14 NOTES ON EGYFriAN AGKICULTURE. 



A second class of soil is also clayey to the depth of a few feet, but 

 is underlaid b}'' soil of a more or less lij^ht nature. This soil is more 

 free to work than that already mentioned. A third class of soil may 

 be described as a sandy loam, while in some districts there are soils 

 which maj^ be described as almost pure sand. 



As regards the chemical nature of the ordinary clay soil of the Nile 

 Valley, it would be rash to rei^roduce any figures which could be taken 

 as rej)resenting in any way their general composition. No systematic 

 attempt has been made to analyze representative samples of every 

 province, only the results of a few isolated analyses being available. 

 It may be stated, however, that the soil is more deficient in nitrogen 

 than in any other ingredient, and nitrogenous manures are found to 

 exercise a most marked effect upon growth. 



The manures in common use in the country, in addition to barn- 

 yard manure and pigeon manure, are what is known as "coufri," or 

 the remains of ancient villages and ruins, and the nitrate-bearing 

 clay found in Upper Egypt, to which reference has already been made. 

 These latter two fertilizers are valuable chiefly on account of the sol- 

 uble nitrogen they contain. The soils are almost invariably rich in 

 potash, while in phosphoric acid they are neither poor nor exception- 

 ally rich. For some croj^s, such as cotton and sugar cane, the use of 

 phosphatic manures is attended with great benefit, while other crops 

 do not, as a rule, repay the cost of the fertilizer. 



LABOR. 



In Egyi)t there is a plentiful supply of cheap labor. The labor, 

 from a European point of view, would be described as inefficient, but 

 with the crude sj^stems of cultivation in force it meets all require- 

 ments. Owing to its cheaijness, a great deal of the labor which would 

 be i)erformed in Europe and in the United States by one or other 

 of the various farm implements is in Egyjjt done by hand. Practi- 

 cally the only large imj)lements used in the cultivation of the land 

 are the i^rimitive native j)lows, kassabiehs, or scooi^s for leveling the 

 land, and planks of wood which, when drawn over the land, serve as 

 harrows. The fass, or hoe, is the essential hand tool, and is the 

 fellah's stock in trade. 



The land was formerly held by large proprietors, and though this is 

 true to-day a division into smaller farms is gradually taking place. 

 This subdivision of land is reducing the supply of labor available on 

 large farms, and at certain times of the year it is somewhat difficult 

 to find sufficient labor. The commercial developments of Egypt and 

 the numberless improvements which are being effected attract a con- 

 siderable amount of labor which would otherwise be employed in 

 agriculture, and a rise in the jirice of labor has taken place during 

 recent years which is likel}^ to continue in the future. As, however, 

 labor is obtainable for 15 cents a day, it will be seen that there is no 

 eause for complaint — at least from a western standjjoint. 



