IRRIGATION IN ITALY. 



THE LATE KING HUMBERT A CHAMPION OF IN- 

 TERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. 



By GUY E. .MITCHELL. 



Through the assassination of King Humbert of Italy, the poor 

 people of that historic land, lost a conscientious friend. Although 

 Rome, and later Italy, have supported many tyrants who have tram- 

 pled upon the necks of the people as upon worms, others of its rulers, 

 King Humbert among the number, have had the good of the peasants 

 thoroughly at heart and have endeavored to improve and ameliorate 

 their condition. Especially notable as a means to this end have been 

 the irrigation works of Italy, largely undertaken and fostered by her 

 successive monarchs and ministries. 



The early Romans were careful irri gators and Italy is known in 

 history as the classic land of irrigation, although it is not believed 

 that any large irrigation systems or great canals were constructed 

 until in comparative recent times. As in the far East, springs, wells 

 and small streams, easily diverted from their channels, were the 

 sources of supply; but in the last few centuries Italy has developed 

 some magnificent systems. In the districts of Piedmont and Lom- 

 bardy hundreds of thousands of poor people have found relief and 

 comfort through the revivifying influence of water, great tracts of 

 marsh and waste land having been reclaimed to irrigation. Nothing 

 could be more striking than the contrast between some of the irri- 

 gated and the unirrigated districts. Many of the latter are among 

 the most densely populated regions of Europe. Their soils have re 

 ceived just the element needed to call forth their inherent powers and 

 instsad of arid wastes and extensive marshes, corn fields, rice grounds, 

 flax fialds and green meadows producing wonderful crops, cover the 

 face of the country with prosperous farms and cottages surrounded by 

 the vine and the fig, and inhabited by happy families. It is only nec- 

 essary to compare the present conditions of the provinces where irri- 

 gation exists with their destitute past to see the good which a wise 

 government policy has wrought for the people. Nearly six hundred 

 years have been required to perfect the splendid canal system of 

 Piedmont, and to change its once arid wastes and dreary marshes into 

 sheets of cultivation. The moral presents itself that to irrigators in 

 the United States, who are but beginning this work, they have cheer- 

 ful hearts in sight of w T hat has already been accomplished in this 

 country by private capital in a fiftieth part of that time. 



