The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-03-14
EPHESUS IN 1911
CONTINUED from page tweJve.)

company who will cultivate it for
Two or three years at 70 per cent. or
the profits, and Will bring in Aneri-
can machinery for the purpose. The
landlord also agrees to pay for the
machinery at the regular price upon
the termination Of the contract.
Some of the Syrian farmers are
now using American threshers and
reapers, and some are bringing in
American DlOws. The first thresher
imported was upon the advice of Nj.
G Bic ~ItaVndal, our consul-general at
ConstantinOple. Mr.. Rayndal is a Da
kota man, who understands the farm
in" conditions in the northwest. He
tells me that the possibilities of grain
raising in this part Of the world are
remarkable, and that dry farming
might be practiced in many localities
which now go to waste. He thinks
that old MeSopotamia can be redeem
ed by irrigation, and a new Egypt
created there. He says the new gov
ernmenta1 conditions point to a revo-
luton along many lines Of industry
and commerce. and thar American
capital should take advantage of the
situation.
Raw Silk From Syria.
Syria and Asia Minor are now rails
ing a great dtea Of silk, which is
sent to France and shipped from
lIlcIe " IN CIiLeu StdAeS. Lie Amer
lean residents tell me that there is
no reason that we houl not buy this
raw silk direct, and thus save the
FTenchmanS profits and the double
transportation charges. 7 saw null
berry orchards everywhere during my
travels in Syria. h plans about
Beirut are covered with them, and
they are to be found on 10Th sides
Of the Lebanon mountains The
trees grow TO the height of a mans
head, and are then cut back. Their
branches are cut off every year, and
tn egreen leaves from the new sprouts
form the food for millions of silk
worms. In coming from Damascus
/ saw women and children picking
the leaves to feed to the worms, car
lryinS them to Sh cds erected for the
purpose. Rearir" the Silk worms is
largely in the hands of the m
They take care Of the trees and sell
the cocoons this forming the chief
source of their pin money.
Money in Olives.
He who plants an olive tree lays
up riches for his chi1dren's children"
This saying is a current belief
throughout the Levant. The olive
crop is the money crop Of a great
part of Palestine. Syria and Asia
6reds Of years old. and some of them
were planted before Columbus dis
covered America. Mr.. Ravndal tells
Of an orchard near T'ripoli. in Syria,
which the papers show was estab-
llished about five hundred Years ago.
and he says the trees are still bear
ing. All the way from Jerusalem to
the Sea of Galilee I saw olive trees
which looked old enough to AVE been
planted by Jacob, and some Of gigantic
size which were hollow and had been
filed with stones to aid in their sup
port.
Many Of the German colonies Of
the Holy Land have set out new
orchards, and the Americans who live
at Haifa, by careful cultivation, have
brought their trees into bearing fruit
every year. am told that the crop
is very prOfta BILE, and that under the
government and reduced taxa
ton manv more trees will be planted.
The fruit is raised for the oil. of
which a ton of olives Yields Dot
seventy gallons. worth 1886. Asiatic
Turkey already leads the world in its
production of olive oil, having about
two or three hundre thousand more
barrels per annum than either Spain
or Italy.
Smyrna Figs
Another crop of the eglOn about