l8 VREDENBURG : RECENT ARTESIAN EXPERIMENTS IN INDIA. 



Major Powell pronounces himself most unhesitatingly on the sub- 

 ject of the limited capabilities of artesian supplies, even with respect 

 to such exceptional artesian reservoirs as those underlying the 

 Great Plains, particularly the " Dakota sandstone," a rock of creta- 

 ceous age, whose permeability, regularity of stratigraphical struc- 

 ture, favourably situated outcrop, and immense extension make it 

 probably difficult to match elsewhere. If such an exceptionally 

 situated reservoir can only warrant very limited expectations, it 

 would be unwise to build any hopes upon the Indian artesian reser- 

 voirs which can only be comparatively unimportant, and whose very 

 existence is in many cases a matter of serious doubt. Evidently 

 it is not to them that we must look for the serious problem of 

 making up for the deficiency of water in years of minimum rainfall 

 in the regions at present considered. This problem is all the more 

 important because, if the calamity which overtakes those regions in 

 years of drought could be avoided or at least considerably mitigated, 

 their fertility in ordinary years is so great that they would be 

 amongst the richest, if not actually the richest, provinces in India. 

 With adequate means of providing irrigation during unfavourable 

 seasons, even if only just enough to save the farmers and their 

 stock from actual disaster, these regions where the rainfall is only 

 just sufficient would be amongst the best situated from an agricul- 

 tural point of view. To quote Major Powell's words, in the work 

 just referred to : " Whenever in any district of country, there is 

 just sufficient rainfall and no more, that is the best condition for 

 that agriculture which is dependent upon rainfall. Any increase 

 above that is injurious What then becomes necessary is to sup- 

 ply additional water in seasons of drought, so there may not be a 

 time when disaster comes to the farmer. To furnish the water 

 necessary for these disastrous years, we have to furnish a smaller 

 amount than in other [i.e., drier] regions of country. 



Something can be obtained from artesian wells, but not 



a very great amount They have been bored at different places 



( 18 ) 



