U4 EGYPTIAN AGRIGULTUMR 



drainage but the washing of fairly impervious salt land 

 by filtering fresh water through it. On cultivated land, 

 free from salt, drains 200-300 metres apart would be 

 found to be all that is needed to keep down the water 

 table. Over very large areas in Egypt drains are unknown 

 and yet the most fertile land in the world can be found in 

 these tracts. 



The English system of field draining by means of 

 underground earthenware pipes is so absolutely opposed 

 to what is deemed necessary in Egypt that a description 

 is desirable. In England drains are dug about one metre 

 deep, at distances varying from six to fifteen metres apart, 

 and along the bottom of these cylindrical pipes are laid, 

 usually of 5 centinistres bore, and the trench is then filled 

 in. These small pipe drains are led into a larger main 

 pipe drain running along the lowest part of the land till 

 it finds a convenient outlet. The cost of draining in this 

 way varies from Lst. 5 to Lst. 10 per feddan. Without 

 this elaborate and costly drainage much land in England 

 could not produce good crops, and would only grow the 

 coarsest and most worthless grasses. 



Pipe draining has not been adopted in Egypt, and till 

 it receives a proper trial it is an open question if the 

 advantages would be found to repay the cosL 



The State Domains Administration made some ex- 

 tremely interesting and valuable experiments at Bech- 

 biche, Garbieh, which are described in Vol. V. No. 3 of 

 the Journal of the Khedivial Agricultural Society and the 

 School of Agriculture. Washing salt land was tried on 

 three ec^ual plots of 27 fecldans, first by colmatage, second 



