The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-01-04

IN THE SAHARA
Results of Planting at Ourir, Sidi-Ya-
hia and Ayata

The South Algerian Agricultural soci-
ETY. has created in the region of the
Oued Rir' Constantine Sahara) three
GASES and new centers Of colonization
Ourir, Sidi-Yahia and Ayata--Whlch
form the subject of an instructive com
munioation by M. Georges ROLAND to
the Soeiete Rationale d'Agriculture de
France. The cultivation of the date
palm is the object primarily sought, the
interculture with other crops of the
land thus embraced affording the sub
sidiary motive. Hitherto the land
around the palms has been worked by
the natives with spades, but the intro
duction Of the plough drawn by mules
has produced the same result at half the
cost. The young palm shoots intended
for planting out are first raised In nur
series and in pots, while the success of
the plantations is dependent upon irri
cation.
The basin Of the Oued Rir' is re-
noWned for the abundance of its subtar-
ranean waters, but ii is thought that
these are now sufficiently encroached
upon by the numerous wells that have
been sunk Between the palms and be-
meath their foliage the crops most con :
monty grown are barley and lucerne,
Which are utilized in the feeding of
horses, mules, donkeys, osttiches. etc.
or fruit trees, the fig. the apricot and
the pomegranate are cultivated, though
they yield but little produce. The
grapevine has been tried, but the gene
rous irrigation required by the palms IS
found to be iuimical to it's welfare.
t.. ol.,,, II
station, the best equipped in Southern
Algeria, has been established. and the
observations there recorded are found to
be extremely useful in affording indica
lions as to the kinds of plants likely to
be profitably acelimatized. Among all
the efforts in this direction the most
successful is that with asparagus. A
beginning was made in 1892 with Argen-
teuil asparagus, and in the following
year encouraging results We're obtain d
both at Ayata and at Sldi-Yahia, couch
grass constituting the chief difficulty to
be encountered. In later years it las
been possible to cut the crops for a pc
Rod of from twenty-five to thirty days
in each season. New plantations at
each of the two GASES were added in the
spring Of last year, and the first crops
are expected to be gathered from them
next year. The asparagus thus grown
possesses, it is stated excellent flavor.
The difficulty of course, is to get the
produce to market. Transport from the
south to Biskra occupies two days, and
from the latter place to the Algerian
towns another day or two, the same
time being occupied from the port Of
Phillippevlle to Marseilles, Hence
from Ayata to Paris the journey ex-
tends over five or six days, which Is a
handicap in the case of a product like
asparagus, which requires to be eaten
fresh. Various methods of packing are
therefore being tested, in the hope of
overcoming this difficulty. Should they
prove successful, it is claimed that the
asparagus of the Ou2d Rir' will be mar
keted upon a large scale as the earliest
in Europe.
Far less success has attended the eff
forts to establish other crops. The de-
terrent causes include the too sandy and
saline character Of the SOIL the salinity
of the irriga ton waters, the extreme
dryness of the atmosphere the excess
sive heat in summer and the inadequate
resources S. Garden vegetables.
fruit and forest trees, forage and fibre
plants have all been tried, Potatoes,
peas and bans have not so far succeed
ed thus differing from asparagus. The
same lack of success has resulted from
the attempts to cultivate various fruits
of hot and tropical countries. The ba-
mana, for example, pinned away in the
absence of the humidity of atmosphere
which is indispensable to its growth.
OF forest trees an exception must be
made in favor of the eucalyptus, which
will thrive after being protected
it's earlier stages, Some of the
forage crops might succeed with proper
manurng, but as much manure as can
be obtained is needed for the date
palms.
This, indeed is the gravest obstacle I