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27 October 1855: Sheet #4

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== Agricultural Studies ==
=== The Afforestation of Egypt ===
The valley flooded by the Nile was always, and could not be otherwise, destined for the farming of grains, sugarcane, the indigo plant, cotton, flax, oleaginous plants and seeds, of prairies, etc., and not for arboreal plants because they can only take root on the shores of the Nile riverbed and on the large canals, like how they do on the borders of large farmlands and along the main roads that allow communication between the villages and the city. The tree from this valley is prohibited in fields because it would create shade where it is not needed, and because it attracts immense swarms of birds that devour crops. The tree does not develop fully because of the humidity during high waters and because of the damage a plow would do, tearing and ripping the young plants which it needs to absorb nutrients from the ground. Prohibited for these reasons, let's say, it would be crazy to want to plant this tree in the fields that produce goods for the town. We wait to see in what type of land it will be useful to cultivate it. 
In fact, if the introduction of the woodland plant would be harmful in the fields of the Nilotic Valley, putting wooded plantations along both sides of the boundary of the dessert would be advantageous. They would be connected to the flooded ground in a line, at the highest elevation, formed by marls and marly sand from the alluvium of the Nile, and starting from the opening at Gebel Selselek (a region of Assuan) to almost all of the Mediterranean coast to form special areas that, for their topographical situation, would benefit from having adaptable, successful trees. This is the primary condition that is needed to establish a long-lasting and useful afforestation of a natural propagation for the future.
Now I will restrain myself by not telling all of the reasons why a systematic afforestation in Egypt would be useful, that is, it would be great for the development of agronomy and for the influence it could have on meteors for the benefit of the hygienic state of the atmosphere. From another point of view, the introduction of artificial forests on the edge of the desert near the flooded lands would be a way to domesticate the nomadic Arab who lead his herds to graze in the shade of these woods. Slowly abandoning his post in the middle of the dessert, he would end up roaming less and staying put. Therefore, he would adapt to societal laws and transform from the undisciplined shepherd to a farmer; he would change his camel to an ox, would create a campsite to settle into a permanent dwelling, and would oppose the lifestyle of roaming and robbery that characterizes the nomads in Egypt's desert. 
Afforestation would be beneficial for different craftsman jobs in the rural economy as well. It would also increase fossil fuels, which the country lacks, all without losing any Nilotic land which must serve no other purpose than to grow derratiche plants, using just the border of the desert for afforestation. Relatedly, I have studied a method that has had good results and is easy to execute even for the way that new plants are irrigated in the forest. 
Wild animals, like hyenas, wolves, etc., if they do not any trenches,  freely pass from the desert into animal enclosures and villages by digging during the night, destroying cultivated land. But if the nomadic Arab camps out near the forest with his guard dogs, and, as is his custom, keeps his fire going all night, the wild animals won't dare to approach since they'll be driven away by the dogs and by the sight of fire. 
The experience of more than 30 years in Egypt and my knowledge as a professor of Botany at the medical school in Cairo have put me in a position to commit myself to the study of botanical geography of this region of Africa and its surrounding areas. Additionally, I study the acclimatization and naturalization of exotic plants, especially those from intertropical regions, since I am able to list the different species of trees of ''''Acacia Cassia, Cesalpinia, Gleditschia, Grulandina, Dalbergia, Haematoxjlon, etc.,'''' as well as ''''Ficus, Artocarpus, Terminalia, Combretum, Bignonia, Cassuarina, etc.'''' Even among the arboreal plants that acclimate easily you can name some that come from the region of Soria, from the islands of Greece, from the coast of Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, the entire coast of Provence, of Spain, and of Algeria. I believe that the acclimated intertropical plants under the latitude of Cairo and Alexandria can easily adjust to the climates of the southern regions of Sicily, Sardinia, and of those portions of the Mediterranean coastal basin that are protected by the Aquilone winds. This way, the two great countries can exchange plants, and Egypt would be the center of transitive acclimatization. What I have said about plants can also be applied to animals of different breeds. We will talk about this later on. 
A. Figari