Page 79 - Arabian Studies (I)

The Cultivation of Cereals in Mediaeval Yemen 65

76. The history known as al-Jawhar al-mumr states that most of the grain of
the Sa‘dah district is Samra’, a kind of burr.
77. MM., 5b-7b.
78. Qadr IsmaTl explained th I tali as rawiyali, moist, but not wahal, mud.
79. Safakh, yasfakh, to sow seed by scattering it broadcast by hand from a
masabb a sort of leather sack, or along the furrow by hand.
80. Though in practice simple enough, this procedure is difficult to describe.
The sectional diagram (Fig. 6) may help.
B A
ISt furrow with earth thrown up at AA
its sides to form ridges A and B. A
2nd furrow with the plough run at
BA
an angle so as to throw B on to A
and form a single bank out of the A
two.
3rd furrow ploughed to the left of a B A
space for a water-channel, throwing JvKA
up ridges C and D. A
4th furrow with the plough run at
DC B A
an angle so as to throw D on to C,
and form a single bank out of the A
two.
Fig. 6.
81. Parched or toasted grain, still a little green, is often put before casual
visitors at these times, usually on small palm-leaf trays. 1 have eaten it in
Hadramawt.
82. A sham lab, a bag cither of camel-hair (wabar) or goat-hair, black or black
and white, to carry wood or lucerne (qadab), etc., slung over the shoulder.
83. i.e. for foddering.
84. The ears are laid to the middle of the paved threshing-floor (mijran) and
the cut ends to the outside, to form a circular heap. The straw at the top will be
so arranged that the heads of grain in the centre of the heap will be covered. It is
left to permit the grain to suck in the goodness from the straw-stalks.
85. It is beaten out by treading (dam) into chaff small enough for the beasts
to eat.
86. One treads out the crop and winnows (yidiis al-zar* wa-yidhri), but those
ears still remaining in the husk one collects together (qashsh-ah, yaqushsh-ah) to
put aside and tread out again. After the treading (daw7m a\-birr with a midwam)
or beating of other grain (lablj, khablt — one says ba nakhbut) the grain is put
into heaps.
87. R kb al-tibn - translation conjectural.
88. QadT IsmaTl says the measuring takes place in the early morning (al-kail
al-sabah bakir aw akhir al-nahar) or at the end of the day — otherwise the white
ant (irdali) will attack it. i
89. To this day an opening on the north side is put in a grain-store for
ventilation (Q. IsmaTl).