Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-12-22

many old clsterns, OF o ned and covered,
which yet remain; and the ruins Of
an immense system OF aqueducls
which can YET be traced, the chief one
being called that Of Pharaoh, indicate
inst In the fl0urlshing period Of
that esst Jorian district an immense
irrigation system existed hud was
utilized to good advantage. 1t is
stated tina, the east Jordan country, in
its whole length and breadth from
Motb to Mount Hermon and the
Hgu ran, 10 naturally one vast wheat
fleIG, than which none better can be
iounO; that thote fruitful districts,
when the harvest is over NJ the end Of
May, btcjme Tor the rest OF the season
a sun.scotched desert which the In
habitan's mu't Ter the time being
leave bat could readily, by building
reservoirs to receive tue eupetabunG-
an: rains Of earlier months, ami using
these for irrigation during the dry sea-
SOD, be made habi.abls sll the year
rcuni, and could also be cultivated
with abundant success during this
time; anu 1t is recalled that such was
its condi ton in earlier centuries before
the Atab'an BIS iouns took possession :,
as is atteste1 by the lulns OF hundreds
Of villages anu cities in that region.
The position is taken that by the
means referred to It Is easily possible
that Palestiue again shoult become n
granary for the entire southeastern
region along the Mediterranean, and
fer Europe. In the country west OF the
Jordan the entire level district along
the const has the beet OF water suppi!es
and is capable OF sustaining an ian.
mense populations; while en- the higher
table lands OF the west districts moth.
leg is necessary but the preservation
| Of the Quantities OF water that accumu-
late during the rainy season and utlliz.
ing these during the dry monlhe. Tne
whole region would thus be admirably
adapted Tor vegetable gardening on
grand scale.
-AS ~ aSV iNHhtiJ Nhh W
accjmplis led hare lie cited what al
ready has been done in this line,
| Chiefly by the members OF the Ger.
man Temp!sr society in Bethlehem,
Na5lus, Tshenip, and other places; the
10 stively poorer success OF the Jew.
!sh agricultural colo nies, which have
been planted there by the dem in
recent decades, chiefly through tbs
fundamentally o. the Rothschiids an u
other Jewish iusgnates, IL attributed
not TO the barreuness oil the soil, but TO
the poor work OF the Golonisis. But
everywhere In that district 1t is more
EASILY possible by irrigation to raise the
finest oil oils, oranges, wine, etc., than
anywhere else along the southeastern
| PORTION OF the Mediterranesn; and
there would be no lack OF markets,
especially us Egypt Is SO neat; the
entire Ghor, or Jordan valley,
could be cinvetted into tIopice
valley. The dates that ripen there at e
regarded yei,as they were in ages past,
rs the Lest that are known, eurpass!ng
even those OF Egypt; TO tnis add
oranges, cotton, sugar cane, banan as,
during the rainy season, all OF which
/, grow unCer most favorable conditions.
Access to markets lie easy; Jericho,
by way Of salonica, only five dsys
~
Europe, only short distance from
Jerusalem, and some deErees warmer
than Cairo, coull realty be made
again what 1t was in the days u
King Herod, magnificent winter re.
sort.
All this presents beAutiiul picture
OF clear possibility. What Palestine
once was 1t may be again, under like
condltions-ard those conditions are
drawing near. For eighteen cen.
turtles the hand Of alliiclion
has been upon that land, con.
demnei because OF the course OF its
inhabitants as 1t ones had been
blessed for Its peoples sake. But III c
period OF condemnation is closed, aad
the energy aud circumstances in poll.
tics and industry which are necessary
to the redemption Of this land OF
promise to lsrael are becoming al
readily available as were the powers
which wrought the great change by
which 1t was reduced to a iorbidding
condition.