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The Department of Agriculture was created on 18 November 1887 on the appointment of Professor A Fisher as Secretary for Agriculture. The department fell under the control of the Colonial Secretary and dealt with the following subjects:

Viticulture
Tobacco Culture
Agricultural Societies and Schools and Botanical Gardens
Game Laws
Phylloxera
Diseases of Cattle and the Scab Acts
Improvement of the breed of horses

Prior to this date agricultural matters had been dealt with by one clerk employed in the office of the Colonial Secretary.

As from 14 March 1889 the range of subjects to be addressed to the Secretary for Agriculture was increased by the addition of the following:

Animal Diseases Act
Vineyard Protection Act
Diseases of Animals or of Plants (other than those specially provided for in the abovementioned statutes)
Sericulture
Destructive Insects
Export of Fruit and correspondence on all other subjects connected with agriculture

The Department of Agriculture ceased to exist on 31 August 1892 and a new ministerial department was created on 1 September known as the Department of Lands, Mines and Agriculture. CA Currey, Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands and Public Works was appointed Secretary for Lands, Mines and Agriculture. The department was placed in the ministerial division of the Treasurer, being charged with the administration of agriculture, crown forests and plantations, manufacture of colonial wood sleepers, geological explorations, irrigation and water supply and mines. The duties connected with those subjects, other than agriculture, had formerly been under the supervision of the Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands and Public Works.

The existence of this department was short-lived. On 12 September 1893 a ministerial portfolio of Secretary for Agriculture was created and John Frost was appointed to the position. Currey was appointed permanent head of the department on the same date, being designated Under Secretary for Agriculture. A separate ministerial division had been instituted which was responsible for the same duties as had been assigned to the former Department of Lands, Mines and Agriculture.

On 1 August 1905 the Department of Agriculture was re-organised by the grouping of the various functions into branches under three officers: the Director of Agriculture, the Surveyor-General and the Chief Clerk to the Secretary for Agriculture. The agricultural branch was administered by the Director of Agriculture and comprised the following sub-branches:

(1) Veterinary Science and Bacteriology, under the Chief Veterinary Surgeon
(2) Scab, under the Chief Inspector of Sheep
(3) Viticulture, under the Government Viticultural Expert
(4) Entomology, under the Government Entomologist
(5) Agricultural Education, under the Principal of the Agricultural School, Elsenburg
(6) Agricultural Experiments, under the Agricultural Assistant
(7) Fruit Culture, under the Horticultural Assistant
(8) Agricultural Journal and Library, under the Editor of the Agricultural Journal
(9) Brands, under the Registrar of Brands

The lands branch, administered by the Surveyor-General, was comprised of the following sub-branches:

(1) Lands, under the direct control of the Surveyor-General
(2) Survey, under the direct control of the Surveyor-General
(3) Mines, under the Inspector of Mines, Kimberley and the Inspector and Registrar of Claims, Barkly West

The ministerial branch was administered by the Chief Clerk to the Secretary for Agriculture and was comprised of the following sub-branches:

(1) Accounts, under the Chief Accountant and Accounting Officer
(2) Forests, under the Conservator of Forests
(3) Guano, under the Superintendent of the Government Guano Islands
(4) Fisheries, under the Government Biologist

The position of Under Secretary for Agriculture lapsed during this re-organisation. Duncan Hutcheon, chief veterinary surgeon was appointed acting Director of Agriculture and B McMillan, principal clerk was appointed acting Chief Clerk to the Secretary for Agriculture on 1 August 1905. Hutcheon’s appointment was made permanent from 1 July 1906.

On 17 May 1906 a further re-organisation within the department was effected. Correspondence on forests was to be addressed to the acting Chief Conservator of Forests and not to the acting Chief Clerk to the Secretary for Agriculture as had been the practice after the initial remodelling of the department.

The office of Under Secretary for Agriculture was re-established on 23 September 1907 and the work performed by the acting Chief Clerk to the Secretary for Agriculture was transferred to the Under Secretary for Agriculture.

It was announced on 20 December 1907 that in view of the Director of Agriculture’s frequent absence from Cape Town in the performance of his duties, all correspondence formerly addressed to him was in future to be addressed to the acting Under Secretary for Agriculture.

On 31 June 1908 the office of the Chief Clerk to the Secretary for Agriculture was abolished, and on the advent of Union on 31 May 1910 the established order of agricultural administration gradually ceased to exist, matters relating to agriculture being delegated to the Union Government.