Tunisia

Land, Tenure and Settlement.-Tunisia has Melk lands which are completely freehold, Habou lands subject to special rules of inheritance, and tribal or group-lands. A Cadastral regis ter was established by law in 1885, with the object of lessening doubts as to ownership of land and of giving proper publicity to transactions involving landed property. Since 1886, 1,200,000 hectares of land have been registered. Colonization depends mainly on private enterprise, and the Government has come late into the matter. By laws of 1914, 1920 and 1924, those who take up previously domanial lands must live on them for life or 20 years. Habou lands can be leased for long terms on payment of a perpetual rent (Enzel), which rent may be redeemed on a basis of 20 years' purchase. European lands are extensive; the domain of l'Enfile has an area of 120,000 hectares, 1,700 French pro prietors own 554,00o hectares, 1,5oo Italians own 6o,000 hectares.

Agriculture.-Tunisia has 2,859,000 hectares of cultivable land, of which 1,371,000 hectares are planted to cereals. The re turns are generally poor, and variable from year to year, especially in the hands of the natives. The crops are hard wheat (540,000 hectares and 1,800,00o quintals), barley (450,000 hectares and 1,500,00o quintals), soft wheat (51,000 hectares and 400,00o quintals), oats (54,000 hectares and 395,000 quintals), maize and sorghum (17,000 hectares and 58,000 quintals) ; beans occupy 27,000 hectares and give 185,000 quintals. The vine is essentially a European production; it covers 28,00o hectares, of which 15,000 belong to Italians ; the principal vineyards are in the regions of Tunis, of Grombalia and of Suk-el-Arba; the production averages 700,00o hectolitres. Tunisia, especially in its eastern part, is very suitable for olive-growing; there are 16 millions of trees, ten millions of which are in full bearing; the three principal districts are those of Cap Bon (1,5oo,000 trees), Susa (three millions) and Sfax (two millions). One of the greatest achievements of French colonization of Tunisia is the reconstruction of a great olive forest in the region of Sfax. Fine olive yards reach to the extreme south, at Gerba (400,000 trees) and at Zarzis (50o,000).

The average production of fruit and oil is about 300,00o quintals, with great variations (150,000 quintals in 1917, 450,000 in 1920). The orange (68,000 trees) is grown chiefly in the region of Cap Bon, early vegetables in the neighbourhood of Tunis. The oases provide 1,200,000 date-palms.

Cattle-rearing and Natural Products.-Cattle-rearing

and

crop-growing are both carried on extensively rather than inten sively, with arable, fallow and stubble pasture. There are con siderable variations, both in stock and crops. On an average, Tunisia raises 350,000 oxen, 8o,000 horses, 30,00o mules, 167,000 asses, Ioo,000 camels, 15,000 pigs, 1,50o,000 sheep, i,000,000 goats. Transhumance is practised in the rearing of sheep, but in Tunisia the journeys of the nomads are shorter than in Algeria; 50,000 sheep are exported annually and 6,000 quintals of wool.

The principal product of the forests is cork (35,00o quintals). Alfa (i oo,000 tons) is exported chiefly to England, for the manu facture of paper-pulp. Sea-fishing is carried on in Tunisia under more favourable conditions than in Algeria. The continental plateau is of wider extent, the lakes of Bizerta, of Tunis, of Biban, form natural nurseries, and the fish are more varied in kind. There are 15,00o fishermen, of whom i 0,00o are natives and 4,000 Italians. Sponge fishing is carried on along the whole of the east coast, from Monastir to the frontier of Tripoli, espe cially at Sfax and in the Kerkennah islands; the production of sponge fishing reaches 160,00o kilogrammes.

Mines.

Tunisia possesses practically inexhaustible deposits of phosphates. The chief exploitation is carried on in the Gafra region (Metlaoui, Ain, Moulares, Redeyef), from which two railway lines run to the ports of Sfax and Susa ; two other de posits, those of Meheri Zebbeus and Moilla, are in course of organization. The phosphates of Kalad-es-Senan and Kalaa Djerda, found as a prolongation of those of Tebessa, are exported through Tunis. The Tunisian production exceeds 2,500,000 tons; that of the whole world is eight million tons. Iron ores, abundant and of good quality, are found, especially to the south of Kef and not far from the Algerian frontier, at Jebels Slata, Djerissa, Hameima; to the north of Kef, at Nebeur, and at the Nefzas in Kroumirie. The production exceeds 500,000 tons. Tunisia is thus an important mining region.

Zinc (12,00o tons), and lead (40,000 tons) come from Khan guet-Kef-Tout, between Bija and Tabarka, from Zaghouan and Jebel Ressas. Apart from the somewhat poor lignites of Cap Bon, no fuel minerals have been found up to the present ; petrol has been sought at Slougonia and at Medjez-el-Bab. The minerals are exported in the raw state, and the only important industries are those dependent upon agriculture, flour-milling, oil-refining, distilling. Thermal and mineral springs are numerous.