THE TELL may be subdivided into three parallel belts. The first consists of the coastal districts and the lower slopes of the hills by which they are bordered, the second of plains like the Mitidja and the valleys of such rivers as the Chaff, and the third of the slopes of the higher hills. Throughout the whole region irrigation is necessary to ensure the growth of summer crops ; on the coastal belt it is carried on by somewhat primitive methods, but in the inland plains and valleys (where the larger rivers can be utilised) it is practised on a more extensive scale. In the first of these regions, the alluvial soils at the mouths of rivers have been converted into vegetable gardens ; while vines and fruit trees, such as the orange, the lemon, and the almond, grow on the neighbouring slopes. The larger valleys and plains of the interior are chiefly devoted to the growth of cereals, and great quantities of wheat and barley are annually produced. Where irrigation is available, forage plants are also grown during the summer months.
In the mountainous belt, the district known as the Kabylia, to the east of Algiers, is the best developed, and various fruits are grown in the lower valleys, while cereals and vegetables are cultivated in the upper. At still greater altitudes there is good pasturage for sheep and goats. The whole of the Tell region contains considerable areas of forest land. From sea-level to an altitude of about 2,500 feet, the principal trees are the olive, the cork-oak, and the Aleppo pine ; but higher up, there are various varieties of oak and cedar. On saline soils, in the larger valleys near the coast, the eucalyptus tree has been extensively planted within recent years. The chief products of the forests are cork, tan bark, and fuel.
The mineral wealth of the country has so far been located mainly in the Tell region. Large quantities of iron ore are obtained from open mines at Beni-Saf in Oran, and Zaccar in Algiers. Zinc and lead are also worked in various places.