The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-12-24

that an amount equal to half the ca
pacity Of the Assouan reservoir Il Loss
every Gay. and in the summer TuIIS
80 per cent Of the water supplied bs
the great lakes does not get into the
main stream OF the Nile. The water
OF this swamp is nowhere much over
a mans head. ard in most places ex-
cept where the main streams no"
through. it is only about as deep a
mis- waist h evaporation increases
at the time Of the God when more
land is covered. and no matter ho~
much water flows into the swamp. only
about the same noun flows out
This is so throughout the year
T.ie sud-.
This vast =egion is known as the
sud-. 1t is now being explored. and
attempt have been made to cut chan
nels through it / hav met some
Of the surveyors who have attempted
to penetrate il and some who nave
broker away parts OF IL TO open W
channels for the Nile. They describe
made up. Of papyrus, feathery reeds
and sword grass. These rise from
five to fifteen feet above the water
and are broken here and there by
patches OF ambatc trees anG by
channels, pools and lagoons- The
greater part OF il has no human in
habitants. and his is especially 50 OF
that region along the Bahr ell GhaZal
There are some Dinka villages near
Bor and a few tribes on the edge OF
the Belgian kongo- Farther south
at Lado and Gondokoro the region Is
populated.
1t is only at the south Of the swamp
regions that big game is to be seen.
There the land is a little higher and
elephants, giraffes and buffaloes in
habit the edges of the sWamps. In the
heart Of 1t. and iii fact. in all parts OF
:. t1-z nc l1ron n,ynharc of hjnnn-
potami. and there are all sorts OF
birds everywhere. From the reeds and
mud banks. clouds of wild cranes.
geese, storks. herons, p%elicans and
ducks of every description rise up as
the boats approach, and there are in
sects by millions. There are all sorts
of mosquitoes, moths, spiders and
flies, and there are other insects, which
carry feyers and the tsetse fly, which
causes the sleepino sickness. Among
the queer birds is the whale-headed
stork. one of which may be seen here
in the palace grOuncs at khartum.
The wild geese are black, white and
brown.
1t is impossible to conceive how
closely the vegetation of the Sudd is
matted together. The roots of some
of the plants go down into the bed Of
the swamps, others float on the water
and the whole is one great united
MASS ooIileI1iIlSS d ri SClo iocS0
and becomes a floating island until it
reaches a shallow place, where the
roots will grow fast again. Such ISL
ands often block UP the channels of
the river, and some of the main trib-
utaries have GO much vegetation that
it is impossible for a boat to make its
way through them.
Opening Up the Tributaries.
Nevertheless, one of the projects
contemplates the opening up of these
tributaries of the Nile. 1t is believed
that the Bahr ell Zaraf could be 50
banked uD that it would carry the
volume of the Nile and keep it out of
the swamps and thus ave the enor-
NOUS amount of water wasted by
evaporation. The river would have to
be banked up etwee Bor and Lake
No. and in that case it would prob
ably carry the Niles summer water
supply. The Eahr ell Jabe Will also
be opened up for navigation, and by
some means or other a great part of
the river water will. be held in its
course. These schemes would mean
an expenditure of millions of dollars.
T think the estimate is about eighteen
millions.
Shortening the Nile.
Another project which seems to be
more feasible, is the digging of a canal
on the Nile, beginning at Bor and run