"كتيّب سوريا (بما في ذلك فلسطين). لندن: إدارة استخبارات الأركان البحرية، يونيو ١٩١٩" [و‎‎٢‎٤‎٨] (٧٣٨/٥٠٠)

INDUSTRIES
489
that of the plains in the north. Around Haifa, cultivation
is largely in the hands of German colonists who have brought
about 3,000 acres of land into a high state of productiveness,
the chief crops being sesame, wheat, barley, dhura, and
chick-peas ; see further, p. 508. The Plain of Beisan gets
ample water and is highly fertile in parts, nevertheless culti
vation is comparatively restricted, except in patches round
the springs which the Arabs till mostly for wheat, the rest
being given over to a very rank natural vegetation. The
Samarian section of the Jordan Gh6r is occupied mainly by
Bedouin herdsmen and there is here very little arable tillage ;
but W. el-Far £ ah is a notable exception. This valley, well
watered by a fine stream of . perennial water, embraces the
oasis of Qarawa, a tract of remarkable fertility extending
for some 5 miles towards the Ghdr. It is one of the richest
spots in southern Syria, producing corn, vegetables, and fine
pasturage.
The olive flourishes even better in Samaria than in Judaea,
the soil and climatic conditions being particularly^ favourable,
and Samaria is quite one of the principal districts of its
cultivation in the whole of southern Syria. The groves are
(or were) extensive especially around Nablus, as well as on
the hills north of Wadi esh-ShaJr and in the Haifa district.
The crop varies very greatly from year to year—a peculiarity
of the tree being that it rarely bears well two years in suc
cession. The other most common fruit trees of the district
are the fig, apricot, and lemon: W. Nablus, especially
around the town of Nablus, is essentially a fruit-producing
locality. The grape-vine is, in general, much less cultivated
than in Judaea, except in the Jewish colonies ; see I.D. 1203.
Cotton .—Experiments in the cultivation of cotton have
been made in recent years in various localities of Samaria and
other districts. In 1909, about 580 feddans of irrigated land
in the vicinity of Beisan, and about 400 feddans of dry soil in
the country behind Haifa were placed under cotton ; in 1910
the total area under cultivation was increased. The results
of the trials in the plain of Beisan were considered satisfactory,