54 NOTES OK EGYPTIAN AGRICULTUKE. 



During the same period the import of wheat (as grain) was as 

 follows : T. <.■ 



Egyptian 

 pounds. 



1900 ^2,669 



1901 • 110-374 



1902 67,630 



The bulk of this grain is of Turkish and Russian origin. 



From a European point of view, the barley is poor, being long and 

 thin. Attempts have been made to grow European barleys for malt- 

 ing purposes, and while a good (puility can be produced the yield is 

 slight compared with that obtained from native varieties. Practi- 

 cally the whole of the crop is consumed by horses, mules, etc. A 

 superior class of barley (Mariout barley) is grown in the desert in the 

 neighborhood of Alexandria and is dependent on rainfall. As this 

 latter is a very varying amount, the crop fluctuates greatly from year 

 to year. Even in the case of barley the imports exceed the exports 

 in value, as will be seen from the following table : 



Year. 



190(J. 

 1901. 

 1902- 



Imports. 



Egypiian 



pDKHtlx. 



4«,989 



Exports. 



Egyptian 

 ponnils. 

 8,000 

 11,200 

 33,602 



The barleys of Egypt are light and generally weigh less than 50 

 pounds per bushel. The yields obtained on favorable soils are heavy, 

 amounting to as much a-^ 100 bushels per acre in exceptional cases. 

 The average is from ;30 to 35 bushels, and the price at which it is sold 

 may be taken as 12.50 to 12.75 per ardeb of 5.4 bushels. The culti- 

 vation of barley is similar to that of wheat. 



BEANS. 



The bean crop of Egypt is a most important one, as it supplies the 

 staple food of working animals during a great part of the year, while 

 a considerable quantity is exported. It is grown in the basin lands, 

 as well as in Lower Egypt, though the bulk of the crop is raised in 

 Upper Egypt. According to the latest returns there were 471,530 

 acres of l)eans in the latter division of tlu^ country and 162,300 in 

 Lower Egypt during the year 1902, a total of 633,836 acres. 



The cultivation of the crop is simple. On the basin lands seed is 

 sown after the emptying of the basins, and the crop is simply allowed 

 to remain until harvest in the spring. 



The crop is luxuriant and yields on an average from 30 to 35 bushels 

 per acre on good land. From 3 to 4 bushels of seed are required per 

 acre in Upper Egypt. In Lower Egypt the crop is sown about the 

 same time as ordinary cereal crops, the grain being deposited in the 



