IRRIGATION AND FERTILIZERS. 11 



disjippeur and jrivo way to pciciinial iniyal ion, wlu'rob}' two crops at 

 least will bo anunally raised. 



Although basin irripition is charactevistie of Upper Kgypt, 3'et there 

 is a belt of high land between the river and the basins protected from 

 flooding by the dike rnnning along the river bank. This bolt could 

 be inundated onl)^ in years of exceptionally high flood. The Nile 

 Valley slopes away fi-oiu the river, not toward it, tlu^ river bed thus 

 extending, as it were, along a ridge and not along a depression. The 

 breadth of this high land varies greatly. In some places the basin 

 reaches i)ractically np to the i-iver bank, while in others the high 

 inclosed land possesses a width of a few miles, its area having been 

 increased by the construction of banks, which shut off the flood waters 

 from its farther side. This land, not being flooded, can be cultivated 

 either during summer or during flood, or both; in fact, in intensitj^of 

 culture it is comparabh^ to that of the Delta i)roper. The greatest 

 width of this inclosed and artificially irrigated land is found in the 

 provinces of Beni-Suef and Minieh, which are, with the exception of 

 Gizeh, nearest the apex of the Delta. It is on this land in these two 

 provinces and in the province of Fayum (which is an oasis) that the 

 bulk of the cotton known as "Ashmouni" is cultivated. These high 

 lands have, therefore, to be artificially irrigated, and cultivation can 

 be carried on the whole year round. 



One great difference, as already i)ointcd out, between tlie cultiva- 

 tion of these lands and the basin lands is the necessity for manure, 

 large quantities of which are employed. JJarnyard manure is obtain- 

 able only in limited quantities, and recourse must be had to the 

 ancient mounds to which reference has already been made. In the 

 southern provinces, where millet is characteristic of this inclosed ai-ea 

 during the flood season, millions of tons of a nitrate-bearing clay are 

 found. To the agriculture of this tract and to that of Nubia this is 

 of vital imijortance; in fact, it is difficult to see how the land could 

 support its present population were it not for the existence of this 

 clay. The basin lands, as mentioned, are of poor quality and are 

 often irrigated, while the inclosed area is large; consequently large 

 quantities of .manure are required. As soon as the winter crops are 

 removed, the whole population is occui^ied in the transport of this 

 nitrate-bearing clay. When the material is near it is transported by 

 the owner's own camels and donkeys, but when far awaj^ it is brought 

 to the river banks and sold to cultivators who come in boats for it. 

 It is a common sight in summer to see the river bank lined with heaps 

 of this fertilizer, while hundreds of camels and donkeys may be seen 

 wending their way to and from the river. 



As already mentioned, the fertilizer is a mixture of clay and nitrate 

 of soda, the percentage of the latter reaching in exceptional cases 

 to as much as 20 per cent and in others dwindling to as little as 2 

 or 3 per cent. The richest material is found on the surface, and, 



