28 AGEICULTUEAL AND BOTANICAL EXPLORATIONS IN PALESTINE, 



carob races and a few cultivated ones that should be tested by the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry. 



There are few crops so well adapted as the carob to agricultural 

 conditions in certain parts of the United States. The tree demands 

 little care, requires almost no pruning, does not need to be cultivated 

 frequently, and has not so far shown any disease demanding treat- 

 ment. It seems to me to be the ideal forage plant, as it gives a high 

 yield with very little labor. It should succeed in California and in 

 parts of Arizona and Texas. 



There are many of our Leguminosa3 that should prove very inter- 

 esting. We shall probably learn to value many species found among 

 the Galegese and Loteae, and in the genera Vicia, Hedysarum, and 

 Trifolium. For the sake of brevity I shall mention only one species. 



There are good reasons for believing that berseem ( Trifolium alex- 

 endrinum) originated in Palestine, though we do not know definitely 

 where it was first cultivated. But it grows wild there, as does also 

 Trifolium carmeli, which differs from it only in slight botan- 

 ical characters. Moreover, Trifolium panormitanum and Trifolium 

 supinum, very closely related to T. alcxandrinum, grow wild in Pales- 

 tine. The fact that this whole group of closely related species grows 

 wild in this region seems to indicate that they originated here. At 

 any rate, the cultural value of these species needs to be studied. 



Though berseem is a very valuable local plant, it is little cultivated 

 by the natives, being grown chiefly by German and Jewish colonists. 

 It is sown with barley in the autumn along the coast, where the rain- 

 fall is as low as 14 to 16 inches per annum. It is of course grown 

 without irrigation and gives two cuttings in the spring. In some 

 very rainy years berseem yields three cuttings, or at least a good 

 aftermath following the second cutting. After being pastured, the 

 berseem is plowed under and forms an excellent green manure for a 

 succeeding cereal crop. Egyptian berseem, grown under the same 

 conditions of soil and climate, was found to be not nearly so good as 

 our native races, and the latter should be carefully studied with a 

 view to introduction. 



I wish also to mention the Palestine saltbushes for alkaline soils, 

 particularly A triplex palestina and A. halimus, as well as A. leuco- 

 clada. The last grows from 3 to G feet high, but is so eagerly browsed 

 by sheep and camels that it is difficult to secure even good herbarium 

 specimens. 



ANNUAL CROPS. 



The greater the number of crops a farmer has, the greater the 

 possibilities of crop rotation. Moreover, under such conditions he 

 can farm with less risk than if he cultivated only a few crops and 

 can make better use of his workmen, animals, machines, etc. So I 



ISO 



