THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF DRY FARMING 25 



stirred at certain seasons of the year. In ancient days, 

 however, the work was chiefly done by hand labor, where- 

 as now it is done by the aid of suitable implements drawn 

 by horses or by other power. 



Tunis furnishes an excellent illustration of the 

 extent to which dry farming was practised by some of the 

 nations of the old world long centuries ago. It was in 

 ancient Tunis that the mighty and populous cities of 

 Phoenicia rose and fell. According to Widtsoe the 

 average rainfall in Tunis is about 9 inches. In some parts, 

 however, it considerably exceeds that amount. History 

 has made it clear that in the early centuries Tunis fur- 

 nished the Roman Empire with immense quantities of 

 wheat and olive oil. In the seventh century, Tunis had 

 from two to three millions of olive trees in full fruitage 

 in the absence of irrigation. Even today the agriculture 

 of Tunis is large relatively and also in the aggregate. 



While of course it can never be known fully where 

 dry farming was and was not practised in ancient days, 

 the evidence is conclusive that it was practised by many 

 peoples. Both India and China were populous long cen- 

 turies before the Christian era. In both of these coun- 

 tries there are wide areas in which large populations 

 could not have been maintained in the absence of dry 

 farming. Central Europe and Western Asia were in- 

 habited and numerously before the Christian era. These 

 areas are dry now and there are no good reasons for 

 believing that the climate has materially changed. 

 Portions of southeastern Europe and of Asia Minor 

 were not favored with an abundant rainfall in ancient 

 days nor are they now, and yet anterior to the Christian 

 era they sustained prosperous communities. There are 

 also good reasons for believing that the Indians of Mexico 

 practised dry farm methods in the dry area of that coun- 

 try in the long-forgotten centuries. 



