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THE WHEAT INDUSTRY 



the region and large irrigation projects are thus 

 made possible. In the province of Bokhara the 

 Amu River furnishes water for thousands of highly 

 productive acres which, were it not for irrigation, 

 would be barren wastes. It is estimated that in 



this region nearly 

 4,000,000 acres 

 are now culti- 

 vated under irri- 

 gation. 



The Methods of 

 Cultivation. - 

 Old methods of 

 cultivation are 

 here also still in 

 vogue. In any 

 part of the coun- 

 try it is a com- 

 mon sight to see 

 a camel and an ox 

 yoked together, 

 making a team 



which pulls a primitive plow across the field. The 

 harvesting is done by the sickle and men labori- 

 ously cut the grain by creeping along on their 

 knees. They are followed by others who pick up 

 the grain stalks and bind them into sheaves. 

 These wheat sheaves are then loaded upon the 

 backs of donkeys, camels, or men and are carried 



Copyright by Undencood and Underwood, 

 FIG. 1 20. Threshing wheat in Turkestan. 



