96 







ARAB CULTIVATION METHODS. 



Weather permitting, the Arab will start breaking up his land with the 

 most primitive of ploughs in the early autumn. In this plough beam, 

 body, and single handle all is of wood, with the exception of the iron lance- 

 shaped share, which is no better than a heavy cultivator tine ; there is no 

 mouldboard. A plough of this sort can do no more than score on the surface 

 of the earth an irregular series of tortuous open furrows, the mound of earth 

 between each rema ; ning untouched. The absence of mouldboard of any 

 k'nd implies that the furrow is never turned, nor are weeds ever buried under. 

 Later on in the season the seed is hand broadcasted over the rough surface, 

 and covered by a second ploughing with the same implement, given at right 

 angles to the first. Frequently, however, early autumn rains fail, and the 

 first ploughing cannot then be given. When such is the case, the seed is 

 merely scattered over the surface of the hard, untilled land, and subsequently 

 covered by a s'.ngle ploughing. As might well be anticipated, crops put in 

 in this fashion are invariably dirty ; and if he can overcome his national 

 laziness, the Arab will, at times in the spring, drive out the whole of his family 

 to do a certain amount of hand weeding. 



The harvesting tool of the Arabs is the sickle, or reaping hook. They cut 

 off. the ears with 61n. to Sin. of straw adhering to them, and waste more time 

 in tying the ears into a short sheaf than they take to gather and cut the latter 

 off. The whole of an Arab's family invariably follow him as gleaners, on 

 the generous principle that the harvest field must support its harvesters. 

 It is stated that in the fields of the natives gleaning operations absorb an 

 amount of grain equal to that sown. Gleaning is therefore a heavy tax on 

 fields which on the average do not yield more than five to one of the seed 

 sown. These small sheaves are gathered together in rope nets made for 

 the purpose, and loaded on the backs of mules or horses, which convey them 

 to the threshing floor. It is stated that in average years each horse load 

 of sheaves yields on threshing about 2bush. of grain, and that in the course 

 of a day's work each horse will make at the outside 10 trips between the 

 field and the threshing floor. The threshing floor is specially prepared by 

 beating to a smooth surface a suitable piece of ground, which has previously 

 been moistened and smeared over with cow's dung. On tlrs floor the sheaves 

 are spread out in even layers. When all is complete, horses are harnessed 

 to a sort of sledge, armed on its under surface with blunt knives, or at times 

 merely sharp stones. The driver stands on his sledge and drives his horses 

 round and round the floor until the grain is judged to be completely threshed 

 out. This method of threshing has a double purpose ; it both threshes 

 out the grain and chops up the straw into small pieces, which, with the adher- 

 ing chaff envelopes of the grain, forms the main standby of native live stock. 

 As in Bible times, it is the wind of the heavens that winnows out the grain 



