It will be observed from these figures that the pilgrim traffic is resuming its normal figures. This is due to more stable conditions in Persia.

Owing to troubles in the Hejaz and in Syria, no pilgrimage to Mecca took place from 'Iraq, either by the sea or overland routes.

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS.

The British Government, has adhered on behalf of 'Iraq to the following International conventions on matters affecting questions of health :

The Hague Opium Convention, 1912.

The Dangerous Drugs Convention, 1925.

On all matters concerning public health, the 'Iraq Government co-operates wholeheartedly with the League of Nations, by enforcing, by all means within its power, the provisions of the conventions to which the mandatory has adhered on its behalf.

The International Sanitary Convention, 1912, is followed in all its details. The Opium and Dangerous Drugs Conventions present difficulties in application, but every effort is being made to enforce, not only the letter, but the spirit of these conventions. The necessary laws and regulations for control of dangerous drugs exist and are applied efficiently, but the problem of smuggling has yet to be dealt with. Exports of dangerous drugs from Great Britain are never made without the provision of an import certificate from the Director of Public Health, but the difficulty of control is increased by the fact that these certificates are rarely demanded for imports of dangerous drugs from other European countries.

MEDICAL EDUCATION.

The Government maintains a School of Pharmacy and provides facilities for the training of midwives, nurses, dressers and vaccinators. It is a matter for regret, however, that its finances have not as yet allowed it to institute a school of medicine for the training of doctors. Skilled personnel exist in the Health Service who could undertake all necessary professional duties, specialist institutions exist which could be used for educational purposes and the cases treated at the Royal Hospital in Baghdad afford magnificent facilities for the instruction of medical students. The sole obstacle to the establishment of a school is the question of a suitable building for its accommodation, which must be in a site immediately adjacent to, if not in the grounds of, the Royal Hospital.

6. Department of Agriculture.

SEASON.

The extraordinarily cold weather of the autumn of 1924 continued into the year 1925. The months of January and February were marked by long and continuous frosts, and never since records were taken in this country (a period of 37

years) has such long and intensive cold weather been experienced. The lack of autumn rains followed by this intensely cold weather resulted in a complete failure of the desert vegetation. Lack of grazing and exposure to weather caused very heavy mortality amongst all live-stock. It was estimated that the losses in sheep amounted to as much as 40 per cent. in northern 'Iraq.

This extremely hard winter was followed by a mild summer, remarkable chiefly for the marked deficiency of water in all three rivers. This water-shortage is to be attributed largely to the rigours of the winter. Snow on the hills, which form the catchment areas of the rivers, was probably less than normal, and was largely diminished by direct evaporation under the dry cold conditions prevailing. Further, it was maintained at constantly low temperatures, and this considerably diminished the normal amount of percolation into the soil, with the result that the springs which provide the summer water were short of water, and in many cases dried up completely. As a result of low levels in all rivers summer irrigation became difficult. The canals taking off from the Euphrates above the Hindiya Barrage were for the most part satisfactorily maintained, but the canals from the Diyala river were extraordinarily low throughout the year. The result was that summer crops suffered largely from lack of water, and, in particular, large areas of rice failed completely.

The first general autumn rains fell from 21st to 25th October, but this early promise was followed by a further period of dry weather and no more rains of agricultural value fell before the end of the year. The total rain-fall for the calendar year amounted only to 4.30 in. as against an average of 6.86 in. for the past 38 years. (Figures taken at Baghdad.) The cold. winter and dry conditions prevailing resulted, however, in a marked absence of insect and fungoid pests during the year under report.

COTTON.

The season's crop for 1924 reached a total of over 2,400 bales, but early in the 1925 season it became evident that progress would not be maintained. Cotton prices had continued to decline during the winter, and the rate of exchange was such as to indicate low rupee prices. Cultivators had lost a large percentage of their plough cattle during the hard winter, and the living ones were weak and emaciated from the same cause. Further, the comparative failure of the winter cereal crop led cultivators to think rather of expanding the areas of food-crops, and cotton was largely replaced by such crops as maize, millet and dukn. The result was that seed issues fell from 305,585 lb. in 1924 to 177,934 in 1925. The season was, however, good and where crops had a sufficiency of water the results were satisfactory and higher yields per acre than usual were obtained. A feature of this year's cotton crop, as opposed to the crops of previous years, is the great proportion which has been grown on comparatively big estates. Up to the present cotton has been largely grown in an experimental manner by a large number of growers, but during the past season a number of concerns took up the work in a most serious manner; whereas, on the other hand, a number of growers, who had never been seriously interested in the crop, gave it up.

The average yield per acre obtained on the Government Experimental Farm was 1,392 lb. and on the Royal Estate 847 lb. per acre. Average yields varying from 847 lb. to 286 lb. per acre were obtained on the four largest private estates upon which cotton cultivation has been seriously undertaken.

Although the total deliveries to the ginnery amounted to only 3,382,630 lb., as compared with 3,574,556 in 1924, the future prospects are not so bad as one might believe, and it is confidently expected that the 1926 season will show an increased

crop.

The British Cotton Growing Association have done all in their power to tide over the depression. They opened buying in August, at a price of Rs. 500 per ton, a price certainly not justified by the ruling price of raw cotton. They have continued to pay high prices during the season, in spite of the fall in cotton prices. Further, they reduced their ginning and baling charges to 1 anna per lb. of cotton lint for cotton not sold to them but handed to them for ginning only. When it is considered that the type of cotton grown is the American upland type, and gins at only 25 per cent., it is obvious that the price is remarkably low. They have further reduced the price of selected seed for next season sowings to Rs. 70 per ton.

Cotton (Experimental).

The decline in price of American cotton led the Department to consider once more the desirability of introducing Egyptian

types. Ashmouni," the cotton which was the most promising of Egyptian types previously tried, was therefore re-introduced and studied. This cotton cannot, however, stand up to the climatic conditions prevailing in this country in July and August. Up to July, it was by far more promising than the Webber types, which have so far been issued, but during July and August, it fell away sadly and shed both flowers and balls freely. In September it again recovered, but too late to overtake the Webber types which had stood the hot weather much better. These latter types are therefore superior even in a mild summer such as was experienced in 1925, and they are being retained for the present.

The irrigation test was largely modified in accordance with the results of previous experience. It was surmised from the 1924 experiments that the critical periods were the periods of flower formation (usually June to mid July for the first flush, and mid August to mid September for the second flush), and not, as had previously been believed, the hot dry months of July and August. The 1925 irrigation experiment confirmed this surmise, as did also the bulk crop to which the results of the test were applied. The results need further confirmation, however, and the experiment will be further modified in the 1926 season.

The varietal test again showed the superiority of the Webber selections over other varieties tried, but some of the strains produced by the cotton breeder approach these types very nearly in yield and quality and give much higher ginning percentages. When sufficient quantities of these seeds are available, these will be introduced to the test. The low ginning percentage of the Webber types is undoubtedly their greatest fault, and needs to be fully investigated. A manurial test has been laid down of early thinning to one or two plants per hill. Selection and breeding work were continued throughout the year.

CEREALS.

The harvest of the 1924-25 crop may be regarded as a complete failure. As forecasted in the report for last year, the security of grain has adversely affected the areas sown, and low autumn rainfall has further aggravated the position. The beginning of 1925 was marked by extremely cold climatic conditions and the spring floods were less than normal. All grain crops were unduly backward in the early spring, and were hastened quickly to maturity when the weather became warmer.

As is usually the case when the harvest is late, the crops of northern Iraq suffered heavily from locusts and from the Sunn pest (Eurygaster integriceps). The result was that only pump irrigated lands in middle and southern 'Iraq, together

with lands irrigated from the canals taking off from the Euphrates Barrage had anything like a normal crop. Soon after harvest it became obvious that the position in the north was very serious and wheat and barley rose to phenomenal prices. The average prices throughout the country were high through the whole year, but the position in the north is always more difficult, owing to the cost of transport. Northern cultivators are doubly hit, since, when they have wheat to sell, they receive the price less transport, but when they are compelled to buy, they have to pay the price plus freightage.

In Baghdad, prices of wheat and barley varied from Rs. 400 to Rs. 170 per ton for wheat, and Rs. 170 to Rs. 100 for barley, as compared with Rs. 230-Rs. 100 (wheat) and Rs. 100-Rs. 50 (barley) for 1924. Under these conditions exports fell to practically nil, though a certain amount of new season's produce was bought by merchants in the south immediately after harvest and before the situation had been fully appreciated.

It is estimated that the 1925 harvest was at least 30 per cent. below what may be considered normal and probably not equal to one half the harvest for 1922. Further, the quality of the grain was bad. Merchants have long been complaining of the increasing admixture of wild oats in 'Iraqi samples of both wheat and barley. Though during the past season practically no cereals were exported and therefore little has been heard on this subject, it is nevertheless a fact that even greater proportions than usual were present in most of the samples examined. These wild oats have so far been confined to certain regions, but the scarcity of grain in the north has led to importations of seed from areas where the weed exists, and there is reason to fear that this admixed seed will result in still further increases of this pernicious weed. The only remedy is improved seed, and improved methods of cultivation. Prospects for next year, though more promising, are not good. High prices and shortage of grain have curtailed sowings, but the early autumn rains enabled cultivators to make a good start. In the north timely rains have occurred and whilst it is not expected that next year's will be a bumper crop, it is not likely that the present year's experience will be repeated.

Cereals (experimental).

The abnormally severe and prolonged winter involved a late start in spring growth, poor yields were general in spite of an entire absence of rust attack both on wheat and barley. The latter phenomenon rendered impossible selection of varieties for rust resistance.