The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-04-21
Agriculture III tho Holy Land,

~ recent writer says nothing eau well
exceed the dcsolatcncss of much Of the
Holy Land. Treeless 1t is for 20 or 80
miles together. Forests which did exist
oo years ago-ior instance, on Mount Car
mel and Mount Tabor-fast disappearing;
rich plains of the finest garden soil asking
to be cultivated. ut best but scratched up
few inches deep in patches, with no
hedges or boundaries; mountain terraces.
naturally or artificlally formed, ready to
be planted with vines, as the German
colony ara dong at the foot of Mount Car
mel; the villages nothing but mud-huts,
dust. dirt and squalor; the inhabitants with
scarce clothing enough for decency, their
houses ovens; large tracts without horse
or COW, sheep or dog; no pretcnse at
roads, except from Jaffa to Jerusalem, and
this like cart.road over a ploughcd field,
the rest at best like sheep-walks on the
Downs of Sussex, but for far the most
part like the dry bed of the most rocky
river, where, amid blocks of stone, each
makes his way at q foot-pacc as best he
can, or on smooth, sloping rocks, or over
loose stones thrown down from the old
walls on either side, which no ono offers
finger to remove; nothing upon wheels,
not SO much as barrow, to be met with
in riue OF over 300 miles. Everything
Is taxed: every trnit-trec, 80 none N w arc
planted; every COW or horse, ETC.; every
vegetable sold out of a private garden.
Every eighth egg is not taxed, but taken
by the government. In some places the
taxes Of the district are sold to the highest
bidder. The farmer Is unable to sell
measure of his corn till all las been col
lccted into heap and the tax collector has
set his sum upon it, from which there is
no appeal. Double taxes are expected
this year, because, after three years of
scarceness, the harvest promises to be
abundant. Nothlug like a small farm
house is to be found far or near. If there
were, the owner Is liable to have soldiers
or revenue officers quartercu upon HIM, to
be boarded and lodged at his expense.
The towns are filthy in the extreme, none
mtre so than Jerusalem itself, where, how
ever, taxes arc levied FROM every house
for lighting and cleaning the streets, while
a sprancd ankle or splash into u hole of
blacklist dirt is sure TO be the result OF
momentary carclessncss. Nothing is done
or the land by the government. Not only
SO, but every otfcr-and heard OF several
made by private individuals, or by COM
panics is at once refused, unless bribc
be first given to the authorities. This is d
picture, believe, in no way ovcrdrawn of
that land which was once GLOWING with
milk and honey" What might it not be-
come again with fair usage aud good gov
ornment2 But there is no hope for Pulcs-
tine while it remains in tho hands of lis
present rulers. The writer goes on to
show that the country ls worth little to the
Turkish government, the entire revenue
a...". S-".>. II hnrnr 1non .h".- .-.:I,:--
dollars year under this wretchcd system
Of misrul. ana oppression. He suggests
that in the present condition of Its
finances, the porte might be glad to ''soll
out" for twenty or thirty millions of dol
lars in hard cash and that an intcrnationa al
company for the p rchase and government
OF the country (,..er The pattern Of the old
East India company would find such an
Investment, even OF fifty millions, highly
rcmunerative III the long run. A IL cream
tile crusade OF that sort might accomplish
what no military one was ever able to
achieve, the rescue of the Holy Land
from 'lhe unspeakablo Turk" and its
restoration to Its ancient prosperity.