TILLAGE OF OLIVE ORCHARDS. 



25 



TILLAGE. 



Good tillage is essential to successful dry-land olive culture as 

 practiced at Sfax, and this was thoroughly appreciated from the be- 

 ginning by the intelligent natives who brought the present system 

 into general use once more. In order to keep as much moisture as 

 possible in the soil, a dust mulch, which reduces evaporation to a 

 minimum, is maintained on the surface, especially during the sum- 

 mer. This loose condition also facilitates absorption of the rain that 

 falls in autumn, winter, and spring. Furthermore, the greatest care 

 is taken to destroy all weeds that appear. Bermuda grass is the most 

 troublesome of these, much of the land suitable for olive culture 

 around Sfax being thoroughly infested with it. As it is advisable 

 to extirpate this weed before the trees are set out, the best results can 

 sometimes be had when planting is postponed until the second year 

 after work on the orchard is begun. The following method is recom- 

 mended by Minangoin for getting rid of Bermuda grass. 



A shallow plowing — to a depth of only 3 or 4 inches — is given 

 With the rude Arab plow, followed by a harrowing, or preferably 

 two cross harrowings. In this way the soil is pulverized and the 

 grass roots are turned up and exposed to the sun and air. On the 

 other hand, a deeper plowing would only bury the rootstocks out of 

 reach of the teeth of the harrow and the shoots would quickly find 

 their way to the surface again. The land is then gone over with a 

 rake — generally the primitive Arab instrument known as the " mes- 

 saba " — and the rootstocks gathered up by it are burned. A second, 

 somewhat deeper plowing, followed again by the harrow and the 

 rake, is said to be in most cases effective in extirpating the grass. 



A different plan requiring much more time and labor, although 

 equally effective, is generally followed by the Arabs. Instead of the 

 plow they use the " maacha " (see fig. 5), an instrument made like 

 a plow, but having in place of a share a flat, thin bar about feet 

 long, set so that its front edge slants toward the ground and adjust- 

 able so as to cut the soil at the desired depth. It otherwise resembles 

 the native plow and is guided in the same way. This implement is 

 passed over the land at intervals of a week or two, especially in sum- 

 mer, but also a few days after every rainfall in winter and spring. 

 The maacha does not remove the roots but is set so as to cut off the 

 grass stems an inch or so below the surface of the soil. As a result 

 the roots, deprived of leaves, finally rot in the ground. It is some- 

 times necessary to use the maacha a dozen times in rapid succession 

 before the land is clean. The instrument as used by the natives 

 requires a great deal of strength to operate. The driver must stoop 

 and throw the whole weight of his body against the handle bar ; but 



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