'35/149 I (A 67) Batineh date trade. Dowson's reports' [‎10r] (25/164)

almost entirely provided by flowing springs; andf consequently
, the cultivator can manage a greater area. In a bad year, the
Samayil cultivator stands to lose. Probably here is the explana
tion of the high wage rate compared with the lower, but fixed
and certain, wage rate in the Batanah. t Furthers the wage rate
in both districts is fixed by long custom; the drought must have
caused the prices of agricultural produce, including dates,
to rise. Hence, a cultivator paid in king would by likely
to be, temporarily at least, setter offthan one receiving a
money wage.
Cultivation and Implements.
The soil of the whole area is light sand. There is
no clat, though Palgrave mentions the existence of a single bed
of pottery clay near the coast not far from ^-atrah, Drainage
is excellent, and there is no alkali landf if the slight amount
on the xsir&a surface of the sea-shore be excepted. There is
nowhere a rank growth of weeds and cultivation is of the
scantiest and shallowest. One who is used to an€- English s^ade
smiles at the MISEAH of the Iraq, ^e would laugh loud and long
at the similarly named implement of 0man. It indeed resembles
more a weed-stuober that a spade.
PLATIu XXV.TIL. MI SI .AH Held by a Bata^ah Cultivator.
There is no hard clay to be turned over, no sodden,
bsu-ed, iron-bound land to be broken up, nor are any deep
channels to be dug out. The chief use of the spade is to dam
up the tiny, water courses, in turn, as each bed by irrigated.
The plough,HISS3t, JFABBAN ^ot understood, tis also
absurdly small and light, and made of wood iron tipped. It is
drawn by one cow or bull. If ploughing be by contract, ana there
be l)ut a small piece of land to |)e ploughed, containing onj.y
a few palms, the usual rate is 5 PAI aK palm, the piough, plough '
animal, and labour being all provided by the contractor. This
rate is equivalent to about a RIAL for an acre. Generally,
however, if much land is to be i)loughed, a bargain is struck
for the whole piece.
The third implement is the HIQ^AGS, which is similar
to the long kiii^ of MIHASHLH or m IMJAL of the Iraq; that is,
it is long, only slightly curved, toothed sickle, used in the
Iraq onj.y for pruning palms, but, in Uman, also for cutting
fodder, a labour reserved, in the Iraq, for the smaller, nore
curved MI&JAL. MIi^ASS is 'scissors 1 in the Iraq.
A HIB, a long chisel for separating offshoots from
their parents, completes the list of agricultural implements.
The Tawi.
In the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Samauil, the size of a man f s holding
is computed from the numper of palms it contains. The units of
area, PIDBAH, MASHAHAH, QUHALAH, JARIB, or DAUmt, appear
unknown. In che Bataaah, however, the garden unit is the TAwI,
pi. TAWXAJi, so called presumably in^ reference to the stone
built well. This is the amont of date garden watered by one
single or douoXe, watey-hoist. Three of these, at Sib, belonging
to Shaikh Hashid, were surveyed, with the following result:-
Bearing Offshoots Fruit Total Total Approx.
Palms trees Palms Palms o. Area
OffshootsOffshoots in
Pruit Acres.
Trees