78 



HOLDINGS 



to irrigate 2,500,000 acres in the tracts where the 

 rainfall seldom exceeds 20 inches and is often so badly 

 distributed that no amount of skill can save the crops 

 from withering. The present area irrigated from 

 such canals amounts to no more than 200,000 acres, 

 and it may be a cause of surprise that the construction 

 of these irrigation works has not been pushed on 

 more rapidly than has been done. A reference to 



Table Showing Principal Existing Irrigation Works 

 in the Deccan and the Financial Besults of their 

 Working. 



page 51 will show that there was considerable ac- 

 tivity in constructing these canals between 1868 and 

 1885 and again of recent years; but an interval of 

 twenty-five years occurred during which little new 

 construction took place. The reason for this is sup- 

 plied by a consideration of the financial aspect of 

 these canals. The capital outlay involved in the 

 construction of these large irrigation works is heavy, 



