ABSTRACT
The Basuto grow several different crops. The most important are maize, kaffir-corn (mabele) and wheat. Minor crops are sweet cane, peas, beans, oats and barley. The ploughing season varies with the type of crop. In the Lowlands, ploughing for wheat begins in April, for kaffir-corn in September and for maize in October, lasting until January if the season is late. In the Highlands, wheat ploughing begins in September and maize ploughing soon after; the season ends about January. For ploughing the fields are divided into long rectangular strips about fifteen yards wide, called akere. When a fixed plough is being used, the perimeter of each strip is ploughed first, the soil being turned inwards and the area gradually reduced until the whole has been ploughed. Here and there conditions are favourable for irrigation and, from the earliest days, some have irrigated their lands.
