97 



of the threshing floor. It is generally estimated that two men and two horses 

 and sledges will thresh out about 15bush. of wheat a day, and about twice 

 as much barley. 



EUROPEAN FARMING PRACTICES IN TUNISIA. 



The uniformity of practice which characterises the farming operations 

 of the natives cannot be expected in these of the French " colons/' fcr the 

 former have inherited ancestral methods rendered rigid by the experience 

 of centuries, whilst the latter have been groping more or less successfully 

 after new methods during the course of the last 30 years. The average 

 yields of the successful French farmer are naturally superior to those of the 

 thriftless Arab. On the other hand, his general expenses are very much 

 heavier, and it appears questionable at times whether his net profits are 

 very much greater than these of the Arab. It is even stated that on some 

 French farms, in spite of the use of mcdern implements, yields at times 

 fall even below those of the natives. 



One would imagine that the bulk of the country is admirably suited to 

 our general practice of one year's bare fallow before a cereal. So far as the 

 native is concerned it would perhaps be asking too much of his forethought 

 to expect him to break up land in the middle of one winter, keep it clean 

 throughout one season, and then sow it to wheat the following winter. In 

 some few districts, however, the Arabs appear to break up their lands 

 lightly in spring or summer in anticipation of the rains of the following 

 year. This practice, however primitive, is nevertheless quite exceptional. 

 In this connection, however, the general practice of .the French landowners 

 does not, to our ideas, appear very much better. Many of them apparently 

 wait for the autumn rains to break up their land for seed'ng purpcses. It 

 is true that this work is carried out with modern ploughs, and to this extent 

 is better done than that of the Arabs. The most advanced amongst the 

 colons practice what they call " spring ploughing," but make no attempt 

 apparently towards working down the land to a suitable condition of tilth, or 

 maintaining it free from weeds. Nowhere did I come across what we should 

 call well tilled fallow land ready to receive the winter seeding which was 

 surely at hand. Further proof of this, were it needed, is to be found in the 

 fact that the seed drill, universal with us, can find no place in Tunisian agri- 

 cultural practice, mainly, it is stated, because at seed time Tunisian fields 

 are far too rough in condition to admit of the use of the drill. 



In an official report (La Culture des Cereales en Tunisie) I find set out a 

 statement representing the cost of growing wheat in Tunisia to the French 

 landowner. I give this estimate below in all its details, because it throws 

 some curious sidelights on the type of cultivation that appears to have 

 received official sanction in the Regency. 



