LAND RECLA MA TJ()\. 197 



water is needed and the amount of water which filters 

 through the soil depends on the depth of water over the 

 land. From a small plot 150 m. x 50 m. surrounded by 

 small drains, water of a depth of 10 centimetres may all 

 sink into the soil in 24 hours, but later the rate of drain- 

 age would be slower as the water filtered slowly through 

 the soil. Such a plot would generally take 3 or 4: days for 

 the water to disappear in winter with no evaporation to 

 help. In dense soils the water will sometimes stand ten 

 or even fifteen days. Whenever water stands on the 

 surface more than five days, additional drains should at 

 once be made. Salt land under reclamation should filter 

 through it at least 50 cubic metres of water per 24 hours. 



Irrigation for reclaimed land differs only from that of 

 cultivated land in the -quantity of water required. In the 

 chapter on " Irrigation and Drainage" sections of canals 

 are given. As reclamation is carried out during high 

 Nile and in the winter months when supply is abundant, 

 these new canals can be kept full and will carry more water 

 than is credited to them. After the first and second years 

 use they become silted and clearances are thrown on the 

 banks and inside berms till they are reduced to a size just 

 sufficient for ordinary irrigation and this size is there- 

 after maintained. With minor water channels the fellah 

 knows how to deal, not unnecessarily cleaning those 

 which are too large nor neglecting those which tend to 

 become too small. 



It is assumed that an area of 5,000 feddans of salt land 

 is to be reclaimed, that the block is 5 kilometres x 4 kilo- 

 metres, and that irrigation and drainage have been provided 

 for. The minor canalisation is now done as follows. A 



