EGYPT 11 



the agriculture of these countries to be adjusted to this 

 condition. It is probable that the alkali problem is being 

 given more consideration in Egypt than elsewhere. 



Egypt.- The greater part of Egypt is a barren desert, 

 being one of the most desolate parts of the earth. The an- 

 nual precipitation at Alexandria averages 8.26 inches; 

 at Port Said, 3.49 inches; and at Cairo it is only 1.06 

 inches, which is not enough to support vegetation of any 

 kind. The country is traversed from south to north by the 

 Nile River along which is a narrow, highly cultivated, and 

 thickly populated strip of river-formed land. In the 

 southern part of the country the river flows through sand- 

 stone and occupies a shallow valley, but farther north a 

 deep gorge is cut down from the surrounding limestone 

 plateau. On both sides of the river are alluvial plains 

 composed of fine silt which for the most part has been 

 carried by the Nile from the disintegrated volcanic material 

 of the Abyssinian highlands. Thus the soil of the lower 

 Nile Valley bears no relation to the country rock of the 

 immediate vicinity. 



In the delta portion of the valley, the land is very flat 

 and there is but little opportunity for drainage. Much 

 land that was cultivated anciently has since been abandoned 

 on account of the accumulation of alkali. The area thus 

 abandoned has been estimated to be more than one and 

 a half million acres. Most of this land is on the fringe 

 that borders the sea and is influenced by sea water. The 

 higher lands are practically free from alkali. 



Formerly all the land was watered by the basin system 

 of irrigation. With this method, the land is flooded to a 

 depth of from three to five feet at the season when the Nile 

 is high. After standing at this depth for about six weeks 

 and allowing the sediment to settle, the water is drained 



