June 1, 1904.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
843 
IRRIGATION FOR THE GAMBIA, 
REPORT FOR THE WEST AFRICAN COLONY BY A 
CEYLON OFFICER. 
Tlie Colonial Office were well advised when 
they selected one of the most widely and 
thoroughly experienced of Ceylon Irrigation 
Officers, (utilising his period of leave to 
send hiui on the special mission) to report 
on Irrigation for the Gambia — with a view 
to the growins: of cotton, rice and other 
crops. The report of Mr. Heni'y Parker 
is the second of ir,s kind, is dated Colombo, 
November 23rd, 1903, and covers il foolscap 
pages. Before he made this report, JMr. 
Parker albo paid a visit to Egypt where he 
spent some time on his way back to Ceylon. 
In Egypt he went straight to see the sreat 
Assiout dam, the famed work of Sir Wm. 
Willcocks, and the lands served thence. He 
found that pumps had been abandoned 
by the Egyptian Irrigation Department 
owing to expense : that the crops cultivated 
were cotton. Indian corn, sugar-cane in 
Lower — and millet, sugar-cane and cotton in - 
Upper— Egypt. Cotton was bearing there in 
land covered ankle-deep with water. Mr. 
Parker says :— 
I mention this as I observed that at the 
Gambia the long drought during the latter part 
of the growth of cotton affects the bushes very 
injuriously. In many fields there the leaves were 
falling off the trees while still green and before the 
pods had burst, and ib was evident that such 
cotton could never come to maturity. This was 
especially the case where the Foreign cotton was 
sown by way of experiment. The indigenous 
•' mandinka " cotton being a much hardier plant, 
which has been bred from the survivors of the 
drought that occurs each year during the last 
months of cultivation, did not suffer to the same 
extent, but nevertheless was everywhere stunted 
in its growth and bearing very few pods per 
bush. The usual height of the bushes at the 
Gambia was nob over 3 feet, and commonly 2 feet 
6 inches ; while in Egypt the average height is 
some 4 feet, and in limited patuhes fully 6 feet. 
The Gambia soil in which millet and 
groundnuts grow, Mr. Parker thinks suitable 
for cotton, it being similar to the cotton 
soil in Egypt — if only sufficient water 
is supplied. The Gambia soil most suitable 
for cotton is, however, too high and difficult 
to irrigate : if it will grow in the dark 
loam near the river Gambia, which is subject 
to floods, it ought, he thinks, to pay well 
— provided that showers are not experienced 
when the cotton pods are forming. Various 
comparisons are then drawn between South 
India, Egypt and the Gambia. The crops 
in Egypt are valued at a much higher 
figure per acre than in South India, but 
then high rates of rent are paid to the 
Kgyjitian Government while the richer land- 
owners find considerable exjiense over steam- 
pumping engines well worth their while. 
Mr. Parker calculates, from statements by 
Sir Wm. Willcocks applying to Upper Egypt, 
that a 10-inch centrifugal pump would, 
working 11 hours per diem, suffice for 160 
acres of cotton and therefore for 100 acres 
under rice — all due economy being available in 
an engine burning liquid fuel. He quotes 
figures from Messrs, Walker, Sons & Co. 
and Messrs. Brown & Co. in Ceylon, 
showing the total cost of engine and pump 
and an iron pontoon to be £362^. 
Four months are allowed for the irri- 
gation of rice, this being the time the 
crops take to ripen, the water ceasing about 
a fortnight before the rice is to be cut. 
Cotton requires water for 7 months. In 
the former the cost of irrigation works out at 
about 15s 7ii per acre and fpr cotton at lis 2d. 
Mr. Parker then makes some remarks which 
are of even more interest to those who study 
the progress of a colony than mere figure 
estimates, as follows :— 
So far as the calculation has gone, only the actual 
cost of the irrigation has been shown, and it may 
well be asked. Where is the financial benefit to 
the Government ? It is evident that Government 
nmst either ba satisfied with the general increase 
of trade which \vill follow increased production, or 
must make a charge for the irrigation which will 
leave a suflicient profit ou the operation. Ib is clear 
that in the latter case it would ba necessary to 
charge fully £1 per acre. The great aim of the first 
experiment in pumping water for irrigabion must, 
therefore, be to make it evident to the cultivators 
that by means of systematically applied irrigation 
their crops, whether cotton or rice, will derive such 
benefit thab they will be able to pay this high 
rate while gaining additional profit themselves. 
Although the total cost per acre according to these 
calculations is higher than the rate which I 
formerly estimated might be charged for water 
if supplied for rice land by other means, there 
are obvious reasons for not accepting these 
estimates as final. In the firsb place, ib is not 
yeb known whether a large area cannot be 
irrigated by means of such a pump. If any 
kind of success is to be attained, it will be essential 
to complete all the preliminary operations before 
making any attempt at irrigation. The land 
should be carefully selected, special attention being 
devoted to finding some over which the water will 
fiow without much expenditure of labour informing 
ridges for retaining it, or in levelling the ground, 
or opening channels. It should thus be nearly free 
from large trees, and should be in other respects, 
such as height above the river or quality of soil, 
well fitted for being irrigated by means of pumping. 
As regards the height of the land above the water 
of the river, the firsb experiment should be limited 
to a low lift, say 6 or 8 feet, if suitable ground can 
be rjet with at that height, as this will simplify 
the delivery of the water and nearly obviate 
the need of channels for conveying it to the land. 
The experience of the Irrigation Assistant 
in Ceylon and his aoiiuaintance with villagers' 
ways prevents him, however, from being 
over-sanguine as to results in which human 
(and especially native) inclinations have to 
be taken mto account. He points out that 
though the Gambia villagers may be good 
agriculturists, it does not stand to reason 
that they will take up the cultivation as 
soon as the pump is ready : and their readi- 
ness to do so must first be found out. While 
he advises places being selected where a labour 
supply is handy, he also urges that the 
people of the neigrhohbouod ^should them- 
