The herald., 1893-10-10
ANCIENT AND MODERN.

AGO1hNX AEND hODAAAs1ts
A Sketch of Irrigation History and
Methods From Antiquity.
Irrigation is the watering of lands by
currents distributed over or near the
surface, and also by temporarily food
ing them. 1t is one of the oldest OF
arts, was practiced by the ancient
Egyptians, Arabians, Assyrians, Baby
lonians and Chinese, and hss always
formed part of the agriculture of the
countries bordering on the Mediterran'
can.
The valley OF March in Yemen, Ara
bia, was irrigated by waters distributed
! from q vast reservoir made by dam
1000 feet long and 120 feet high, con-
etructed by an Adite monarch of Saba.
probably long before the time OF Solo
mon. This dam was built of enormous
blocks of hewn stone, and must have
been q work of no mean engineering
ekill, as it stood and restrained the cur
rent of q large stream of 20 tributaries
for about 200 years, when it burst with
desolating effect.
The canal of the Pharoahs, connecting
ancient Pelusium with the Red sea, was
constructed for purposes of irrigation.
The plains of Oman in Arabia were
watered by subterranean canals sup
piled by reservoirs in the mountains,
and a vegetation OF rare luxuriance, con-
sisting of most OF the fruits and grains
of Persia and India, is produced in con-
sequence. The plains OF Assyria and
Babylonia were covered with an i'm
mense system of canals, some of them
hundreds of miles in length, intended
partly ior irrigation and partly for navi-
CATION; and their ruins are among the
interesting antiquities OF those countries.
Into some of these canals the water was
raised by machines which consisted Of
rude buckets worked by oxen, in much
the same manner still prscticed on the
banks of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Among the ancient Egyptians irriga-
tion was performed with water flowing
directly from the Nile, or raised out of
it, or, as was often the case, from wells.
The most ancient machine was the
sweep, or bucket suspended from bal
anced pole, such as was generally used
many years ago in this country, and is
still in some parts at the present time.
Afterward the chain of pots, or sakiyeh,
was used, as it also was by the Assyrians
and Bsbylonisns. AT present water is
raised from the Nile by means of Per-
sian wheels, which differ from the chain
OF pots by the vessels being hung upon
/ the periphery of a large wheel, and 30
adjusted as TO tip over and empty their
contents into trough when they arrive
at certain height, instead of being
placed upon an endless chain or rope.
In the agriculture of Italy, France and
, ott so ,,otI 10
tion. The Romans during several CEN
which are still in use. The water is
carried not only over the grass lands
and rice fields, but between the ridges
in the grain fields and through the Vine
yards round the roots of the vines. The
distribution of it is controlled by regu.
lar system. The state itself claims the
waters of all the rivers Of LombaIdy
and in the Venetian territories all the
springs and collections of rain water
belong to the government.
The use of the waters of the rivers il
rented out at certain price by the houi
or half hour, or for 30 many days at Ger
tain seasons of the year. Persons are
entitled to make canals through the
lands of others lying between them anC
the river, on paying for the damage
thus caused.
The channels for leading the water
into the lands and the parallel channels
alternating with them, placed at sbou
6 inches lower elevation for conveying
the water away, are laid out with great
regularity at distances usually of about
% feet between them. In summer the
water is allowed to flow through them
for several hours about once week, but
the flow is steadily kept up from October
to April, except at the time of cutting
the grass.
In Northern Italy lands that can be
irrigated, rent for one-third more thar
the same class of lands not thus i'm
proved.
On the American continent the an
cient inhabitants of Peru were found by
their Spanish conquerors in the use o.
the most costly works constructed fol
irrigating their lands. Prescott says
"Canals and aqueducts were seer
crossing the low lands in all directions
and spreading over the country like q
vast network, diffusipg fertility and
beauty around them" The Aztecs o.
Mexico also made use of similar meani
to counteract the natural dryness o.
their atmosphere; and in the beautiful
gardens OF IZtapalapan, watered by
canals and aqueducta, and moistened by
the spray Of fountains, was exhibited tc
the astonished Spaniards perfection oil
horticulture at that time unknown in
their own country.
Irrigation on large scale and by the
Italian method was attempted in Eng
land in the sixteenth century on the
estate OF Babraham in Cambridgeshire
but the System WAS not fairly estab-
liHhed as an important branch of agri-
culture until the commencement of the
present century. OF late years what are
called water meadows have become q
tivated counties, especially in Wits,
Devon, Somersetghire and Gloucester,