British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 724

CHAPTER XVI.

not reach its optimum until the tree is 20 years old, but it may be uoted that whereas the average annual yield of olives for the periods 1921-26, 1927 -31 and 1932-36 showed but little increase over 15,000 tons, the average for the period 1937-41 was 36,000 tons. In 1931, there were about 4,000,000 trees; in 1937 about 7 ,000,000; to-day the figure is nearly 8,000,000, nearly 600,000 dunums of Arab land being now under olive trees. In 1923, the area planted with citrus was approximately 30,000 dunums; by 1930 it had reached 90,000 dunums of which the Arabs owned half; thereafter for a time the Jewish area increased more rapidly but by 1939 parity as between the holdings of the two communities was again reached. The total area under citrus then totalled 293 ,000 dunums, They share in approximately equal proportions the present reduced area of 266,000 dunums. Despite the adverse consequences of the stoppage of shipping during the war about 74 per cent of the surviving groves have been maintained in fairly good condition and about 10 per cent additional in fair condition. There is no distinction in this respect as between Arab and Jewish areas. There is, however, a distinction as between the state of indebtedness of the two sides of the industry. As analysis of the applications for citrus advances made under the Citrus Scheme in 1943 showed the following results :-

Approx. indebtedness per dunum

Jewish growers

Free

Less than £P .5-0 £P.50 -£P.100 Over £P.100

82.8% 13.3% 2.7% 1.2%

64.7% 28.2% 5.6% 1.5%

201. Where winter crops, i.e. these almost entirely produced by dry-farming methods, are concerned, there are, except for a slightly better average yield in recent years indicative of improved methods and strains of seed, no such variations in yields during the period between 1920 and the present day as are not attributable to seasonal factors. This suggests that Lord Samuel's information was based to some extent on the experience of the war years 1914-18 and that in fact dry-farming was pursued as extensively as the climatic conditions in any given season permitted.

202. It is in the diversification of crops that the most significant changes in Arab rural economy is to be remarked. This is to be attributed in part to Government encouragement and tuition and in part to land settlement operations, in part to emulation of Jewish methods and in part to native enterprise in relation to

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