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considerable fund of experience is available, nmcli of which serves to indiiate

the difficulties attaching to any agricultural enterprise in existing conditions,

and the directions in which modificatioii should be ensured. The question

whether large or small ownerships can be cultivated to the greater advantage

is undoubtedly determined by the present sparsity of population in favour of

peasant proprietorship, and this situation has been recognised by a majority of

estates. Elsewhere attempts to cultivate large areas by the exclusive use of

hired labour have been sooner or later abandoned.

Leaseholder and Freeholder.—It is to be noted in this connection that the

actual banks of the river, comprising the rich silt soil of the new alluvium, are

everywhere occupied in freehold by the sakia population, and that the estates

in European or Egyptian holding are based on concessions of " karoo " land

lying at a lower level between the flood bank and the desert plateau, beyond the

range of water-wheels operating from the river. The problem of finding labour

for the development of such estates has been solved on our largest cotton planta-

tion at Zeidab, near Atbara, by the granting of leases for 30 feddan holdings to

tenants drawn from all available sources. In 1910 the Zeidab area was divided

up among 234 tenants, of whom 109 were Berberines, 60 came from Upper

Egypt, 18 from Dongola, 24 were Greeks, 2 Assjrrians and 1 Englishman. Owing

to the failure of the Egyptian cotton crop in 1909, exceptionally high prices

were paid for the first local crop, and the Zeidab Syndicate was encouraged to

supply water to 1,400 feddans of neighbouring land in native ownership, " in

the hope that this trial on a co-operative basis would be welcomed by the natives,

and to further stimulate private initiative in this direction, and finally to cause

an entire disappearance of the ineffective water-wheels."

" The season of 1911 was, however, very unfavourable for Zeidab. The

cotton crop had to suffer much from cold weather, and from the attacks of boll-

worm, so that the company, besides having suffered direct losses, was also

suffering from the fact that the natives were not in a position to pay for the

water rent. Therefore the water supply was refused them temporarily. The

season of 1912 was again more satisfactory, and a first dividend of 12| per cent,

was paid by the Syndicate."* During the following years great fluctuations in

the yield of the various crops of the rotation, coupled with no less marked lack

of stability in prices, continued to constitute a problem which has only been

partly solved by the gradual introduction of types of cotton showing greater

resistance to unfavourable climatic conditions. The yields over the whole

estate during the six years ended 1913 were 3 kantars, 3| kantars, 3 kantars,

4 kantars, 1 kantar, and 2J kantars.f In 1914 crops were again unsatisfactory

* Proceedings of the Ninth International Cotton Congress, 1913.

f " Cotton Growing in the Sudan, 1913."