Palestine Farm Aids to Land Colonists Described by Expert

How the Department of Agriculture of the Palestine Government assists the colonist and helps him in improving his status as a farmer was graphically described here by Alex Livshutz, who has been delegated by the Palestine Government to be its representative at the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago and at important agricultural meetings in this country and abroad.

Mr. Livshutz is poultry and bee keeping instructor of the Palestine Department of Agriculture. He spent three days in Detroit following his official visit to the world fair in Chicago. From Detroit he went to East Lansing, Mich., to attend the sessions of the American Scientific Poultry Breeders. His itinerary includes visits to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Washington, D. C., and the University of Pennsylvania. His task will be to pick up information on poultry and bee keeping. From this country he will go to London.

For 22 years Mr. Livshutz devoted himself to agricultural experimental work and teaching in Palestine. He was one of the instructors of the Mikveh Israel School and for a short time was associated with the agricultural department of the Palestine Zionist Executive.

According to Mr. Livshutz the Department of Agriculture sells approximately 50,000 eggs for hatching to the farmers of Palestine. These eggs are the products of imported, well-bred fowl, whose progeny is of much stronger stock than the Palestinian. The result of the hatching of these eggs has been found to be in an increase in eggs laid by Palestinian hens.

Of the 50,000 hatching eggs from this well-bred stock thus distributed at a nominal price to the farmers, about 40,000 annually go to the Jewish farmers, mostly in the labor co-operatives.

In addition to this distribution of eggs, the Palestine Department of Agriculture also distributes 2,000 cockerels and about 1,500 pullets yearly to the farmers. By introducing this well-bred stock and through the distribution of the hatching eggs—following the experiments at the Acre Experimental Station—the quality of Palestine poultry is greatly improved.

Bee culture as encouraged by the Department of Agriculture has been advanced by the Palestine Government on a basis similar to the poultry industry. By breeding queens whose sting is less deadly than that of the native queens and who produce more honey, the formation of new hives has been made possible, with definitely beneficial results.

In addition to supplying the farmers with poultry and bee products, Mr. Livshutz pointed out, the Palestine Department of Agriculture provides instruction for the colonists, advises them in the building of poultry houses and in their investment plans. This department also sends instructors to teach the farmers’ children, and the colonists are encouraged to visit the experimental stations for the study of poultry and bee problems.

Mr. Livshutz emphasized that Jews benefit from his department to a greater extent because of their anxiety to improve their status as farmers.