﻿LAND 
  USE 
  — 
  LOWDERMILK 
  421 
  

  

  Sfax, 
  also 
  discredits 
  the 
  change 
  of 
  climate 
  theory. 
  Moreover, 
  in 
  the 
  

   vicinity 
  of 
  Sousse, 
  Tunisia, 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  few 
  Roman 
  olive 
  orchards 
  which 
  

   escaped 
  the 
  destructive 
  invasions 
  of 
  the 
  seventh 
  century 
  and 
  survive 
  to 
  

   the 
  present 
  day. 
  No 
  pulsations 
  of 
  climate 
  have 
  been 
  sufficiently 
  ad- 
  

   verse 
  to 
  kill 
  off 
  this 
  remnant 
  of 
  the 
  agriculture 
  of 
  Roman 
  times. 
  

  

  The 
  astounding 
  decline 
  in 
  agriculture 
  of 
  the 
  Near 
  East 
  and 
  North 
  

   Africa 
  is 
  not 
  due 
  primarily 
  to 
  adverse 
  climatic 
  change 
  (14 
  and 
  12). 
  

   It 
  was 
  begun 
  by 
  successful 
  invasions 
  of 
  desert 
  nomads 
  during 
  the 
  

   seventh 
  century 
  and 
  completed 
  by 
  soil 
  erosion. 
  This 
  remarkable 
  in- 
  

   vasion, 
  which 
  not 
  only 
  destroyed 
  a 
  civilization, 
  but 
  its 
  agriculture 
  

   and, 
  more 
  important, 
  the 
  traditions 
  of 
  its 
  agriculture, 
  is 
  another 
  in- 
  

   stance 
  of 
  the 
  age-old 
  struggle 
  between 
  Cain 
  and 
  Abel, 
  between 
  the 
  

   shepherd 
  and 
  the 
  farmer, 
  between 
  the 
  tent 
  dweller 
  and 
  the 
  house 
  

   dweller. 
  The 
  desert 
  has 
  always 
  produced 
  more 
  people 
  than 
  it 
  could 
  

   feed. 
  Farmers 
  built 
  up 
  thriving 
  cultures 
  in 
  the 
  alluvial 
  plains. 
  From 
  

   time 
  to 
  time 
  the 
  hungry 
  tent 
  dwellers 
  swept 
  into 
  the 
  valleys, 
  when 
  

   defenses 
  were 
  weak, 
  and 
  destroyed 
  and 
  robbed, 
  sometimes 
  passed 
  on, 
  

   and 
  left 
  destruction 
  and 
  carnage 
  in 
  their 
  path. 
  At 
  other 
  times 
  they 
  

   replaced 
  the 
  former 
  population 
  to 
  become 
  farmers 
  and 
  city 
  dwellers 
  

   themselves, 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  destroyed 
  by 
  another 
  invasion 
  of 
  hungry 
  deni- 
  

   zens 
  of 
  the 
  steppes 
  or 
  deserts. 
  

  

  These 
  nomad 
  invaders 
  and 
  their 
  herds 
  unleashed 
  the 
  forces 
  of 
  soil 
  

   erosion 
  by 
  water 
  and 
  by 
  wind 
  which 
  through 
  centuries 
  have 
  reduced 
  

   the 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  to 
  produce 
  or 
  to 
  be 
  restored 
  to 
  its 
  former 
  

   productivity, 
  except 
  in 
  some 
  alluvial 
  valleys. 
  The 
  achievement 
  of 
  

   conservation 
  of 
  land 
  resources 
  by 
  long 
  and 
  tedious 
  methods 
  was 
  nulli- 
  

   fied 
  by 
  ruthless 
  invasions 
  and 
  wars. 
  

  

  Such 
  are 
  some 
  instances 
  of 
  the 
  decline 
  in 
  the 
  usefulness 
  of 
  the 
  

   land 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  wastage 
  of 
  erosion 
  and 
  quickened 
  run-off 
  of 
  storm 
  

   waters, 
  by 
  the 
  break-down 
  of 
  measures 
  arrived 
  at 
  by 
  long 
  and 
  slow 
  

   experience 
  of 
  trial 
  and 
  error. 
  The 
  wisdom 
  of 
  the 
  ages 
  was 
  nullified 
  

   in 
  a 
  brief 
  time, 
  breaking 
  into 
  fragments 
  the 
  glories 
  of 
  the 
  past. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  also 
  fitting 
  to 
  examine 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  recent 
  works 
  to 
  reclaim 
  

   lands 
  damaged 
  by 
  inconsiderate 
  and 
  reckless 
  use 
  in 
  the 
  past. 
  

  

  RECLAMATION 
  OF 
  MARSHES 
  

  

  The 
  climate 
  of 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  sets 
  the 
  stage 
  for 
  land 
  destruction 
  

   by 
  erosion 
  if 
  special 
  precautions 
  are 
  not 
  taken 
  in 
  cultivated 
  fields 
  and 
  

   on 
  grazed 
  slopes. 
  Heavy 
  rains 
  occur 
  generally 
  as 
  erratic 
  storms 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  winter 
  months 
  — 
  October 
  to 
  April. 
  The 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  

   year 
  is 
  rainless 
  and 
  hot. 
  

  

  Where 
  bold 
  mountain 
  ranges 
  are 
  bordered 
  by 
  comparatively 
  broad 
  

   coastal 
  plains, 
  as 
  in 
  Italy, 
  Greece, 
  Palestine 
  and 
  Algeria, 
  cultivation 
  

   of 
  slopes 
  unprotected 
  by 
  rock-wall 
  terraces 
  has 
  induced 
  serious 
  soil 
  

  

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