1926
And there was the beautiful valley of the Euphrates, where once upon a time the Assyro-Babylonian civilization flowered, where the fate of the Near East was settled and where the Codex of Hammurabi determined the standards of economy, justice and responsibilities. Ordinarily, the agricultural crops are not irrigated. The waters of the Euphrates flow without restraint all way to the Indian Ocean. [1] Waterwheels are built for lifting the water and irrigation is practiced only where water is nearby or where small streams run. Basically the agriculture is of a nonirrigated type. In the past it was no doubt richer, fuller and more interesting than the present type. There is no question that it is possible to return to the earlier conditions by a rational use of the water and the excellent soil. There are plenty of opportunities for this. Owing to the exploitation of its many colonies this is not necessary for the French and the suppressed Arab population is forced to be satisfied with primitive utilization of an enormous natural wealth.
The time was the very best for collecting. There was still much wheat and barley, not yet cut. The harvest was at its peak. The specific composition here is definitely different from that of southwestern Asia and the Irano-Turkestan region. The wheat is exclusively of a hard type, the barley always distichous. There is no doubt at all about the distinctiveness of this territory, its independence and its sharp distinction from southwestern Asia. Also, the leguminous plants of this territory are special. As demonstrated by research later on, the strains from the steppes of dry, northern Syria are particularly interesting for the drought-stricken areas of Ukraine.
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