PRACTICAL ARBORICULTURE 163 



this compact was -enewed with Moses in Horeb in these words: "For the 

 Lord thy God br.rgeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of 

 fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills. A land of wheat, 

 and barley, and vines, and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of oil, olive and 

 honey. A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt 

 not lack anything in it." Deut. VIII 7, 8, 9. 



From the Caspian Sea, extending westward through Asia Minor, is a 

 range of mountains which branches, one portion, the Taurus, belting the Med- 

 iterranean on the north, the other branch, the Lebanon Mountains, parallel- 

 ing the eastern shore of that sea to the Leontes River. Southward this be- 

 comes an irregular range extending to the Red Sea. 



THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS WERE COVERED WITH DENSE 



FORESTS. 



At the time of Kings David and Solomon these higher mountains were 

 covered with dense forests of mighty trees. The entire country, for a width 

 of one hundred miles, is quite broken high ridges, deep gulches, with roll- 

 ing hills sloping toward the Jordan Valley. From the Taurus Mountains the 

 Euphrates and Tigris flow southeasterly to the Persian Gulf, while between 

 these streams and Palestine lies the Arabian Desert. Canaan, as appor- 

 tioned to the tribes of Israel, extended 350 miles north and south; Syria, with 

 the Lebanon Mountains lying to the northward, a total length of 500 miles, 

 covered with primeval forest. While the mountain tops were clothed with 

 forest coverings, feeding and enriching the lower valleys, retaining the mois- 

 ture which fell, and by their presence attracting the clouds of rain, this re- 

 gion remained fertile, capable of providing food in abundance for great multi- 

 tudes of people who occupied it for many centuries ; but when the mountains 

 became bared the rains gradually failed, severe droughts occurred, the soil 

 ceased to be productive and eventually the entire region was depopulated, it 

 becoming so barren as to be uninhabitable. 



THE POPULATION OF CANAAN. 

 "Behold ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude." Deut. 



I-IO. 



For 900 years, prior to the entrance of the Israelites, Canaan had been in- 

 habited by the degenerate sons of 'Noah, who had become a very numerous 

 people. 



"The people are greater and better than we, the cities are great and 

 walled up to heaven." Deut. 1-28. Num. XIII-28. 



When the Israelites took possession they also continued to increase 

 greatly. When David ordered the enumeration of the people Joab found the 

 number to be 1,570,000 that drew the sword. I Chron. XXI-5- 



This is equivalent to a population of more than six million souls. In 

 addition to which the coast provinces, with large maritime cities. Tyre, Sidon, 



