§8 



return compared with that at Arcachon which as stated 

 on page 17 amounts to as much as Rs. 60 per acre. 



The significance of these figures led Samaritani in 

 1884 to advocate the relinquishment of fish farming in 

 favour of reclamation of the whole lagoon. He was then 

 Engineer to the Communal Council of Comacchio with 

 intimate knowledge of local agricultural and physical 

 conditions. In a report to the Council in the year 

 named he discussed in detail the advantages of such a 

 policy. The gist of his conclusions was that if his pro- 

 posals were carried into effect, instead of a present annual 

 profit of about lire 150,000 made from fish farming, the 

 commune may expect to obtain an annual revenue of 

 from lire 2,370,000 to lire 4,345,000 if the lagoon were 

 reclaimed for the cultivation of rice, beetroot, hemp and 

 grapes, the crops which yield best in this region. His 

 figures were as follows : — 



LIRK. 



i. Annual income calculated from the returns 

 actually obtained from sections of the lagoon 

 already reclaimed ... ... ... ... 4,345,003 



2. The same calculated on the mean return from 



all kinds of reclaimed land in the province of 



Ferrara , ,,. ... ... 3>3 6 7>375 



3. Revenue based on the returns from lands occa- 



sionally flooded by the sea ... ... ... 2,370,000 



These returns are equivalent to an annual revenue of 

 lire no, 85^, and 60 respectively per hectare, as com- 

 pared with lire 4 per hectare yielded by the lagoon as a 

 fish-farming establishment. Samaritani concluded by 

 stating that while the first rate is that which he believed 

 to be reasonable from a study of existing facts, the 

 second should be acceptable by the dubious and the 

 third should convince even those who are incredulous of 

 the great benefit to be derived from reclamation. 



I ought to mention in this connection that the 

 conditions for profitable reclamation are exceptionally 

 favourable at Comacchio. The general level of the 

 bottom of the lagoon lies from i| to 2 feet above low 

 tide level and several series of embankments parallel 

 with the coast already exist. If the two seaward open- 

 ings be closed and the existing sea-canals converted 

 into main drainage channels, the expense of reclamation 

 would be comparatively small. 



