The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1895-03-22
Al Exhaustive Report From
Irrigated America
The VALLEY OF THE NILE
The Very First Attempts Made at Ir-
rigation Were Made on Small
streams-Reservoirs.

uSeO ny m1H. IL was pracClce0 Dy the
Egyptians, Arabians, Assyrians, Baby
lonians and Chinese, and has for time
inmemorlal formed a part OF the agri-
culture OF the countries bordering on
the Mediterranean. The valley of
March in Yemen, Arabia, was irrigated
by waters distributed from a vast re.
servoir made by a dam two miles long
and 100 feet high, constructed by a
king who relghned long before the time
OF Solomon. This dam was built of
enormous blocks Of hewn stone, and
must certainly have been the work OF a
skilled engineer, al 1T stood and re-
strained the current of a large stream
OF seventy tributarier for upwards Of
1000 years. The canal of the Pharaohs
connecting ancient Potassium with the
Red sea was constructed for irrigation
purposes. The plains Of Assyria and
Babylonia were covered with an i'm
mense system Of canals, some of them
hundreds OF miles in length. The Ro-
mans during several centuries con-
structed extensive works which are still
in use, and the Saracens carried the art
into Spain.
The first fields were cultivated in arid
lands, the first clocks were distributed
on arid lands, and the first civilized
governments were organized in arid
lands. Under torrid skies, on rainless,
krooleea plo;ro o0r;o,,1I,,ro tho Jop,o,%,
cation of ANIMALS, art in metals, temple
building, cities and civilization had
their beginning.
History begins in the valley OF the
Nile, for civilization was born there.
This early culture sprang out OF condi-
tions that nov seem strange. Tho great
river has it's source IN table lands far to
the southwark, in regions OF Africa even
yet little known. Where it plunges into
the lower valley it leaves a region OF
humidity, with spring, brooks, creeks
and smaller rivers and flows as a
stream OF mud through q low PLAIN
where rain seldom falls and where all
agriculture and other civilized arts de-
pend upon the nse Of these turpid
waters. With the appliances OF modern
civilization which we can command and
theideas of western Europe and America
were the Nile valley vet u%ninhabited it
would appear to be destined to remain
in a desert condition; and yet that hot,
arid land, with sand dunes stretching
Tar back into the country, through
which meanders a foul river. with no
tributary and no spring along It's lower
conrse, ls the one where agriculture first
began, aud 1T was wholly dependent
upon artificial irrigation.
The earliest agriculture OF Europe,
Asia and Africa began IN arid lands.
Turning to America it is discovered that
this fundamental art began everywhere
under like conditions OF great arldity,
on sandy plains and hot deserts. In
the southwestern portion OF the United
States, the very last district OF the coun-
try to be settled by white men IN some
portions OF Utah, Colorado, Arizona,
New Mexico, Nevada and California,
where natural vegetation is SO rare it
scarcely gives character to the landscape
the most ancient agriculture is found.
For in the country thus described, the
Indian tribes in centuries lost to history
cultivated the soil by artificial irriga.
ton, and developed corn, cotton, po-
tatoes, and other vegetables useful to
man, while the rich valleys OF the north
and east remained untouched by agri-
cultural labor. Later and before the
discovery by Columbus, open glades
hare and there were cultivated; but such
little patches were far apart, scores or
hundreds Of miles, and the art was bor-
roWed from the arid lands Of the Peublo
region. In like n the desert re-
gions of Mexico and OF Peru developed
an ancient agriculture; so that every-
where throughout the habitable globe
the first agriculture began in arid lands,
and the first comparatively dense popu-
lation was found everywhere in regions
where the heavens refused sufficient
moisture for crops to grow. This is the
greatest paradox Of history.
Men in savagery loved the forests and
the pralries, the clear rivers, the beautl-
full lakes and the shores OF the sea; for
there native fruits were found in album
dance, the waters teemed with fish and
the woods and a furnished
abundant game. But when sayagery