The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-22
COT TON
NOT II. TO AFFECT US
ali sE----,--.---
Alfred shspperson Says Price OF
Our Cotton g .Wi|lsNot Be Affected
NILE. COUNTRY MUCH. TOO DRY
irrigation Cannot Be- Employed to the Re-
CURED sEx;eat-He Describes Ia h.anu.
facturers' Record the Effort Mad. 10
Distribute Water Over Nile Valley
ISnaciaI Dispatch to The Times.l

BALTIMORE, MD, Dec. 1s.-C"lonel
Altre,l Is. Sheppersun, the recognized
cotton statistical authority Of New OF *
is of the opinion, after a careful Stt!dY
abroad IF the situation, that there is
not the Sig probability that the cot
ton crop OF Egg pt win ever add to the
world stlnrly enough to appreciably af-
feet the price of American cotton. He
makes this statement in an article in this
weeks issue OF the Manufacturers Rec
ord. detailing the results zof his special
study Of the rriS tL:nn WORKS, under con-
s;truction at ASS Jlll and 5Ass:out on the
River Nile. IL writes.
Egypt is az almost rainlcss cou>.try,
the average yearly rainfall at Alexandria
for thsGpast thirty years being only
about eight inches.
No crops of any kind can be grown eX-
cept by irrigation. and the River Nile is
the only source of water supply. The Nile
is "a swift and turbulent stream, and Its
muddy waters deposit upon the irrigated
fields a..sediment exceedingly rich in
fertilizing properties
.sThe. cultiyable soil of Egypt consists
only OF the land which can be reached
by the water of the Nile. Beyond its
Unit there is Only q barren waste Of sand
and desert utterly impossible of cultiva-
ton The Nile Valley is quite narrow.
ranging from FIVE to nine miles in width
a mere ribbon Of green Verdure5 in a
setting Of brown sand. Allow Nile,
therefore. has always meant lean
cropss andsa failure Of the flood fail
ure of the crops.
.Tn order ito hold: back the water of
the GREAT river, SO that from Its banks
and through irrigation canals 1t could
be distributed to the fields as needed,
the irrigation works known as the Bar
rage few miles north of cairo, We're
nv troy OIL h
e.ed and improved ir 1890 and served
their purpose for a time. but with the
increase of the cultivated acreage north
of Cairo and the extension of cultivation
in thevalley south Of Cairo. 1t
was evident that larger and
better, facilities for water supply We're
needed. a contract was, therefore
made by the Egyptian Government in
February, 1898. with sNIessrs. John Arid
and Company. of Scotiand, for the con-
struction of extensive rigation works
at AsscGan ard Assiout to be entirely
comnleted bp July l. 1907
Colo-cl Shennerson describes the eN-
tentsof these works and SAYS:
Tho. Nile besins to rise about July
1st and the food usually reaches its
erea testY heieh+ IN October Even should
before the date specified in the contract,
it IS evident that the first cotton crop
to be much benefited would he the crop
to be planted in 1903. as cotton is plant
ed in Anrl and May. It is not usual
for contract work to be finished before
the time. 2 greed and Therefore. it seems
cute probable that the cotton crop Of 1904
will be the first one to be affected by
the new works.
THE chief purpose of the construc-
4tiGn or the works at Assouan and Asst
out was to 81 fAennra the. tcrons of the
land nc " under cultivation. There will
DOUBTLESS he some extension of acre
p e,s hut This will be chiefly i'm upper
sTravnt whore the cotton is much n
;fe-ior TO th"t of lower Egypt. am, brings
a corsid era III lower rice Valued cor
respnt q en- $. IL leva nfIvia who are nron'-
ainent merchants and also nrvely Inter
ested in the cultivation of cotton write
mo in nact to =acrea ge that they 'be-.
.lieves lover Egvnt will benefit but little
as Tho area under cpItiva tinn has all
s-aad . raa chad q nosnt from rrhin1a n IN