so that they will not be washed away by the rain. The cisterns in which the water supply for the long dry season must be

ground.

stored are cleaned and all channels leading to them mended. The plows have been put in order and when, after a few days, the ground is sufficiently moistened the "sower goes forth to sow."

Seedtime and harvest. -Many farmers SOW the seed and then plow the

Others plow both before and after the seed has been

sown. If the "former rain" is too late and the crops are not sprouted by November, there is a great loss, for the crops cannot then mature sufficiently

before the later rain comes in April or early May. God said to the children of Israel, "I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil" (Deut. II. 14).

The barley is cut about the middle of April and the wheat and other grains later. Ruth, the great-grandmother of David, came with her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest (Ruth 2. 22). She was a stranger in a strange land, but the country must have looked beautiful to her, as it does to the traveler to-day at this time of the year when everything has been cleaned by the rains.

Copyright by Underwood & Underwood.
THRESHING FLOOR, PALESTINE

Thousands of wild flowers from which the bees gather much honey blossom in the spring. Some of the meadows are covered with crowfoot, poppy, and anemone, the last of which is probably our Lord's lily of the field of which he said, "Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these" (Matt. 6. 29).

From early May till late October no rain falls, but during all the late summer "dew clouds" hang over Palestine, especially in the more northern highlands. The peasants claim that if grain like the late wheat is gathered when very dry the kernels will fall out, but after a dew there is no trouble. The grapes, figs, and olives, of which many are raised, need this dew as do the vegetables. This is the dew, or tal, of which the psalmist speaks, "As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion" (Psa. 133. 3).

Changing conditions. The climate has become dryer in the Holy Land since the days of its conquest by the children of Israel, when God said, "But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven" (Deut. II. II).

Under the misrule of the Turk, farming was neglected and herding increased. The trees and bushes killed by the droughts were not replaced. Sheep, goats, and cattle, whose footprints are seen everywhere on the high moors, broke up the dry soil during the long summers. Heavy rains washed the earth away, leaving more bare rock and correspondingly less of fertile land than in earlier times. Lack of rainfall in the summer makes the soil so dry that crops planted during the period of the “latter rains" must be irrigated.

Palestine is, as a whole, poor in natural resources. It has practically no minerals, though oil deposits have recently been discovered in the Jordan Valley. Few forests are to be found, and only a small proportion of the land is fit for tillage. Many a county in Iowa or Illinois, or a small province in France, raises more grain than is produced in the entire country.

The

Many oaks

Trees. Most of the trees have been destroyed. pine forests disappeared during the Crusades. have been burned for charcoal, so but few are left. Pines, sycamore, and carob, or locust trees appear in small groves. The natives divide trees into classes: those that are good to sit under and those that are not; those that produce food andthose that do not; those that are holy (and which, therefore, cannot be cut for charcoal or fuel), and those that are not holy.

The most common fruit trees are the fig, olive, orange, pomegranate, date palm, pear, and apple. The oleander is one of the most beautiful ornamental trees.

The Zionists and other later colonists have planted 1,000,000 trees on the mountain slopes. This will not increase the rainfall, but will conserve moisture and help in the reclamation of the soil.

Pastures and shepherds. The hills and stony valleys of Palestine make grazing one of the chief industries. Herds of large and small cattle are the chief wealth of Gilead. In ancient times this region and the one south of it, Moab, provided meat and cereals for the people who dwelt west of the Jordan.

Flocks of sheep and goats are seen in all parts of the country. They are often found together under one shepherd, as in the days when Christ said, "He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats" (Matt. 25. 32). Boys often care for the flocks as did David (1 Sam. 16) and, like him, play the flute to while away the long hours. The shepherds grow very much attached to their flocks and watch over them carefully. If a kid is too greedy the shepherd puts a bit made of two sticks into its mouth so it cannot get more than its share of milk. Young lambs are often carried in the shepherd's arms (Isa. 40. 11) until they can walk. He leads his sheep instead of following them and "calleth his own sheep by

name, and . . . they know his voice" (John 10. 3, 4). If one is lost the shepherd will search far over the hills to find it (Matt. 18. 12), for he fears that the wolves may kill it.

The shepherd's dress and manner of life are much the same as they were when Joseph in his "coat of many colors" went over the hills to Dothan (Gen. 37. 17). He wears a long cotton

PALESTINE

skirt reaching to the knees and fastened by a leathern belt. When it is cold a heavy overcoat is needed. The shepherd's equipment includes a club, or crook, for protection, perhaps an old musket, a leather pouch, flint and steel, a knife, and a sling. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof."-With proper care the soil of Palestine produces a wide range of crops.

Wheat, barley, millet, and spelt are the chief grains. A great variety of garden plants are grown, among which are melons, lentils, beans, peas, cucumbers, and lettuce. Potatoes are just coming into use. Walnuts, almonds, both wild and cultivated, olives, dates, apricots, quinces, mulberries, pomegranates, cherries, peaches, plums, oranges, and lemons grow in various parts of the country.

As transportation is poor, the people have to be content with the fruits of their own neighborhood. Low prices usually prevail. Oranges can be bought for fifty cents a hundred, one dollar per hundred being considered a high price. The oranges grown around Jaffa are considered the best in the world, and are in great demand in European markets.

Grain and fruits form the chief exports. The little manufacturing done in Palestine is carried on in the homes. Water power is available in the Jordan Valley and a few other parts of the country. This probably will be utilized for manufacturing and irrigation in the future.

1. Name the chief factors which affect climate the world over and tell which ones influence the climate of Palestine.

2. With what other country can you compare it in this respect? 3. Name a region of the United States where the clearing of forests has affected the drainage as it has in Palestine. 4. Tell the story of Joseph's life in Canaan and his being sold to Midianite merchants, from memory if you can. If you cannot tell it, hunt it up and give it as a review.

5. Each member of the class hunt at home in the Bible for what he considers the best description of sheep and shepherds (outside of the twenty-third psalm) and present it as an opening exercise for the next lesson.

6. Name the chief farm and garden products of the Holy Land.