40 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



factor lying between 2 and 3. The Irrigation Department 

 is co-operating in the work of bringing the new methods to 

 the notice of the people and in teaching them the proper use 

 <of the lever-harrow and spring-tooth cultivator. 



In addition to the discovery of the best means of utilizing 

 ithe preliminary irrigation, other aspects of water saving 

 have been investigated at Quetta. The results were pub- 

 lished in a bulletin entitled The irrigation of alluvial soils 

 which was afterwards reprinted in the Agricultural 

 Journal of India. In this paper, the present methods of 

 irrigation in Baluchistan and the plains of India were con- 

 sidered as well as the conditions underlying any successful 

 modification of existing practices. What is wanted is a 

 system which fulfills the following conditions : — 



(1) The amount of water used must be as small as 



possible and the losses in the channels must be 

 reduced to the lowest point. 



(2) The method of distribution must be simple and 



inexpensive and must be designed to admit oi 

 the use of labour-saving devices such as harrows 

 and reapers. 



(3) The system must admit of surface-drainage for 



each field during the rains, and it must be such 

 as to prevent the production of alkali salts. 



(4) The method must be such as to assist the process of 



green-manuring in those areas where this is 

 possible. 



A method of irrigation based on these principles has 

 been worked out at Quetta which appears to be a consider- 

 able improvement on present practices. The chief points 

 in the method are the better grading of the land to be irri- 

 gated, the use of long compartments watered from one end, 

 the provision of surface drainage where necessary, the 

 improvement of the field channels and the control of the 

 water by means of the canvas dam. This paper has received 

 a good deal of favourable notice in the press and applica- 

 tions for a considerable number of copies have been received. 



