xviii 



INTRODUCTION. 



It must not be imagined, however, that the whole of the area irrigated by canals would be other- 

 wise unirrigated. Unfortunately the earlier made canals were aligned through the most fertile parts 

 of the Provinces, which in general were already abundantly supplied with well irrigation, and in these 

 tracts the effect of the canal in ordinary years has been in great measure merely to supplant one 

 kind of irrigation by another, without directly mcreasing the productiveness of the country, other-«fise 

 than by releasing labour which would otherwise be employed in raising water from wells. To arrive 

 even only approxunatcly at the proportion of the canal irrigated area which would have been irrigated 

 from other sources had the canal not been in existence is a task of extreme difficulty, especially in 

 case of the older canals. The only data which are available are (1), the revenue enhancements made 

 at the last settlement in canal irrigated districts ; and (2), the income from the rate now levied from 

 landholders on land which the canal has converted from unirrigated to irrigated since settlement. 

 But irrigation was only one of many considerations which determined the amount by which the 

 revenue of a District was enhanced, and to estimate its proportionate weight as compared with that 

 of improvement in communication, rise in prices, &c., would ho difficult if not impossible, especially 

 as the accuracy of the area returns professing to show the extent of irrigation before the construc- 

 tion of canals is open to very great suspicion. In the case of the Agra Canal, however, matters are 

 less complicated, since it was not opened until after conclusion of settlement, and hence all land 

 which is exclusively indebted to the canal for its irrigation is assessed to owner's rate. The collec- 

 tions of owner's rate during 1881-82 indicate that 30,900 acres out of the total area irrigated 

 (1,35,421 acres) would otherwise have been dry, so that the area on which the canal may be pre- 

 sumed to have merely supplanted existing means of irrigation forms as much as 72 per cent, on 

 the total. But the value of canals as a I'^i'otection against drought can be hardly over-estimated, since 

 in a complete failure of rain wells have been proved to be a very far inferior resource. 

 Cost of irrigation. 1^ remains to give briefly an indication of the comparative cost of irrigation by the different 



methods described above, and for this purpose it is presumed that the bullocks used on the well would 

 be kept in any case for ploughing, and the only charge made on account of them is the cost of the 

 extra food which irrigation work would necessitate their receiving. The wages of a labourer aire 

 taken as two annas a day, and the labour of the man who distriljutes the water in the field is not 

 taken into consideration. The field to be irrigated is presumed to be under wheat, and to receive 

 three waterings. 







Height 

 to which 

 water 



A re a 

 irrigated 

 in one day. 



Price 

 paid for 

 water. 



Wear and 

 tear of well 

 and imple- 

 ments and 

 interest on 



Cost of 



Laboue. 





Source of irrigation. 





Bullocks. 



3/eH. 



Total cost. 







lifted. 



capital 

 outlay if 

 any. 



Per 

 day. 



Total. 



Per 

 day. 



Total. 









feet. 



acre. 



ES. A. 



ES. A. 



R. A. 



E. A. 



E. A. 



E. A. 



ES. A. 



Kacha well worked by lever 



lift, 



10 



1th 





0-8 







0-4 



6-0 



6-8 



Kacha well worked by one 

 bullocks, 



pair 



30 



1th 





2-4 



0-3 



2-13 



0-4 



3-12 



8-13 



Pakka well worked by one 

 bullocks, 



pair 



30 



1th 





3-4 



0-3 



2-13 



0-4 



3-12 



9-13 



Tank by swing basket, 





4 



ith 











0-6 



4-8 



4-8 



Canal by swing basket, 





3 



1th 



1-8 









0-6 



3-6 



4-14 



Canal flush, 







3 



3-0 













3-0 



