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Precious manure, 1940 - 1949

 Sub-Series
Reference Code: GBR/0115/RCS/Y3011U/322-342

Scope and Contents

A series of British Official photographs (Crown Copyright Reserved). They each have the following typewritten caption on the reverse:

'At first when African farmers saw European devoting time and labour to manuring their lands they regarded it as another instance of white man's folly. But they began to notice that the white men's fields grew more and better produce and for years the Agricultural Officers of the Government patiently explained to the Africans how the land must be fed with manure if it was to continue to yeild[sic] good crops. At last the lesson is sinking in the African begins to use his farmyard manure previously dumped at the village gate as a sign of his wealth. In 1945 one Local Council in the Kiambu district near Nairobi appointed an elderly Kikuyu as a buying agent for manure. Two buying posts were set up and native syock[sic] owners brought in their manure by head lead and donkey selling it at five cents of a shilling for as much as would fill a four gallon tin. The Local Native Council in turn brought from him at 7 cents a tin and supplied to farmers a[t] 7 cents plus transport. In this district alone about 360 tons of manure were sold during March of 1945 and over 800 tons since the scheme started to operate - evidence of the increasing awareness of the more educated African of the neeeds[sic] of their soil'.

Dates

  • Creation: 1940 - 1949

Conditions Governing Access

From the Fonds:

Unless restrictions apply, the collection is open for consultation by researchers using the Manuscripts Reading Room at Cambridge University Library. For further details on conditions governing access please contact mss@lib.cam.ac.uk. Information about opening hours and obtaining a Cambridge University Library reader's ticket is available from the Library's website (www.lib.cam.ac.uk).

Language of Materials

English

General

SG.

Date information

DateText: Dated '1940s' in the original typescript catalogue..

Finding aid date

2003-11-13 11:59:54+00:00

Includes index.

Repository Details

Part of the Cambridge University Library Repository

Contact:
Cambridge University Library
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Cambridge CB3 9DR United Kingdom