82 1HE IRRIGATION AGE, 



sity; since the subsoil water is too far down to allow of its being 

 raised cheaply enough for irrigation use. Each class of canal then 

 has its place, and both can co-exist side by side; for in the case of 

 Inundation canals the extra cost of working wells during the cold 

 weather is set off by the smaller water rates to be paid for canal water 

 during the hot weather: for an Inundation canal, having no expensive 

 headworks, is cheaply constructed, and does not need in order to 

 make it a financial success, to charge as high water rates as a peren- 

 nial canal does. 



It is amusing to note how the same names even have been applied 

 to the same class of works in America and India. In India, where 

 engineers have been brought to look upon a fine perennial canal as 

 alone worthy of the name of "canal" thoroughly made untidy looking 

 Inundation canals are spoken of scornfully as "ditches;" and in Amer- 

 ica all the early, small, roughly made canals have very naturally been 

 termed ditches rather than canals, their constructors and owners not 

 considering the latter more ambitious title at all applicable to their 

 humble creations. 



It is admitted that irrigation in America is realty only in its com- 

 mencement just as now in India, after having designed many large 

 perennial canals from most of the great rivers, engineers are turning 

 their attention to improving the humbler Inundations canals, by com- 

 bining their numerous separate heads into fewer, or even into one, 

 in order that an efficient weir may be constructed for it: so in Amer-. 

 ica, as matters call for improvement, the present wasteful systems 

 will be reformed with a view to greater economy in the use of water, 

 and the consequent increase in the area of land that can be irrigated 

 and inhabited. The winter season in America does not call for very 

 much irrigation, and tends to make canals work more as intermittent 

 ones; so that there is every year plenty of time and full opportunity 

 to execute repairs and make alterations or improvements. There is 

 thus not the necessity for solid and permanent construction of works, 

 like those on the large Indian crnals; but, no doubt, the ever recurring 

 large maintenance charges of a roughly and unskillfully constructed 

 canal will be found more wasteful of revenue, than interest charges 

 on a larger capital spent on efficient and permanent first construction. 

 In the future, therefore, with engineers better trained, and more 

 experienced, new canals will be constructed more carefully with a 

 view to wear well, and the old ones will be gradually improved by 

 having their cheap rough temporary works replaced by more perm- 

 anent ones. The hurry to get things started, so characteristic of 

 pioneer work in America will in time give place to the wish to have 

 things done more with the idea of permanent efficiency. 



To be continued. 



