CROPS OF THE COLONY. 85 



3'ears the trees, as a rule, beo-in to bear fairly well. In fifteen or 

 twenty 3^ears they are in full production, single trees of that age 

 sometimes yielding 650 pounds of pods. In some races the pods are 

 10 inches long, their sugar content sometimes reaching 44 per cent. 



The harvest takes place at the beginning of autumn. Poles are used 

 to knock down the pods, which are spread out to dry in the shade. 

 When thoroughly cured they are collected into stacks, which must be 

 opened from time to time to prevent fermentation. Carobs after 

 being crushed and mixed with coarser fodder constitute a ver}^ pala- 

 table and nourishing ration for live stock, especially for work animals. 



Indian fig. — The Indian tig, or prickly pear, {Opuntia fidis-indica 

 and O. tuna) is thoroughly at home in the co^st region of Algeria, 

 where it frequentl}" attains the size of a small tree. Spineless varie- 

 ties are a valuable resource for feeding live stock in simimer, when 

 green forage is generally scarce. 



The Indian fig will grow in the stoniest, most sterile soils, and 

 under such conditions will produce from 9 to 11 tons of green forage 

 every two 3^ears. In good land still larger yields are obtained. This 

 plant responds well to manuring and to a moderate amount of irriga- 

 tion. 



The feeding value of the large fiattened joints of the stem is not 

 great, about 65 per cent of their weight being water. For this ver}^ 

 reason, however, the}" form an excellent ration, especially for milch 

 cows, when mixed with dry feed, such as chopped straw, bran, oil 

 cake, and the pods of the carob tree. A little salt is often added to 

 the mixture. Grandeau, the well-known agronomist, speaks of the 

 Indian fio; as the "forage beet of warm regions." It is estimated that 

 75 pounds of the stems, together with an equal weight of straw, are 

 equivalent in feeding value to 100 pounds of good hay. Hogs are 

 extremely fond of the fruits. 



MISCELLANEOUS CROPS. 

 TOBACCO. 



Tobacco has long been cultivated in Algeria, where oriental types 

 were grown by the natives before the French occupation. The first 

 colonists introduced a considerable number of varieties, but only one 

 of these, believed to be derived from Paragua}' tobacco, is now exten- 

 sively grown. The area annually planted to tobacco amounts at 

 present to only 12,000 to 15,000 acres, most of which is in the Depart- 

 ment of Algiers. The colony is said to produce each year from 11 to 

 13 million pounds of tobacco. This would mean an average yield per 

 acre of SS8 pounds, which is much higher than the average in most 

 tobacco-growing countries. The 3neld from irrigated is said to be 

 about double that from unirrigated land. 



