Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1851-05-29

| ly neglected, is not compensation for III,
everlasting mountains of unyielding rocks
whose bare tops point up to the heavens. and
defy the puny efforts of man to pulyerze
them into productive soil
Most of the plains were exceedingly wei
at the time of my visitation, so that it was
very difficult to move over them on account
of mIrng the horses. Such was the condi-
ton Of the great plain Of Esdraelon, in the
neighborhood of Mount Tabor. A vast
! plain at the north of the Dead Sea, the cen
ire of which was the site of Jericho, was
not quite so adhesive However. as soon
as the winter rains are over, il becomes in
tolerably hot there, so that none but Bedou-
ms can endure the glare of the suns rays
from bald mountain sides. aud they hurry
out Of the reach Of the pestierous inauen-
ces Of the valley Of jericho early in the
season.
Agriculture in Palestine is badly conduc-
ted, and II will never be any better ia the
hands of the present occupants. Barley,
wheat oats, peas and pulse are the prlnci-
pal crops. The SEED is strown over the
ground and ploughed in. The plough is
nothing but few natural crooks of limbs
clumsly keyed together, defended by fiat
piece of iron for coulter Some have not
particle Of iron about them. Cows steers,
aud calves not more than year old, drag
about this coutrvance, and of course the
soil is hardly disturbed Nothing is plant
ed IN our manner Of planting except mel
ons. There is 10 hoing aud nothing to do
till harvest, when the first process IS over
The breed of cattle is miserable, being
Ill aud Oh
Even their horns are sickly looking stumps,
pitching all ways aud seldom five inches
long have often seen a farmer carrying
plough on his shoulder, and he might Just
as easily have carried six at the same time
which shows what feeble things they are
for breaking up hard, stony surface All
the fields are strewn with fragments Of bro
ken limestone, and often to such an extent
that II seems quite impossible to gel the seed
into thc ground
In some parts Of Palestine the mountains
are ieTraced from the base to their submits
by thousands of sections Of wall, running
IN all directions SO as TO hold up narrow
strips Of earth, either for gram or trees, or
BOTH which surpass by thousand fold both
~ labor and ingenuity, the tersaced vinc-
yards on the Rhine or on the lake of Ge-
neva, which | used TO suppose the most SUI
pefior efforts at land economy IN the world
The cty Of Bethlehem, the birthplace OF
the Saviour, IS remarkable for It's extensive
system of terracIng, az well as the neigh
boring hills 10 all directions. Only there,
and IA some few other places at the north
of jerusalem, on the way to Damascus are
there any fences or land divisions. Where
there are fences, they are of stone, COM
monty enormously thick and high, aud were
designed quite as much for a general depo-
SIT of the stone cleared from the fields, as
for the purpose of division of lots
There are no hedges, yet variety Of
shrubs everywhere abound, which might be
Sc, for fences, that would defy the entrance
of rhIuooeros, with their sharp set of
pfiokers. II Is a peculiarly Of the trees
and wild shfubbery of SYRIA, even down To
some of the smallest class that they are
guarded by an infinite de of lhorns. The
thslies are the worst kind IA the records of
botany on account Of being covered from
leaf to root by such irIghtiOly sharp need
les ; tie literally mposs Die to handle them
with buck,kn gloves. Wherever there is a
strip Of soil on the hills or mountains, be-
tween the seams ard disocatons of the
rocks, bushes grow ihriiily, but forest trees
are no where to be found; certainly lot IN
my travels, except between tie mound of
the old CITY of Dan-uow called Tell Er
Cady, the Hill of the Judge, where Jero-
boam set up the worship OF Idols, TO Casa
rea Pmlppl, where there are some old oaks
SO guarded and distorted IN every limb, that
II makes a passer-by ache TO look at them.
Trees, how ever, of every KIND, native
aud exoilcs, would flourish wherever plant
ed. Olives are numerous, but they are not
universally driiused they sometimes cover
mile or two IN the vicinity Of towns or
villages, set in rows, like orchards in New
England. They are exceedingly profitable,
aud might cover the entire length and
breadth Of Palestine. They live to more
than thousand years, looking as vigorous
ly in extreme old age, aud yielding as prof
itably, as sapllng of a years growth. la
the Garden Of Gethsemane there are seven
of those trees, which are universally belley-
ed by the people to have been standing al
the commencement of he Christian Era.
They are large TO be sure, vet on the high
est elevation in the holy land, the mountain
of Saphat-where the European Jews go
to die, aud where they declare the trumpet
will be sounded to the dispersed children of
Israel on the coming of hIessiah-lhe OIL
ives are exceedingly developed and thrifty,
which proves with what success every neg
lected rod might be dressed in beautiful To-
lage, while the oil, the fruit and the wood,
would become an incalculable source of
wealth When the whales are extinct, OIL
i've oil, both for light aud culinary purpo-
SEES, would aud will become an Invaluable
substitute, at less than twenty-five cents a
gallon, even in America. Where there are
five acres now covered with fruit trees,
there might be five thousand.--T Transcript
AN ECCENTRIC GENTLEMAN.