Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-15

produce quantities of wheat and other
grain; but the farming is poor that
the average wheat yield of Algeria is less
than eight bushels per acre; whereas
ours is thirteen bushels, and that of the
wheat belt of Canada something like twen-
ty-fve bushels. With proper machinery
this yield might be doubled The dry
lands of northern Africa need deep Guilt
walton to preserve the moisture, and it
may be that a vast amount of new land
can be brought into use by what Is now
known as dry farming. At present the sur
face is only scratched. The plows so
light that you could swing around
your head as easily as a we'll loaded In
dian club. and the farmers often carry
them to and from the fields on their Shout
ders. They are little more than forked
sticks shod with a thin piece of iron. They
have but one handle, anG are so made that
the plowman does rot need to press upon
them as he walks through the burrows. The
result is that large punches of weeds or
bushes cannot be plowed up, and the farm
ers work their way in and out through
the brush They have to cut most of their
grain with the sickle. as it would be i'm
possible to run mower through the field.
Farming Machinery.
1t Is only the French settlers, and now
and then an Italian. who have modern ma
chinery, and it is only in Algeria that our
machinery is used. We sell a hundred
thousand dollars worth or so of agricultural
implements there every year, this being
our share of the two million dollars worth
of machinery annually imported There is
no reason why there should not be good
demand for American plows and also for
our mowers, reapers, and threshing ma
chimes. At present the grain is either trod-
donkeys. or ground out by driving heavy
sleds about over it, The chaff Is blown
away by throwing the straw against the
wind
Within the past few years the most OF
the Tunisian wheat has been exported Ito
France. while the Tunisians have bought
Russian wheat for their own use. The rea-
son for this is that Tunisian wheat mas
much as it comes from one Of the French
colonies. is admitted to France free from
duty. whereas all other foreign wheat pays
high tariff. Such wheat as TuniS itself
imports pays practically nothing, and SO
the people have been bringing in Russian
wheat and sending their own Off to France
and making thereby a big profit of the
difference in the respective tariffs. The
French government has now discovered
this trick. and I understand that 1t will
soon tax Tunisian grain just as 1t does the
grain from other countries.
Our Mining Machinery.
Our manufacturers Of mining machinery
should keep their eyes on this part Of
are developing their minerals Algeria has
already given eighty concessions for mining
iron, zinc, silver lead, mercury. copper,
antimony and coal. It produced about
S200.1CO worth of iron last year and some
thing like 5000 tons of zinc ore There
was also considerable output of copper
and silver. Within the past few months
petroleum has been found in Oran. and
phosphate beds are being developed in diff
ferent parts of Algeria. l am told that
there are phospllates all over the southern
part of Tunisa. Il knew Of a phosphate
SfaX whose juyD
ed up thousand per cent within the last
two or three years. The phosphates are
near Gafsa and they are now reached by
railroad They are brought on the trains
to Sfax and are sent from there at the
rate of about a shpload per day, the bulk
of the product going to Europe Tunisia
sold more than S20O0,OU0 worth of those
phosphates last year.
Overrun by Italians.
- find that the French Tunisians are
somewhat alarmed at the large influx of
Italiars. The S;cilians and Neapolitans in