MOROCCO 



This country is a surprise to those who take the trouble to 

 visit it. Recently a friend of mine from South Australia, 

 Mr. R. G. Young, a thoroughly practical man, was engaged 

 by the French Government to report on its pastoral and 

 agricultural possibilities, and in an interview I have had 

 with him on his return said : "I travelled over 3,000 miles 

 during the two months I was there, always by motor, and 

 found good to excellent roads most of the journey. I found 

 much of it covered with herbage, with excellent native salt 

 bush at places, and with wild flowers in profusion. A very large 

 area, in fact 7,000,000 acres of cultivation : wheat, oats, 

 barley, maize, peas and beans. I have never seen such prolific 

 crops of the two latter. There is another 10,000,000 acres fit 

 for cultivation and a balance of about 8,000,000 acres too 

 stony or arid, but none of it could be called real desert 

 country. Thirty thousand tons of beans, 6,000,000 bushels 

 of barley, and 1,500,000 bushels of wheat were exported to 

 France last year. 



" No machinery at all is used, all the work is done by hand 

 with the old-fashioned flail for the thrashing. I covered 

 360 miles north and south with a depth of 120 miles from the 

 sea to the ranges. This area has a rainfall averaging from 

 12 to 30 inches per annum ; it is very regular, and droughts 

 are rare. The land rises gradually from the sea to the ranges, 

 which average 12,000 feet at the highest point. Abundant 

 water is to be found over most of it, with good rivers and 

 sub-artesian supplies at from 15 to 30 feet on the lower levels. 

 One of the most striking characteristics is the heavy dews. 

 These occur almost nightly, and soak one to the skin. There 

 is very little grass of any sort. I think the reason for this is 

 that the country swarms with snails and these have eaten it 



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