86 Irrigation and Drainage 



is estimated that the water- covered area will be increased to 19 

 square miles, with a depth of 27 feet. The land under irrigation 

 is owned by the government, and is leased at a minimum rate of 

 10 shillings per acre. 



In the island of Madagascar, on the east, and that of Madeira, 

 on the west of Africa, irrigation is also practiced ; in the former 

 for rice culture only, and by the system of flooding ; but in Ma- 

 deira the system is both elaborate and extensive, covering over 

 one -half of the whole island, or 120 square miles. There are no 

 catchment basins or reservoirs other than those which nature has 

 provided, and the water used is that which the soil collects dur- 

 ing the rainy season and gives up in the form of springs. The 

 water carriers have been constructed with care and skill, and 

 some of them have a length of 60 or 70 miles. The thrifty 

 farmers have on their lands reservoirs into which they collect 

 their share of water when it is delivered to them, and from this 

 distribute it to their several crops as they desire ; but the poorer 

 class, who cannot afford the reservoir, are obliged to use the water 

 directly as it comes to them, and as the intervals are long be- 

 tween the delivery of water they are not able to make the best use 

 of that which they get, and their crops suffer in consequence. 



In the Pacific Ocean, too, there are islands in which irrigation 

 is practiced with great skill outside of those of Japan, to which 

 reference has already been made. Among these may be men- 

 tioned those of Hawaii, and the development of the sugar industry 

 there has in recent years led to a corresponding development of 

 the facilities for irrigation, as would be expected when it is stated 

 that adequate irrigation there has increased the yield of sugar 

 from 2 tons to 4 tons per acre. It is stated that there are about 

 90,000 acres under cane, one -half of which is irrigated ; some 

 7,000 acres of rice, and 5,000 acres of bananas, the rice being all 

 under water. The water supply comes from mountain streams, 

 with their reservoirs, and from springs and artesian wells. 



The artesian wells about Pearl Harbor are among the largest, 

 yielding an enormous quantity of water, sufficient to irrigate 

 20,000 acres of rice and a large area of bananas and other products 

 besides. There have been 100 of these wells sunk about the mar- 



