August
1926
I went to Morocco by bus, the usual mode of travelling in Algeria and Morocco, and was lucky to be able to familiarize myself within a short time (10-12 days) with the main agricultural areas of that country. Along the road from Algeria I passed extensive areas of vineyards. This is a large, industrial crop, the most profitable one of this French colony. The Department of Agriculture attaches the greatest importance to this type of agriculture and the attention of the most enterprising colonizers is focused on it. The plantations are in a well-cultivated condition, with the plants correctly pruned and tied to trellises. …
The bus drove along specially constructed roads with a speed of up to 40 kmph, quickly passing through the desert and semi-desert areas of Morocco. A wide expanse of northern Morocco is represented by almost unpopulated areas with insignificant crops but also by foothills of mountain ranges, mainly on the southern side. The agriculture of northern Morocco is concentrated exclusively within oases.
Before me spread the first large oasis, surrounding the city of Fez. It is an old city with towers and ruins. There are hundreds of houses surrounded by gardens and wide areas of irrigated fields. It is a realm of hard wheat. A survey of the grain on the market revealed the presence there of forms different from the Mediterranean ones. The nature of the oasis has put its imprint on them. An influence of southwestern Asia can also be perceived.
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