52 NOTES ON EGYPTIAN AGEICULTURE. 



the simplest description. The land is plowed, then harrowed by draw- 

 ing a plank of Avood over it, the seed is Ijroadcasted and covered by 

 means of the native plow and harrow, and the land is immediately 

 watered. 



In other cases the land is watere<l some days before t)lantini>-, and 

 when sufficiently diy for plowing the seed is sown and plowed in, 

 no water being given after i)lanting. The use of implements, such as 

 European harrows, for covering the seed instead of the native plow is 

 very restricted. The quantity of seed employed is about 2| bushels 

 per acre. When the crop has attained a height of about 8 or inches 

 (in January or early in February) it is watered, and no further Avater- 

 ing need be given, though it is more usual to irrigate the crop a sec- 

 ond time, viz, when the plants are forming into ears (March or early 

 April). This completes the cultivation of the crop. 



Cereals are harvested in Upper Egypt in the month of April, and 

 in Lower Egj^^t in May and June. The crop is either pulled by hand, 

 in the case of barley, or cut by means of small sickles. About live 

 men are sufficient per acre, and this work is often done by contract 

 for about II per acre. Harvesting machinery is not employed, as 

 the small ridges made to facilitate Avatering jirevent the successful 

 working of a reaper, the knives of which run into these small ridges 

 and are broken. 



Some years since thrashing machines were introduced into Egypt, 

 these being provided with revolving drums for crushing and bruising 

 the straw into what is known as " tibn." The grain is deliA^ered from 

 them similar to the ordinary thrasher, Avhile the bruised straAv is blown 

 out at the end of the machine. These are found on some large estates, 

 though the bulk of the grain is still separated by means of the prima- 

 tiA^e "norag," consisting of a number of circular disks on an axle, 

 Avhich rcA^olve as the whole is drawn by two bullocks. 



The produce is arranged in a circle and the tread of the bullocks 

 and the cutting and bruising action of the disks chop the straw and 

 knock out the grain. When this is completed the whole is thrown 

 into a heap for the subsequent separation of the grain from the tibn. 

 This is accomplished by throwing it into the air, when the grain, 

 being the lieaAier, falls directly to the ground, AA'hile the tibn is blown 

 by the wind to one side. It Avill at once be understood that this sj'^s- 

 tem is most laborious. Barley is more easy to thrash than wheat, the 

 straw being more brittle. Hand sittings are necessarj^ to clean the 

 grain, though grain-cleaning machines Avorked by hand are now find- 

 ing a use in the country. 



As regards the employment of manures, barlej' is practically never 

 manured, though it is grown on poorer lands than wheat; in fact, it is 

 one of the earliest crops cultiA^ated on newly reclaimed saltj^ lands, as 

 it succeeds Avhere Avheat Avould fail. 



