THE HISTORY OF IRRIGATION 451 



century, under the domination of Spain, the proper details 

 of irrigation practice were vigorously promoted and some 

 canals were built. During the eighteenth century, few 

 large additions were made to the irrigation system of 

 Italy, but the existing canals were used diligently. 



After the discovery of America, the zealous Catholic 

 missionaries established missions hi various parts of the 

 two American continents. These priests were chiefly from 

 southern Europe and well acquainted with irrigation. 

 Whenever a mission was established in an arid section, a 

 small irrigation system was also built for the support of 

 the mission. The remains of these mission irrigation 

 systems are found in various parts of America, notably 

 in California. In a few cases, also, the Catholic fathers 

 taught the natives irrigation, or rather insisted upon the 

 use of the ancient knowledge. The Catholic missionaries 

 did not succeed in establishing American irrigation on a 

 community scale, beyond that already existing among the 

 aborigines. 



During the first 1,800 years of the Christian era, the 

 irrigated countries of antiquity continued their irrigation 

 practices; the countries of Europe, particularly France, 

 Spain and Italy, adopted and extended the practice greatly, 

 and the new lands brought under the domination of civi- 

 lized man made little or no irrigation progress. 



261. Irrigation in recent times. The new light of 

 advancing science finally showed the great nations of 

 the nineteenth century that irrigation is a great world 

 problem. Even hi the countries of southern Europe, in 

 which irrigation had developed under the influence of a 

 growing civilization, new structures were planned and 

 completed, methods of practice perfected and more intelli- 

 gent laws enacted. In France, since about 1839, many 



