B. T. I.— 559. 



AGRICULTURAL AND BOTANICAL EXPLORA- 

 TIONS IN PALESTINE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The economic and agricultural importance of the Orient is begin- 

 ning to be appreciated in the United States more than anywhere 

 else. Agricultural explorers have not only brought back important 

 economic and ornamental plants, but have gained broader views and 

 have seen the possibilities for a wonderful new development in 

 agriculture. They have learned in the Orient that there is every 

 reason to hope that the vast arid and semiarid regions of America 

 can be rendered productive, although from the point of view of 

 the European agronomist they would appear as worthless deserts. 



Economic exploration rather than scholarly research is needed to 

 make the countries of the Orient known and appreciated abroad and 

 to renew a belief in the ancient saying "ex Oriente lux " (light comes 

 from the Orient). The United States may expect its most valuable 

 agricultural 'introductions from the Orient. The Smyrna fig and 

 the Thompson Seedless grape have already been brought from the 

 Orient, to mention only two examples of fruits. From the Orient 

 have also come the oats of Kherson and the hard wheats of Russia 

 and Turkey, which have made it possible to extend the cultivation 

 of cereals to regions that were uncultivated before their introduction. 

 But this is only the beginning. My own observations in the Orient, 

 as well as in the Middle West and Southwest regions of the United 

 States, lead me to believe that all that has been done in this direction 

 is only a splendid beginning. 



In fact, the Orient still remains almost unexplored and unknown 

 as to its agricultural possibilities. In the oriental countries can be 

 found almost all of the wild types which our prehistoric ancestors 

 utilized in producing the cultivated crops of our time. Here, also, 

 are to be found some of the best cultivated varieties, developed by 

 the combined efforts of man and nature for thousands of years. Xew 

 countries, especially those of the west, can here obtain the plants 

 best adapted to their needs. 



An idea of what the Orient holds for those who will take the 

 trouble to explore it can easily be gained by considering the useful 



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