AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
211 
pull it partly green, like flax. The seed is 
easily beaten out with sticks. The soil then 
lies still till November. After the first good 
shower softens it, every peasant is on the 
alert to sow his wheat. On this mellow' soil 
they often sow the seed without first plowing 
it, and afterwards plow it in. Sometimes, if 
there are weeds, they plow once before sow 
ing. The following May the wheat is cut 
irregularly, with a sickle, shaped much like 
a crooked knife, or bush-hook, used in Penn¬ 
sylvania to cut cornstalks. It is carried on 
camels, to an elevated place, and threshed 
on the ground by the treading of cattle. The 
straw is trodden very fine, and with the chaff, 
is separated by a wooden fork, throwing it 
up in the wind. It is afterwards sifted by 
hand. The next fall they sow barley, as the 
wheat had been sown. Sometimes they 
plant dora on the soil previous to the wheat- 
crop, instead of the simsim. This is a plant 
resembling broom-corn in appearance. You 
may know it as “ Egyptian wheat.” This 
yields well, and looks, in immense pieces on 
the plains, at a little distance, like fields of 
corn. It ripens about the same time as the 
simsim. Both grow well through the dry 
season without water. 
In the mountains they raise lentils as a 
spring crop—a very nice kind of small pea, 
much used for soup. Times and prices have 
greatly advanced here, the last ten years. 
Arabs and other residents say that they can 
remember when wheat was half a piastre per 
measure (a measure is near a half bushel). 
Three years since, a camel load of grapes of 
100 rottle (6} lbs.) sold for 80 piastres—about 
$320. Also melons, figs, and vegetables, at the 
same reduced price. A tax-collector told us 
last week that he had seen the poor peasant 
bring his donkey load of vegetables to the 
gate of Jaffa and pay one and a half piastres 
tax, and afterwards sell his load inside for 
one and a fourth piastres. 
Oranges, citrons, lemons, and pomgranates, 
are mostly cultivated near Jaffa. These are 
watered through the dry season from wells, 
by the ancient method of an endless chain, 
bound thickly with very coarse earthen jars. 
The chain, or rope, is twisted from willows, 
brought from the banks of the river Ogee, 
six miles north. Small ropes, to bind the 
jars, are made of flags, brought from the same 
place, and also from Egypt. The water is 
raised into a large plastered reservoir, and 
thence daily distributed among the trees, 
until every part is irrigated, once in eight 
days. This process is commenced about 
four weeks after the last rain, and continued 
until the first rain, about five aud a half 
months. Beside these, the banana, almond, 
apricot, peach, pear, apple and quince are 
common. In connection, on the same wa¬ 
tered grounds, the natives raise a few sum¬ 
mer vegetables, such as ochra, eggplant, and 
tomatoes. Without irrigation, in spring, 
they raise immense fields of the finest melons, 
vegetable marrow, and cucumbers. In the 
autumn and winter they raise a poor variety of 
cabbage, that never heads ; a coarse kind of 
lettuce, radishes, onions, and turnips of in¬ 
ferior quality, and cauliflower, good Indian 
corn, sweet and white potatoes, peas, beans, 
and beets, were not known until recent 
introduction. 
We have leased for three years about 
twenty-five acres of good land, a rich inter¬ 
vale,‘lying on a small stream, that runs north 
into the beautiful river Ogee. It is an ex¬ 
perimental farm, attempted six years since 
by three Jews. Through want of experi¬ 
ence, and dependence upon Arabs, they 
spent much to little purpose, and entreated 
us to undertake its culture, hoping by an 
example to carry it on afterward to better 
advantage. They have made considerable 
improvements. The well, and its machinery, 
stabling, gardeners’ rooms, and a consider¬ 
able area are t inelosed by a heavy plastered 
wall, about ten feet high, for protection 
This is on a slight elevation, declining from 
which, in connection, are from three to four 
acres thickly covered with all the above va¬ 
rieties of flourishing fruit-trees. The rest of 
the- soil is level, and used for grain. Being 
situated, at a distance from other improve 
ments, one little farm and its ever-green 
foliage looks like an island in the midst of 
the undulating plain around, without a fence 
or ,tree, or dwelling near us. The distant 
line of the Judean mountains, where sits 
Jerusalem, in her shadowy summits, bounds 
our eastern vision, while the “ blue Medi¬ 
terranean,” with its belt of shining sand, lies 
westward. To preserve the trees, we have 
been obliged this summer to use the Arab 
machinery afid manner of drawing water. 
It is very laborious, and inconvenient to re¬ 
place the fragile ropes as often as the con 
tinual severe friction wears them out. One 
large rope wears about five weeks, and the 
smaller ones, which fasten the jars, are 
more frequently replaced. The principle of 
the machinery is simple, and perhaps as 
good for the purpose as we can obtain in the 
present ^state of machinists and materials 
here ; but we desire to substitute a strong 
iron chain, and plank buckets, for our withe 
rope and earthen pots, as soon as we can 
defray the expense, being a much cheaper 
course in the end. 
We commenced labor here last March, 
and in the second week planted white pota¬ 
toes. They grew rapidly, yielded well, and 
were of good quality. We dug them the 
last of May. The same ground we immedi¬ 
ately replaced with Indian corn ; it flour¬ 
ished exceedingly ; stood from 9 to 11 feet 
high, and bore large ears. It was ripe in 
August. The soil has lain empty five weeks, 
and we are now planting potatoes again for 
Christmas, expecting to plant another crop 
in February. We have also had, this sum¬ 
mer, fine beans, tomatoes, egg-plants, vege¬ 
table marrow, melons, andjcucumbers. 
We should esteem it a great favor if you 
can give us some directions respecting the 
culture of the sweet potato—particularly how 
to restrain a redundance of vines. This is 
the third summer that we have cultivated 
them here—being the first experiment in 
this land. They have yielded well, and have 
been very sweet. But each year has shown 
an increase of vines, and also an elongation 
of roots—sometimes three feet, without size 
in proportion. Lima beans yield surprising¬ 
ly. When, in the absence of poles, we plant 
them near trees, they entirely cover them. 
Different varieties of peas are very rank and 
productive. Vines which commenced bear¬ 
ing last November, continued to blossom and 
bear until the rain ceased in April. Ruta¬ 
baga and other turnips are more tender, and 
of a better flavor than in the United States. 
The capability of the soil is great, when we 
consider how the natives produce crops year 
after year, without rest or manure. 
After the crops are gathered, flocks and 
herds graze freely every where. On the 
plains around, from which have been recently 
gathered wheat, barley, simsim, and dora, 
to-day, on one side, we can see in groups 
four or five hundred camels, with their Be¬ 
douin herdsmen; on another, large droves 
of sheep and goats ; and, still beyond, herds 
of cattle and buffaloes, many thousands of 
domestic animals, with their Arab owners, 
in the distance around us. As soon as the 
rain commences they will retire, each to 
their own villages and encampments. Last 
night several men, with a drove of superior 
goats, from the mountains north of Damas¬ 
cus, begged protection for them within our 
gates. Another, a Sheik, from the plains of 
Gaza, with camels, and attendants, often 
comes in to drink at noon. They offer us 
camel’s milk, and are very friendly. They 
say that the reason of their bringing then- 
flocks here is, because the Bedouins of the 
deserl pasture their grounds at this season, 
and if they pasture too near them they are 
liable to lose their animals. This week our 
laborers apprised us that a family of Bedou¬ 
ins were camping outside, near our garden- 
hedge. We were at first troubled at such 
familiar neighborhood ; but we soon found 
they only wished a little water, safety, and 
rest for the night, as the poor are subject to 
great impositions and wrong from their su¬ 
periors. Their household camels crouched 
around, their children, and dogs, and don¬ 
keys, and fire in the center. A few bags of 
grain, a kneading-trough, and a cooking pot, 
with a few pieces of coarse goat’s hair cloth 
for bedding and shelter, completed their 
equipment. Many Bedouins from a distance 
visit us, and a number of their principal 
Sheiks have proposed a treaty of friendship, 
and invite us to sow wheat with them. We 
have daily applications from the sick for 
medicines, from all the country round. In¬ 
dividuals come from Gaza, and instances of 
four days journey, expressing the greatest 
confidence in our medicine and good inten¬ 
tions toward them. We appropriate our lit¬ 
tle hut to the use of those who entreat to 
remain under our care and nursing. Over 
the arches built for stabling we have built a 
comfortable room, since July, and repaired 
two lower rooms for our family. The Turk¬ 
ish authorities of Jaffa are also most respect¬ 
ful, and seek to accommodate us. Their 
principal officers visit us, and express much 
gratification at our residence among them. 
They offer us any needful assistance ; re¬ 
quest medicine for their families, invite us to 
their houses, and permit their ladies, well 
attended, to come to us—which, they assure 
us, is without a precedent. Also, the wives 
of Bedouin Sheiks have been brought , veiled, 
to our house, from the interior ; and the ex¬ 
amples that we have seen of Bedouin ladies 
of the first rank, excel in beauty, refinement 
of manners, and chaste style of dress, the 
wives and daughters of the first citizens. 
Our Jews are now all absent for awhile, 
attending their great autumnal feast. Yes¬ 
terday and to-day they have been out to out- 
garden for palm branches and citrons, for 
their tabernacles. Their interest in Agri¬ 
culture increases; and numbers would re¬ 
joice in the opportunity of making perma¬ 
nent settlement in the country. 
The poor of Jerusalem and Jaffa are much 
encouraged by the recent donations they 
have received. On account of the late 
abundant harvest, and the embargo on the 
exportation of grain,bread is plenty; and we 
greatly regret the misrepresentations that 
have been so recently published at home re¬ 
specting a famine in this land. Before this 
reaches you, I trust, you have seen the offi¬ 
cial statements of our Consul in Jaffa, and 
of the officers of the custom-house, entirely 
nullifying such careless reports. The num¬ 
ber of our laborers are only limited by our 
small means for their employment. The 
Jews being unaccustomed to labor, their 
physical ability is very small; their ignor¬ 
ance of farming also precludes the possibili¬ 
ty of receiving much in return for their hire, 
at least through their apprenticeship. Al¬ 
though they need a patient and liberal char¬ 
ity in their employment, we have abundant 
examples of their improvement and promise 
of well doing. There are two respectable 
Rabbis who, with their families, would move 
out of the city and reside with us, for the 
purpose of learning something of the theory 
and practice of agriculture, if we had the 
means to put up rooms for them. They are 
intelligent, educated persons, who would be 
afterwards prepared to instruct others. 
Among other items, we should be happy 
