50 NOTES ON EGYPTIAN AGRICULTUEE. 



well as beans, berseem, etc., are all off the land by June, ami it is on 

 these lands that the corn crop is sown. The latter, however, can not 

 of course be planted without water, and every cultivator awaits the 

 removal of the decree which has prohibited the flooding of such lands. 



As soon after the first week in July as water can be obtained, the 

 irrigation of the land for corn sowing begins. If the Nili is a favor- 

 able and early one, this may be i)ermitted as earlj^ as Julj'^ 10, while 

 if the reverse be true it is only toward the end of the month tliat this 

 is jjossible. The earlier the corn crop is sown the better, and there is 

 consequently a great rush for water, as not only has the corn area to 

 be watered, but cotton, rice, and sugar cane also require water, while 

 the land to be left fallow is also flooded. The water for flood irriga- 

 tion is obtained from separate flood canals, in addition to the ordinary 

 perennial canals, and during this period is "flush." The flood canals 

 run from the month of August to November. 



It will be seen that for flood irrigation, the earlier the Nile rises the 

 better it is for the farmer. The earlier the corn is sown the better, 

 and an early removal of this crop enables the berseem, which often 

 follows it, to be sown in good time. 



As already mentioned, it may be assumed that about 50 per cent of 

 the area of Lower Egypt is under summer croi^s (chiefly cotton), while 

 the flood crops occupy about 30 per cent. The area of land in Lower 

 Egypt under corn during the year 1902 was 1,128,254 acres, while in 

 Upper Egypt also a certain area is grown. 



It is seen, therefore, that during flood the whole of the country 

 requires water and the demand is unlimited; thus, the more the canals 

 can carry the better. The watering given in preparation for the corn 

 crop is a very heavy one, and if water is flush at this pei'iod may 

 amount to as much as 600 tons per acre, but less if x)umped. This, 

 the first watering of the land to be put under flood irrigation, is thus 

 a very heavy one, but as soon as the land is put under crop the sub- 

 sequent waterings are about the same as the ordinary summer water- 

 ings, viz, about 350 tons. 



The land after being watered is allowed to remain some days until 

 it is sufficiently dr}- to admit the plow. As the latter is drawn through 

 the soil by the usual pair of bullocks, its effect, as already explained, 

 being somewhat similar to the scooter or a one-tined scarifier, it is 

 followed by a boy who deposits seed behind it, which will be covered 

 by the plow on its return journey. The land is subsequently harrowed 

 by drawing a plank of wood over it. No attempt is made to deposit 

 the seed in an}" regular manner in rows, such as is practiced in the 

 United States, and, as would be imagined, the jilants are very thickly 

 crowded together. The number of plants found in an acre of corn 

 varies from 13,000 to as many as 20,000, or even more. This, it will 

 be seen, is strikingly different from American practice. The quantity 

 of seed sown per acre is about 1 ^^ bushels. The cultivation is simple, 

 the crop l»eing merely hoed three times during growth and watered 



