Items of Interest May 9, 1914 Issue

Items of Interest

An interesting ceremony took place lately at Shalma, in the Gharbieh province, Egypt, when Lord Kitchner formally distributed plots of reclaimed land to the fellaheen. This is the second distribution of land in connection with Lord Kitchener's policy, the first having taken place about fifteen months ago at Biala.

At Shalma an area of about eleven hundred and thirty acres has been reclaimed, the land is being thoroughly drained and roads are being cut. A village numbering one hundred and eighty buildings and covering an area of about two hundred and thirty acres has been created, one hundred and sixty-nine houses of two rooms, with a yard, are being given to the fellaheen. The rest of the land has been divided into plots, of which there are one hundred and sixty-nine, each having an area of about five acres. For the first three years the fellaheen will pay a merely nominal rent, but during the following fifteen years they will be required to pay back with interest the total capital, amounting to ten thousand pounds, spent on the settlement. When this is done and the various other conditions have been fulfilled, the land will be the property of the fellaheen.

Since the production of rubber in Brazil has declined, attention has been directed to the greater utilization of the many fiber-producing plants. It is considered that one of the greatest sources of wealth in that country is still the least exploited, but that with proper care and the introduction of systematic methods these plants can be made most important revenue producers. In comparison with canhamo (hemp), it is considered that the guaxima vermelha plant might rival it if properly prepared. In Sao Paulo more than twelve thousand acres are under cultivation, and the eight hundred tons produced annually is used by one factory in the capital of the state. The principal use of the fiber is for making bags, as many as seventy thousand being made monthly, Brazilian hemp constitutes the chief fiber producing plant in the republic. Cultivation on a large scale has begun at Rodeio, in the state of Rio. Each acre of this hemp produces in the neighborhood of three thousand pounds, and the earnings per acre are said to be three hundred dollars.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Christian Science Practice