THE WORLD'S MEAT FUTURE 



since military occupation. The boundary between Egypt and 

 Palestine, which meets the coast line at Rajah, is a well-defined 

 line of demarcation between typical desert country on the 

 south and poor agricultural land on the immediate north. 

 From Khan Yunis almost to Beersheba we saw one vast crop 

 of bailey, for the most part, and the first green country for 

 over a year. All were enraptured, but its agricultural possi- 

 bilities and carrying capacity under grazing are apt to be con- 

 siderably overestimated. This country was " milk and honey." 

 as compared with the sand-dunes of Sinai over which we had 



ridden. 



The growing season and green season are short ; the grasses 

 are few and of poor variety. A grass of the couch family 

 appears to be the foundation, and this, if not eaten out by 

 stock, would alone remain after the rest had dried and had been 

 blown away. Tin's applies to the country south of the Gaza- 

 Beersheba line. Further north the country gets very rough 

 and stony in places, but there are little flats and hillside 

 terraces of very rich black soil, capable of growing almost 

 anything. The best grazing country was found on the plateau 

 east of the Jordan valley and between Es-salt and Amman. 



The rainfall of Cairo is 2 in. per annum ; in Sinai and on the 

 irrigation areas it is practically nil. Gaza, on the coast, is said 

 to enjoy an annual average of 14 in. ; the rainfall is probably 

 about 10 in. further south and inland. North of Beersheba 

 the rainfall increases. The rainy season is short and seldom 

 fails. Water is very scarce, and on account of the great 

 surface evaporation artificial ground tanks, as we make them 

 in Riverina, would not hold out. The Arabs have installed a 

 system of stone and cement cisterns, bottle-necked in shape, 

 and built so that the tops are flush with the ground. During 

 the rainy season the storm waters are directed into these 

 rvoirs, which vary in capacity from 10,000 gals, to about 

 35,000 gals. There may be three or four families drawing their 

 domestic supplies from one large cistern, and in addition a 

 couple of hundred domestic animals might have to be watered 

 therefrom throughout the year. As these cisterns are filled 

 but once a year it is obvious that the water must be very care- 

 fully fostered. Even in summer sheep and goats are seldom 



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