96 BREEDE RIVER IRRIGATION WORKS. 



from the higher lands come to the sm-face. In the majority of cases 

 artificial drains have been formed to carry off the surplus water 

 where the ground has become water-logged. The most successful 

 drainage of brack land is upon the farm Wonderfontein, where tile 

 drains have been laid about six feet below the surface, intercepting 

 the subsoil water which is carried off to be used again for irrigation 

 purposes upon lands at a lower level. In one season this ground 

 upon which nothing would grow, recovered, and now the land will 

 produce any of the crops grown in the district. There is another 

 farm where the owner sold the property because of the brack 

 appearing. The purchaser has extensively drained the lands by 

 deep drainage cuts, and there is every indication that in one or two 

 seasons the ground will recover its normal condition. It has been 

 stated that " Time is the most efficient agent in the reclamation 

 of salted land." This important question of drainage in conjunction 

 with irrigation is now much better understood amongst the farming 

 community. The old ideas that the surplus water will find an 

 outlet for itself without any artificial aid is being rapidly dispelled. 

 The dissemination of knowledge upon the precolation of water, 

 the dangers of over-irrigation, and upon brack soils in general, is 

 having far-reaching results in the recovery and cultivation of salted 

 areas. 



Dr. Juritz. in his valuable paper, read before the Irrigation 

 Congress in 'SIs.y last ; entitled " Brack Soils : Their Cause, Culti- 

 vation and Cure " aptly said : — 



" We may in general describe brack deposits as the dust-bins outside the 

 kitchen door." 



Storage of Water for Dry Period. 



The supplv of water in this canal is assured during nine months 

 each year. Many ideas have been discussed by the shareholders 

 for providing storage of water to tide over the dry months from 

 January to March, but so far nothing tangible has been suggested. 

 Meanwhile some of the farmers who have suitable sites upon their 

 properties are forming storage dams to assist them to irrigate the 

 crops when the canal is dry. It is a moot point amongst the 

 shareholders if additional water during the dry period will result 

 in a larger output of fodder from the irrigable lands. Some farmers 

 are inclined to think that a period of rest for the lands when no water 

 is available is a distinct advantage. They say that during this rest 

 the lands have an opportunity to dry out — to remove the excess of 

 water — and to lower the plane of saturation. Should water be 

 provided for perennial irrigation a more extensive system of suitable 

 drainage must follow : the irrigation canal and drainage cuts must 

 form one arrangement for regulating moisture. Suitable sites 

 exist for impounding water in the Breede Valley above the intake 

 of the canal, but the time has not yet arrived for the Irrigation 

 Board to seriously consider an extension of the scope of their scheme. 



Maintenance of Canal. 



The Irrigation Board have in their employ a Bailiff whose duty it 

 is to patrol the canal frequently and report any irregularity at the 

 Monthly meeting. During the dry period steps are taken to have the 



