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Show IRRIGATION PROJECT IN SPAIN. Consul Charles S. WInans, Seville, In consularroports says: "Though 'the boII of Andalusia is fertile, a large area that should bo productive 1h almost Idle, because ot the Insufficiency of the annual rainfall rain-fall and the frequency of drouths. During the four months from Juno lo September -almost no rain falls; tho average for tho year is 23.23 Inches "To improve this condition lu tho agricultural districts, irrigation has for several years been suggested and discussed.- Recently the proposed plans have been accepted and the preliminary- work has been begun. -The work already commenced i'b tho bulld lng of a long canal which will ultl? mately have 10 Important branches, the aggregate; length of main artery and branches being L'47 kilometers (153.48 miles'). The main canal, which will probably be completed fit about six years, will have a length ot 85 kilometers (52.82 miles), of which 13 kilometers (8.08 miles) aro now under construction. Extent of the Scheme. Coat. "This work is only a part ot the whole plan, which calls for the Irrigation Irriga-tion of an area of aoout 300 square mllos on the left bank of the Guadal-quivcr Guadal-quivcr river, whose waters, at Palma del Rio, will be utilized. For additional addition-al water supply when tho river water "falls, six" i'eservjlrs. with a combined-capacity combined-capacity ot 2fi0.P0Q.000 cubic racteVs -(fia.CSl.OOO-saUons) of water, aje planueJKfCtr neighboring valleys. AL present, bpwover, only one of-thcBC jOQorvolrs Is-jp, ,bq built, having a ca-' jjaclly ofj 2,000,000 gublc meters (21,-C61.DO0 (21,-C61.DO0 gallons.),. ,, "For-tho right-aide of the river it is -planned eventually to construct -fLvc.-sb.ort canals, .as one long ono is thoro considered Impracticabjo, These fivo short canals, with a total length of 93 kilometers (57.79 miles), are- to have ,each its own reservoir, and the area to be Irrigated will approximate ap-proximate 40 square miles. "The aggregate area of the watersheds water-sheds from which the wator for resor-volr resor-volr storage Is to be gathered Is about 17,400 square Jtilometora (671S square miles) , for the reservoirs r themselves, with an aggregate capacity capac-ity of more than 340,000,000 cubic meters me-ters (89,817,000,000 gallons) of water, the roqulred dams will range from 21.50 to 54.80 meters (70.54 to 179 79 leet) In height. The dams will bo constructed of cement and sfono, but tho canals will bo for the most part of earth, they aro to be about six feet deep, nnd wll make available a continuous supply of 33,000 liters (S.717 gallons) of water per second "The estimated cost of the Installation Instal-lation of this complete system of irrigation irri-gation Is 5S, 150,210 and the time of construction 30 years The owners ot . the land which will be thus improved are to pay 50 per cent of the cost, while the" government Is to pay tho other half Already a satisfactory arrangement has been made, whereby the property owners are to pay 10 per cent during construction and 2 per cent annually thereafter tor 20 years, unless they are able and Inclined In-clined to pay their proportionate sharo at a faster rate The government govern-ment has provided that In its annual budgets a sufficient sum be appropriated appro-priated to insure the project against interruption on account ot lack of tunds Machinery Will Be Needed Electric Povcr Plants. "In the long canal now In course of construction only one of the reservoirs reser-voirs is Included The cost of the construction of these S5 kilometers and one reservoir is estimated at about $2,000,000. Two dredgcB for tho construction have already been secured from u Gorman firm Considerable Con-siderable other machinery used in canal ca-nal construction will be required as the work progresses. This Irrigatioa project appears to be one in which American firms Interested In irrigation irriga-tion works might profitably rellovo the Spanish government of a great outlay by securing concessions on conditions similar to those under which private urms are doing such work in the arid sections of the United States. "A project at present laid aside unless some responsible syndicate acquires ac-quires the rights included the Installation Instal-lation of eloctrlc power plants for Industrial In-dustrial purposes, to utilize the tremendous tre-mendous power of the water gates. Once this Irrigation system is in op eration with Its olcctrlc power plants great factories will be built for working work-ing up (he raw material no wexported oi .sent to other parts of Spain, and which can not now be manufactured here on account of tho great cost of fuel for steam power. "All communications relative to Irrigation Ir-rigation In this section should bo in Spanish and jiddrossod to an official whose name may be obtained from tho bureau of manufactures." on |