Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-20

IN tQelf agriculture. lake IOT eXdmpie
the old Egyptians of ancient times who.
even in their most primitive condition,
reclaimed their arid regions and made
them fertile by conserving the waters
of the Nile. In like n we of to-
day reclaim our arid lands by conserv-
ing the waters of the rivers which rush
onward to the sea.
The land of Egypt may be divided
into two classes, the humid and the
arid, The humid region follows the
course of the Nile river and extends
outward on either side of its banks.
The arid territory, which comprises
the greater part of the country, is all
the remaining land. 1t is in desert
condition and will produce nothing un-
less it is watered.
Government Controlled irrigation
The old Egyptians had a system of
pulleys with which they drew from
reservoirs the waters which had been
stored for purposes of irrigation. The
water was transported in buckets
which were raised and then tipped in
order to let the water run out. This
system was very crude and unsatlsfac-
tory because it required the services OF
so many slaves, but in it were the
rudiments of our irrigation construc-
ton or TO-DAY.
By the time of the twelfth dynasty,
during the reign of Amenemhet Ill.
Egypt possessed an elaborate and sue
~cessful irrigation system. 1t consist
ed of miles and miles of canals, and.
here and there, large reservoirs. one
of the largest of these was the Fay
mum Basin. ,Amenehet III built up
the walls of the basin, extending them
q miles, and conceived the plan OF
controlling the inflow and the outflow
bv regulators. Because of this n
dam alone, $1,000 acres of land were
reclaimed. Irrigation increased the
production of grain SO much. and was
so important, that the administration
of it and the water supply was placed
under the control of the vizier. who
was really the head of the ancient
Egyptian state.
As a continuation of the methods
used by the ancients for reclaming
land. we have our present day irriga-
ton systems in the United States. AT
the beginning of Roosevelt's admins
tration in 1902, the president appoint
ed a committee of western senator's
and congressman to prepare a recla-
nation bill. The bill, which was very
popular, was introduced into the house;
passed by both it and the senate, and
on June II, became a law.
The reclamation act provided that
the arid land should be sold by the gov
eminent to settlers. and that the
money thus received should be used to
construct other irrigation works. Then
after the first year, the land owners
should pay a small maintenance fee
per acre toward the cost OF construc-
ton and the upkeep. Although recia-
nation was at first popular. when the
time came to pay the maintenance fee
eminent. the farmers complained.
This, however, was of no avail, and
they were forced to pay the fee.
Growth Of Reclamation Service
Within four years after the pass
ing of the reclamation bill. % prof
ects, situated in IA states, had been
approved by the secretary of the in
terror and work was started on most
Of them. In addition to them there are
many successful Carey act and pri-
waite projects in the United States.
In 1915 one and one-fourth million
acres producing more than S1S,OOO.O 900
worth of crops, were added to those al
ready reclaimed. Each individual prof
ect contains from 5000 to 100000
acres. making a total of nearly 1000
600 acres in the United States ir-
rigable by 1915. The work was at
first carried on by the United States
States geological survey. Liter the
United States reclamation service was
organized under F. II. Newell with
Arthur p. Davis as his assistant.
Invaluable benefit has been derived
from the reclamation act and the many
dams and miles of irrigation canals
in the United States stand as a living
monument to the memory of former
President Theodore Roosevelt. The
value of irrigation cannot be meas
nred. All over the world, throughout
history, irrigation has augmented the
supply of food. Through it, stretches