The Poor and the Land 



to dig the Upington furrow. In 1897 he crossed 

 over to Kakamas, where he has resided ever 

 since. To fully understand the material pro- 

 gress of the colony, you must consult Mr Lutz. 



It was as we walked many a mile over the 

 lucerne lands, across the islands, and along the 

 furrows that I put these questions to him : 



" How do you take the water out of the 

 Orange River ? " 



" By means of two irrigation canals, which 

 we call the north and south furrows. The 

 north furrow is 24 miles long, and the south 

 furrow is 17 miles long, varying in width from 

 7 feet to 10 feet and carrying 2 feet of water. 

 The north furrow took nine years to build. 

 Where our canals have to traverse hollow places 

 and ravines we employ what is termed " dry 

 packing " — that is to say, the outside wall is 

 packed with stone, while the inside wall is 

 filled with gravel. Now turn on the water, and 

 you will find that the small holes in the gravel 

 soon become filled up with silt. This makes 

 the furrow quite watertight. If, however, we 

 were to build it entirely of river silt, crabs and 

 mice would soon make holes in the sides, and 

 the water stream away." 



" Please explain the working of your siphons." 



87 



