CHAPTER XIII 

 IRRIGATION FARMING IN WESTERN CANADA 



BY W. H. FAIRFIELD, 



Superintendent, Experimental Farm, Lcthbridge, 

 Alberta. 



The application of water to the land by artificial 

 means for the production of crops is a very ancient 

 practice. Authentic records indicate that irrigation 

 was used in Egypt over five thousand years ago, and in 

 China and India at least as early. Even in North and 

 South America remains of ancient irrigation ditches of 

 great length have been found. "The development of 

 irrigation from the time when man first watered his 

 crop with a bucket, then a doon, next a paddle wheel 

 and finally the gravity system giving water to enormous 

 areas, is one of the wonders and proofs of the advance 

 of civilization." 



It is estimated that at present nearly two hundred 

 million acres of land are irrigated, by far the larger 

 part of which is in India, China and Japan, although 

 large projects are found in United States, Egypt, Aus- 

 tralia and Canada. 



183. History of Irrigation in Western Canada. In the 

 early nineties, some years after completion of the main 

 line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, preliminary sur- 



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