Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-17
IRRIGATION IN EGYPT.
Bulletin just Issued by the Department
Of Agriculture.

Mr.. Clarence T. johnson. assistant chief
OF the division Of irrigation Investigations
OF the Department Of Agriculture. has pre-
pared a brochure on Egyptian irrigation
which has been published by the depart
ment as bulletin, No. 100 Of the office Of ex-
pertinent stations Mr.. Johnston spent the
winter Of 10O1l91 IN Egypt making a study
OF irrigation methods and his work is in
the nature of a report of the results Of his
observations, In submitting the report to
the Secretary Of Agriculture Mr.. Etwood
Mead. chief or the division of irrigation.
says:
In the valley of the Nile irrigation has
been practiced for thousands of years, and
II time and experience were in themselves
sufncient we ought to find water distributed
with more skill and used with better re-
suits there than in any other country.
Sucn. however. Is not the case. On the
contrary. the irrigators Of this country have
little to learn from Egypt so far as practi
cal methods are concerned. The reasons
for this are not obscure. One Is the lack
OF inventive and mechanical skill on the
part of the fellah Here every implement
used In agriculture has been subject to
constant change and Improvement; the
Egyptian still uses a crooked stick for a
plow and beats out his corn did his
ancestors In the time of the Pharaohs. In
this country we have already evolved spe-
c1al machinery for the construction of ca
nals. building OF laterals. and cleaning out
ana enlarg1ng of bitches: in Egypt many
canals are still cleaned by throwing the
mud out by hand. The lessons of Egypt,
therefore. so far as irrigation practice is
concerned. are of negative value. There
Is another reason why this is SO. Irrigators
In Egypt are paid fifteen cents day. Their
methods are possible only with this low
wage rate. hence they cannot be adopted
IN a country like ours. where higher wages
are paid.
The showing Of the yield and profits of
IN, vnf Ia fy,n ,f
significance and promise to the arid COM
monWealths. It Is only on irrigated land
tnat the average net return from sugar
cane reaches $50 to $50 an acre. The rev.
enues OF the Egyptian government from the
areas devoted to dates runs from $40 to
40 an acre. and the net profit to the cult
vator approxtmates $50 an acre. This lit
tie tract of agricultural land, no larger
than the irrfgable area Of California, sup
ports between 100000 and 5000 600 people,
pays the expenses Of a costly government,
and meets the interest on national debt
half as large as our own from the returns
on agriculture alone.
Three subjects have q vital relation to
the future extension Of irrigation in this
country These are storage, drainage and
the utilization of water by pumping The
interest to our government engineers; but
Egypt has few examples Of the small stor-
age works such as are being built in large
numbers by private parties in the west
and which are destined to be an important
feature of our irrigation systems The
accumulation OF alkali in the surface soil,
which has already become a troublesome
feature in western irrigation. at one time
rendered unproductive large areas In lower
Egypt. These are being reclaimed by drains
which carry off the excess Of salts and
tend to prevent their further accumula ton
so far as lifting water from wells or
streams Is concerned the devices In Egypt
are inferior to the gasoline and electric
engines and centrifugal pumps now ex-
tenstvely used in the west"