estimates that the capital needed to nlarl
with 600 sheep and twenty cows would be
in the neighborhood of $3,000.
Dissatisfied Settler.
As It Is now the settlers who have taken
up small holdings are dissatisfied with ti.a
prospects. This country Is a world of un
developed possibilities, and If it Wert
thrown open, as was our great west, u"'i
man being given 100 acres outright and
aided as Canada Is now aiding Its settlers,
the land would soon be tuken up and a
considerable white population would result.
As It is now most of the best tracts along
the railroad are In the hands of Engl.'
nabobs, and the hundreds of c imparattve v
poor men who came here from South Af
rica at the close of the Boer wr have !!'
Many of those who remained sre living !u
little galvanized iron shacks and are n-.t
doing overly well.
Nevertheless there Is no reason wh. t'.iU
should not some day be a white man's
country, settled by white men. Kvery
where above 6.0TO feet the dlmst 1
healthy and atAOOO feet Ice Is usually seen
In the early morning. A great pHrt of th
highlands has a good ralnfHll and almost
any kind of crop common to the tenirate
zone will grow. Farther down near the
const patches of cotton have been planted
and are yielding 300 or too pounds of lint
to the acre. I have already spoken of the
coffee plantations about Nairobi. I am
told there are also good coffe lands oil
the slopes of Mount Kenla. Some tobacco "
farms have been set out along. tho Ramlsl
river and vegetables are now being raised
hero for Mombasa and the ether ports fur
ther down the roast. The po;,le hope to
ittife Kuropian vegetables for S uth Africa
aid It Is their Idea lh.-.t they will eventu
ally r-m-t rent to that c-vintry The
greatest' obstacles now In sight ar the In
sect pests snd animal disease", but they
will probably be conquered, and these vast
plulns. which are now supporting thou
sands upon thousands of antelopes, zebras,
gnus and other wild animals, will eventu
ally be .teeming with cattl and ahesp.
FRANK O. CARPBNTBR
