Syria: An Economic Survey 



6. Poultry-Raising and Apiculture. 



Poultry-raising does not play an important role in Arabian 

 husbandry. Chickens, pigeons, and turkeys are relatively abun- 

 dant, geese and ducks very rare. A Jewish colonist in Eishon 

 FZion has attempted to introduce ostrich-farming, but the results 

 have not yet been ascertained. 



Eggs are exported (about 22,500,000 annually) and bring in 

 about 900,000 francs. 



Apiculture is practised in a primitive way by the natives, 

 modern methods being employed only by the Palestinian colonists. 

 A hive yields about 33 pounds of good honey annually. 



7. Agricultural By-Industries. 



Among agricultural by-products the following must be men- 

 tioned: raisins, grape sugar, dried figs, dried apricots (also apri- 

 cots passed through a sieve, dried, and used as a substitute for 

 sugar) and preserved olives. 



II. Unit Farming: Scope, Method and Returns. 



A. Forms of Land Possession. The greater part of the land 

 in Syria is in the hands of large proprietors who live either in the 

 country or in the city. According to Auhagen, about 20-30 per 

 cent of Northern Syria, 15 per cent of Trans j or dania, 20 per cent 

 of Northern Galilee and 50 per cent of Judaea is still in the posses- 

 sion of the peasantry. Many of the orange plantations around 

 Jaffa (exclusive of those in the Jewish colonies) belong to Effendis 

 who live in the city. The Turkish law demands that all arable 

 land which remains uncultivated for three consecutive years revert 

 to the state; this happened very frequently until recent years. The 

 tracts of land were then auctioned off and acquired at a low price 

 by the absentee capitalists. 



The usual size of a Syrian farm is 100-200 dunam. Many 

 fellaheen do not possess more than one-half or one-fourth of this, 

 whereas some proprietors own at least 100,000 dunam. It is 

 customary for the owners of estates to rent out their land to specu- 

 lators who in turn sublet it to the fellaheen. These generally pay 

 their rent in crops, on a share system. As a rule they are exploited 

 by the speculators. 



B. Methods. 



1. The Season Program of Farm Work; Crop Rotations. 

 The agricultural methods of the fellaheen are practically 



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