The Arabs are poor farmers, and in ploughing scarcely do more than scratch the surface of the ground. If a stone of any size lies in their way, they plough around it rather than remove it. Their harvests are correspondingly small. The Kabyles are much more painstaking, pursue agriculture with more method, and reap a greater reward. Barley is the chief cereal, figs and olives the staple fruits.
Figs form an important item in the diet.
Olive oil is used in a variety of ways in cooking, and in the household economy. Sorghum is also largely raised. The cattle are fed almost entirely on the dried leaves of the ash tree, gathered in August and housed for winter use in little open houses constructed of poles, with conical thatched roofs. One of the chief industries is the making of olive oil, which might become a source of much profit were not their methods so defective. Only a native palate can endure the article produced.