INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, AUG. 9,1884.
NO. 32.
IiNDOFTHE_PHARAOHS
Agriculture in Egypt.
Cairo, Eoyft, June 20, 1884.
U»re thought it would be of interest to
'-rnnnv readers, if I should write a
:«f "•mmimlwtlbn about the agricult-
ix interests of this wonderful country.
r-tfiir the river Nile Egypt would be
'^•desert. The river is 3,200 miles
'■ft. n«lni» In the mountains away south
■'■ tbeii|iiator, and is thus the third river
•-!*r.f?thin tho world. For 1,000 miles
wtli ot this city it runs through a valley
■ truing eight miles in width, which is
•fy futile. At this point the river di-
!<W into three large channels and nu-
Wl" smaller ones.which spread out like
a rf»n (an, until they reach the sea. The
<■'.« of this fan-like territory are about 175
long. The upper, or coast Une, is
rati*) miles long. This is the Great
•*"u, in extent about two-thirds the size
'hliana. The soil in this delta is very
vUnl inexhaustible. Almost every foot
'':t» cultivated. It will thus be seen
i* the delta is the strength of Egypt,
•- > the Nile is its life. Half of the delta
»!?™ted to raising cotton; half of the
■"rising portion to wheat, and the re-
ul-vier to other grain, such as corn, baryta.! iiats, and vegetables. Itis won-
'"-l what largo crops are secured when
-* wry crudo   methods of  farming are
-'ilered. The cotton looks better than
■Uiee.-en ii> Alabama or Tennessee. The
vjh has been harvested, and though this
n !*nsely populated country, there will
' rcai-h for exportation. It is all ex-
'od !,ythe extraordinary fertility of
•4-ml.
>-s methods of farming have changed
'7 little, if any, for 3,000 years.   The
* i.' a piece qf timber with a largo knob
• '« *ide.   Tho knob is made sharp and
■'M. Two cows, with a straight stick
■'-■'.!«, about three inches In diameter,
t; '3 their necks for a yoke, are hitched
' '"■« end, while a man holds the other
'"ir.i.les it. It tickles the soil; this is
"■'•ill. It can't be said to be plowing,
;;'--'n it answers for it. The only in-
"-«tit for cultivation they have is a
"••kind of a cross between an adze and
'ittvli, with a handle so short as to re-
"■t.Vone who uses it to bend hi in sol f,
?-*!»lf, almost double.
•^ ""il, of course, must be irrigated.
" » dine by raising the water from the
*«in4 emptying it into the trenches
'* <•■• made through the fields in every
">i-.ii,  These are easily made, as the
' "-7 is almost perfecU>r leveL The
"s« sect mode of raising the water is by
'" "ter wheel. It is the same as was
"! i'i'0 years ago. It i» usually turned
''••Mocow. The wheel is made to
^*ith the lower part under the water.
VAn, jnp, are fastened to the rim, say
'"■ t*o feet apart. As they go under
*7'?.. ts they pass over they empty into
'^Witt the top. The old fashioned
**? a much in use, and quite a good
** * the irrigation is done by dipping
"* **r by hand with baskets.
Tho grain is cut with a sickle, or rather
hooked, or it is taken up by the roots and
the fields gleaned afterwards, so that not a
head is left. It comas hard and is therefore looked after carefully. There are two
modes of threshing in vogue, viz.: To
tread out the grain with cattle, and by
crushing it out with a sledge, with iron
rollers under it, much like our clod cutter,
drawn by a couple of cows. Both these
ways are as old as the dynasties. Of course
the old style threshing floor is still in use,
and the grain is winnowed by tossing it
into the air, while the wind drives the
chaff away.   Old style, you see.
There are millions of date palms in the
valley and delta of the Nile, and consequently the date trade is enormous. They
constitute, during the season, a large part
of the food eaten by the poorer classes, but
larger quantities are exported to England
and United States as well as other countries. Apricots, apples, pears, peaches,figs
and plums are grown, and a few olives.
There are no small fruits to speak of.
Camols and donkeys do the carrying
trade of tho country. Cows and men do
tho chief part of the work in farming,such
as raising water and plowing; while women
toil side by side with the men in cultivating and gathering the crops. Bullocks
are killed for food and bulls are seldom
worked. A great many sheep are raised
for wool and food. Goats are quite numerous. They are raised for their milk. Goats
and camels are especially suited to this
country. It don't cost much to keep them.
A. little cactus hedge, an old hoop skirt
and a couple of old fruit cans will keep
them a week. There is little they wont eat.
A few modern improvements are being
introduced into the land. The rich people
are opposed to them,as a rulo, and the poor
people can't afford them. Isaw one steam
threshing machine between here and
Alexandria, also where a grain drill had
been used. A gentleman told me he was
going to buy a reaping machine from tho
United States. I saw sevoral steam engines
pumping water for irrigation purj>oses in
the delta. They are quite expensive, however, as the coal that is used is brought
from England.
This leads me to say, thero is no fuel in
this country, I mean coal or wood. Of
course the climate is such that a fire is not
needed to warm by. A little fire is needed,
however, for cooking purposes. This is
secured by theconntry poople.in this way:
All the cow dungis carefully gathered and
dried, and piled behind tho house, as we
sometimes pile our winter's wood, and
burned as necded,like the Irish burn peat.
Nature somehow always supplies man's
need, or makes it possible for him to help
himself.
The fanners occasionally own little
tracts of land, but for tho most part, farm
on the shares. Tho population is dense.
Hence, notwithstanding the .frnitfulness
of the soil, the poverty and suffering here
sicken the heart to contemplate. An entire Egyptian family, and they are old
fashioned in this as all other matters.eonld
flourish finely and have good picking on
what the average Indiana farmer's family
wastes. They are a poor, downtrodden,
patient, hard working people, satisfied
with little and not getting it. But the
light is breaking in this dark land. The
"Sick Man" must die, or let go his grip on
tho land of tho l'harnohs, and then the
throbbing pulso of the life of the newest
civilization shall bo felt in the land of tho
oldest,and the river of the south shall give
more lifo, and tho strength of tho delta
shall bo multiplied, and Egypt shall no
longor be tho houso of bondage, for tho
dark eyed maidon is leaning upon tho
arm of tho young  man from   the west.
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Prepare for the Fair.
BY JOHN M. KTAIir..
Tho season of fairs is at hand, and if tho
farmer intend to put anything on exhibition ho must begin its getting ready
without delay. Every farmer, at least
every reader of so good an agricultural
paper as the Indiana Faiimkii, should
have something to show besides himself
and his pretty daughters. Fairs aro for
the benefit of the farmer and he can reap
that benefit only as he contributes to their
success. It is all right enough for him to
go and pay his way in; he should also take
his family, his manservant and his wife's
maidservant, and the stranger within his
gates; most assuredly he should take his
mule and enter him in the proper ring. I
like to see everybody aud a fow other people besides at the agricultural fairs; but it
does make me mad to hear them say, with
a look of supreme disgust upon their
faces, "Oh, the fair is not half so good as I
expected; it isn't near so good as it was
last year; I won't come again!" Why is
it not so good as it might be? Why aro
thero so few articles upon exhibition?
Why is there a lifeless air about everything in general? Simply because those
very grumblers have not done their duty.
Thoy have articles that would make a
creditable showing in the ring or upon
the tables; but they havo failed to bring
them. The men who exhibit articles are
not the ones that find the fair poor and
devoid of interest. It is those who aro to
blame. Tliey have not done their part.
And this discourages others. It discourages oxhibitors. It discourages the fair
managers. 4V8 a result, less effort is made
all around and the fair sinks lower year
by year.
You aro only an ordinary farmer. You
have no herd of pure blooded, fancy cattle
valued at thousands of dollars; you have
no wonderful mechanism to catch the ol)
servation of the multitude. Because of
this you think you havo nothing to exhibit. You fancy that you can do nothing to
keep the fair along. Jset me tell you that
it is just such men as you whose help
makes, above all else, a county fair a suc-
cess.and whose indifference will make it a
miserable failure. To prove this let me
mention just ono thing which I am sure
you have all noticed: In every county
there are some prominent breeders of live
stock, horticulturists, and gardeners.
These generally exhibit, and theirexhibits
make a large showing. I remember that
at a county fair which I attended last fall,
very nearlj' all tho tree fruits exhibited
were placed on tho tables by two prominent horticulturists. Of course thoy took
nearly all tbe ribbons for they had no opposition. Then every small fruit raiser
said that the horticultural part of the fair
was run just for the benefit of Messrs. G.
and W., and  they didn't propose to pat
ronize it; that theso men worked up the
fair solely in their own interests and put
in their pockets tho premiums tho stockholders had offered. Yet thoso men could
not help it if thore was no other fruit put
upon exhibition. And I happen to know
that not a few of those who grumbled
about tho matter could have takon ribbons
if they had chosen to go to tho trouble of
preparing their fruit for tho fair. Thoir '
exhibit would not have been so largo and
varied, but would have boon tho equal in
quality, of Messrs. G.'s and W.'s. This Is
just the way mattors work at a good many
fairs and in every department. The small
stockmen and horticulturists do not place
anything on exhibition.andthen complain
that thoso who take tho premiums aro
running tho fair for thoir exclusive bono-
lit; tho accusation carrying a cliargo of dis-
honosty and fraud, which is not fair or
true.
No matter i f your exhibit is small; take
it anyhow. An applo grows no better in a
forty acre orchard than in your yard;
your horse, cow or hog is as good, though
you have only one, as if you had a hundred. And though you may not succeed
in obtaining a premium, your labor is not__
lost. You have shown your stock. People have seen it. They know that you ar,o
wide-awake and enterprising enough to
have it; and very likely you will have, as
a result, some tempting offers from
would-be purchasers, to refuse or accept.
The man who exhibits good fruit, grain,
vegetables or stock at his county fair, is
well repaid though he fails to get a premium. The zest aud enjoyment added to
the fair is alone a good return. Then the
fair has been aided and the pay from that
will come by and by. Nothing has done
or will do more for the farmer than a good
county fair. It has done more than anything else to introduce improved implements, machines, stock and methods.
And a good fair is the one where thero are
plenty of small exhibitors. Then the
llesh put upon the animal for the show
ring need not be lost; tho bushel of big
potatoes is just as big after as before the
fair and they have paid for raising them;
the ears of corn weigh as much as over
and they were profitable ones to produce.
Last, but not least, you have gained reputation for yourself as well as for your exhibit; you aro known as a wide-awake,
public spirited man who has something
good, and has assisted the county fair by
allowing that something.
Uub up the mare and colt; get ready a
peck ofthe best potatoes you have; give
tho pig an extra ear of corn, yes, scrub
him; pick a few of the best apples and
grapes; and then take Mollie and Dan,
and Lucy and Sam, and go to the fair with
a hurrah.
Iff OTJB FAV0B.
The report on tho foreign commerce of
the United States shows a balance of trade
in favor of this government for the last
fiscal year of $72,7!i8,997, aga«~»t a balance
in our favor of ?100,658,4SS taJ the preceding year. The total value of exports of
merchandise for the fiscal year just closed
was $740,573,560, against ?S23,839,402 for the
preceding fiscal year, a falling off of ?83,-
325,842. The imports of merchandise
amounted to *6<J7,714,563, against $723,180,-
914 for the preceding fiscal year, a falling
off of $55,400,357.
m