former times, apart from a very limited area of country in the immediate 

 neighborhood of the river, the growth of winter-sown crops was all that was 

 possible in Egypt. The flood- waters of the Nile were periodically intercepted 

 in huge protected basins, where they deposited a rich silt, besides saturating 

 the land with moisture. After a stay of 50 days to 60 days the flood-waters 

 were withdrawn, and in the mud were sown the winter crops of corn, beans, &c. 

 No summer crops were possible, as a falling Nile made summer irrigation im- 

 possible. This is the practice that is still known in Egypt as basin irrigation, 

 and which is still in force over the greater portion of Upper Egypt. Towards 

 the beginning of the nineteenth century the first steps towards what is known 

 here as " perennial " irrigation were taken. The two main branches of the Nile 

 were dammed back some 12 miles north of Cairo, and suitable canals were 

 made to supply a continuous flow of irrigation water from one end of the year 

 to the other. At the present time " perennial " or " continuous " irrigation 

 is practised throughout the Delta, whilst the Assouan Dam will soon render 

 it possible over the bulk of Upper Egypt. 



The average temperature in Egypt is high, and the growth of plants therefore 

 exceedingly rapid when within reach of an adequate supply of moisture. It 

 follows, therefore, that wherever " perennial " irrigation is possible the 

 Egyptian soil is made to yield two crops in one year; and as the value 

 of the summer crop is usually considerably in excess of that of the winter 

 crop, it is calculated that the possibility of " perennial " irrigation more 

 than doubles the productiveness of the land. 



In a country in which regular agricultural statistics are not kept it is 

 exceedingly difficult to form an adequate idea of general values and returns. 

 The rental values of agricultural land will give a very fair idea of the value of 

 the land. For good cotton land I find that as much as 12 and 14 an acre is 

 paid annually in rent, whilst relatively poor land pays as much as 3 and 4 

 an acre rental. In the neighborhood of cities where vegetables are raised 

 as much as 20 an acre are paid in rent. Where cotton cannot be grown 

 rents are lower. No statistics existing on the subject, I found it difficult to 

 secure an approximation as to the average rental throughout Egypt ; authori- 

 ties appear to differ in the subject between 3 and 6 an acre. If we take 4 

 as a fair average, this represents an average value of 100 an acre for agricul- 

 tural land a figure which cannot, I think, be approached anywhere else in 

 the world. 



The principal direct tax in Egypt is the land tax, which varies according to 

 districts and quality of soil, but which averages out at about 1 an acre 

 throughout Egypt. It is right to state that no charge is made for the supply 

 of irrigation waters, towards the cost of which the land tax contributes. 



As Australians, it is as well that we should recollect that without irrigation 

 all this land is absolutely worthless, and that the possibility of using water 



