'LHE IRRIGA I TON A OE. 47 



Inundation canal irrigation is thus expected to be supplemented 

 by irrigation from wells; and it is more suitable for the bottom lands 

 of river valleys than perennial canal irrigation would be; for the con- 

 tinuous sinking into the soil of water, in the latter system, tends in 

 the course of a few years to raise the level of the subsoil water to the 

 ground surface; whereas in the former system the total cessation for 

 half the year of irrigation, with its pouring on to the land of water 

 from outside, gives time for the subsoil water to flow away, and for 

 its level to fall to its normal depth below the ground. The working 

 also of numerous wells at the same time, helps the process so that no 

 permanent injury is done in the way of saturating the soil, which is 

 kept wholesome and fit for use. 



As a matter of fact, too profuse perennial irrigation has been al- 

 lowed in some places in the past years, with the result of saturating 

 the soil too much, so that drainage channels in addition have had to 

 be constructed to relieve the land and prevent further injury. But 

 the matter now receives full and proper attention in time. Careful 

 measurements are made, twice a year, in all canal irrigated tracts, of 

 the depth below ground surface, of the spring level or subsoil water; 

 and wherever it is found that this water is rising too rapidly and ap- 

 proaching the ground surface, means are carried out to check further 

 saturation of the soil. These means, ordinarily, will be to stop all ir- 

 rigation during the cold weather; and so to compel the people to de- 

 pend on the rain, or on wells, for their crops then; thus carrying out 

 the practice necessitated on inundation canals. Hitherto this exces- 

 sive rise of the subsoil has only occurred in those tracts near the 

 Himalaya Mountains, where there is a fair rain fall and where much 

 irrigation from wells used to be effected, before canal water was made 

 available. So the remedial means enforced, only make the land revert 

 to its former agricultural condition, a condition under which gocd 

 crops can be satisfactorily grown, 



Another means, tried in some places, was to raise the water rates 

 assessed on the richer crops taking much water, to such an extent as 

 to induce the irrigators to give up canal water, and revert to well ir- 

 rigation as more profitable to them, or to depend on the rain where 

 the rainfall was sufficient for the ordinary grain and fodder crops in 

 average years. This plan, in itself, would answer admirable, but it 

 had the disadvantage of requiring great alterations in the assessment 

 of land revenue, and in the relations between landlords and tenants, 

 so it was not always suitable. 



The above description of the conditions under which irrigation in 

 North India is effected, and has now reached such a degree of success, 

 politically asd financially, will enable American readers who know 

 the condition in the western states of America to compare the condi- 



