The Tomahawk., 1916-08-31
Syria has been unable to
feed it's own Christian popula-
ton and at the same time sat

IlOu anu at lllc SillIC IIAAC SlL-
isfy the military authorities
extraordinary demands for supplies is
not surprising to those familiar with
the primitive agricultural methods OF
the Holy Land. Concerning the man.
ner in which crops are raised in this
section of the near East, where $4,000
people are reported to have perished
already, John d. Whiting presents
this graphic picture in 4 communion
ton to the National Geographic So
ciety:
In the mountain districts the farm
land is usually owned by peasant pro-
prietors, each mans property being
composed of various small pieces scat
tered about near the village in which
he lives The raising of olives, grapes
and many other fruits is the leading
occupation, but almost every farmer
grows some grain.
Down on the plains larger fields ex-
ist and cereals are largely planted.
The land Of given village Is fire.
Qucntly owned in common by the VII
layers and division Of it takes place
every alternate year, and Is so ar
ranged that every man gets portions
of the good as well as Of the less
desirable land.
Fences in the western sense OF the
word, are unknown. In the noun
tainous country lands are inclosed by
loose stone walls, still called by the
ancient Hebrew name "jedar," and on
the plains by thorn hedges. When the
open fields are owned by individuals,
the boundary lines are Indicated by
deep burrows, in which at intervals
stones are laid as landmarks. 1t Is
therefore, readily seen how easily
these boundaries could be changed by
an avariciOus neighbor, undcterrcd by
the Mosaic warning, "Curscd be he
that removeth his neighbOr's land
mark"
Crude Methods of Farming.
Rain begins to fall about November
(average annual rainfall for so years
about 2G inches), after a rainless sum-
mer, and as soon as the ground Is well
moistencd the fellah starts planting
Tie WlHLcI Dti''y,
Ientils, beans, etc. The plow Is q crude
nffair, made Of oak, the bent parts be-
Ing natural curves held together with
iron bands; these bands and Il small
plOwShare, which only scratches the
ground few inches deep, are the only
metal parts
Oxen are the favOrite animals for
yoking to plow. Cows and donkcys
are employed by the poorer people.
Horses, mules and camcls (the last
named only along the Mediterranean
cOast) are harnessed singly to plows,
while sometimes one sees an OK and
4 camel yoked together.
The fellah sOws the grain on the
bare ground and then plows it in. In
rocky ground man Or woman follows
with a pick to loosen the earth that
may have been skipped by the ploW.
The soil is not fertilized. The disin-
tegratiOn Of the underlying limestone
feeds the soil, so that for thousands
Of years it has continued yielding
crops. The manure and rubbish, in
stead Of being utilized, are allowed to
accumulate in heaps outside the vii
lages until they surround it like small
mountains.
After the winter crops have all been
planted the vineyards and olive groves
are plOwed q couple Of times and also
the fields reserved for the summer
planting, these latter crops are not
put into the ground until the rains
have entirely ceased.
Harvest Time Scenes.
During harvest time the fields are
lively and picturesque; the entire
family has part in the work,
the small children playing about
among the sheavcs and even the
babies are brought into the fields.
A large toothed sickle is en-
ployed by the reapers when the grain
Is long, but If short smaller one is
used, the edge being quite dull; so
that it does not cut but simply up
roots the grain. =: .
Destitute women and girls are al
lowed to follow the reapers and CLEAN
the fallen ears, which they tie into
neat little bundles, dropping them on
the ground as they go along, and these
they gather up every evening and beat
out the grain with a stick, just as
Ruth did of old in the fields of Bethle-
hem. During the reaping period what
the Bible calls "parched corn,' is
made in almost every field. Some
wheat not fully ripe is cut down and