WATERING COTTON. 25 



boiiif? liigher up the canal, has first pull on the water. When water 

 becomes scarce, however, at the end of June, there is no surplus, and 

 no section will get more than its seven days' supply. Tu had years 

 there may not be sufficient water to i)ermit the whole of the cotton in 

 any section, even during the seven days of its supply, to be watered, 

 but any unirrigated areas are, if possible, watered during the follow- 

 ing section's week. 



Under such an arrangement as that described tlie cotton obtains 

 a watering every twenty-one days. During the season of 1903 the 

 rotation was reduced to one of eighteen days, the completion of the 

 Assuan Dam permitting the quantity of water during low Nile to be 

 supplemented by the opening of the dam and the addition thus of a 

 certain quantity of water to tlie natural supply. From the middle of 

 June to the middle of July the difficulties in the distribution of water 

 are very great, and as the cotton is then in flower and the temperature 

 high the plants are greatl}" in need of water. It is seen, therefore, 

 that though cotton may be benefited by a watering every fifteen days 

 during the summer months of June and July, this is not possible 

 owing to the rotations in force. Diiring July, August, and September 

 the cotton crop requires no labor, with the exception of that involved 

 in watering, and in the southern part of the Delta cotton picking 

 begins in the first half of September, and in Upper Egypt earlier. 



The actual number of waterings which the cotton crop should receive 

 from the time of planting to the first picking is about nine or ten. 

 There can be no doubt that a great tendency exists toward the too 

 free use of water, and though rotations are not in favor with cultiva- 

 tors, yet, provided they are not severe, it is verj^ questionable whether 

 it is not to their interest to have some kind of control in this way over 

 the water supply. Some crops do not show the ill effects of excessive 

 waterings to the extent that cotton does, but very heavy waterings 

 given to the latter cause considerable damage. It is not only that 

 there is a tendency to apply water too frequently, but too heavy appli- 

 cations are given, and it is extremely likely that a flooding does more 

 harm than lighter applications even at more frequent intervals. 

 When severe rotations were at first put in force great alarm was felt 

 for the safety of the crop, but results showed that cotton was enabled 

 to resist longer periods of drought than had been previously imagined. 

 Land which had been well prepared and kept thoroughly hoed suf- 

 fered least, and early sown cotton less than that planted later. 



It may be interesting to state the quantity of water required to 

 raise a cotton crop. Each watering is supposed to be equivalent to 

 about 350 tons of water per acre, and, as already mentioned, some nine 

 or ten applications of water are given up to the first picking, or a total 

 of from 3,150 to 3,500 tons of water. This is a^iproximately equiva- 

 lent to a rainfall of from 31 to 35 inches. The "dut}^" of water in the 

 Delta is annually calculated by the irrigation department, the period 

 chosen being from the date when the rotations are applied to the date 



