LUCERN AND CORN. 49 



the soil to grow other crops. There can be no doubt tliat it will grow 

 on soils so salt that the majority of ordinary crops would fail. Its 

 shallow-rooted habit and the fact that the fre<iuent waterings which 

 it receives tend to keep the salt down no doubt account for this 

 rather than its power to withstand salt. As soon as sufticicnt salt 

 has been removed by washing, in the process of n^'laniat ion, t<» enable 

 a crop of berseem to be sown, this is done, and is repeated until a 

 successful crop is obtained, when ordinary culture nuiy be followed 

 with the exercise of that discretion necessary for the management of 

 such lands. 



In addition to the variety of berseem known as " Muscowi," grown 

 in Lower EgjT^t, a kind known as " Fachl" is large 1}' grown on basin 

 lands. The seed is broadcasted on Ihe mud as the Avater recedes, 

 and as this variety is gi-own withont irrigation one uiain crop only is 

 obtained, which is usually a heavy one. It is less Avatery than the 

 ordinary Muscowi sort and is generally u.yed in making hay. 



The variety known as "Saidi" is less luxuriant than Fachl. It is 

 somewhat of a trailing nature, and is sometimes mixed with the latter 

 sort. It requires but little water, and is generally cut twice, though 

 sometimes a third time. It is grown chiefly on basin lands, and is 

 smaller in growth and less succulent tluin the ]Muscowi variety. 



I.TJCERN (ALFALFA). 



Lucern is not grown to anj' extent in Egypt, as dni-ing the Avinter 

 and spring months it can not compete with berseem in luxuriaiu*e. It 

 yields ver}^ frequent grazings or cuttings during summer, l>ut requires 

 frequent waterings in order to give the best results, and, as already 

 explained, there are too many denuinds on the supply of summer 

 water to permit this. During these months it becomes, unfortunately, 

 the home of myriads of worms, which are attracted by it and spread 

 to adjoining crops, often doing considerable damage. The scarcity 

 of summer water already mentioned is also a great impediment to its 

 cultivation. Again, land is usually too A'aluable to make it profitable 

 to leave it under a forage crop for three or four years. The limited 

 area grown is generally cultivated to supply a little green forage to 

 sick animals, or to a few milch cows or horses. 



CORN. 



The corn crop is of great importance, as it forms the staple food of 

 the lower classes. It is the characteristic Nili crop. The summer 

 season ends about the last of July, when this, the great flood crop, is 

 sown. As already mentioned, during the summer months a system 

 of rotation of canals is adopted to insure a sufficient supply of water 

 for the cotton crop, and during this period the watering of fallow 

 lands is severely prohibited. The cereal crops, wheat and barley, as 



39310— No. 62—04 4 



