'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎221v] (447/470)

for the occupation by the amount of improvements in roads and bridges and in
sanitation effected by the Military for their own use, and now left to be enjoyed by
the inhabitants (except where canal bridges have been returned to their normal
functions of house doors !).
2. Irrigation : District of Kifri .—The district is watered by many spring streams
and one or two large rivers, not much use can be made of which for irrigation
purposes. The district therefore is mainly either rain lands or irrigated by canals
taking off' from the Diyalah.
Qarah Tappah District —Is watered by two very large canals, taking off from
the Diyalah, where dams are built in a side channel to direct the water, and running
side by side till they part -one, the Kashkawil, to water the muqata‘ah of that name on
the east of the Kifri-Qarah Tappah road, the Qarah Tappah continuing to irrigate the
land to the west of the road. A smaller canal, the Saiyid Lan, runs between
these two canals and Avaters a small Tapu estate in the middle of the Sanniyah grounds.
The custom in the Sanniyah lands is that repairs must be done by the fallah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour.
th(‘inselves without special wages, but any repairs which cannot be so done must be
paid for by the landowner,, in this case the Government.
At the time of our occupation we found nearly all canals in a state of bad
disrepair. The Qarah Tappah and Kashkul canals, tbe former 30 miles in length,
were both seen to be sad ruins of their former selves. Arrangements were made to
clear the canals sufficiently to irrigate all the land possible to bring under cultivation
this year.
The Kashkawil canal was also cleaned out. Besides these large canals, there are
a dozen smaller ones.
The following canals take off from the .Diyalah and water the Baradan district:—
Mahmulah, Qizil Arq, Baradan, Bubah, and smaller canals.
The following canals take off from the Diyalah and water the Mahnatabad and
Xingabad areas : Kaukuz, Mahnatabat, Hajilar and Zangabat canals.
All the canals of the district will need attention next February, and the Qearah
Tappah, Kashkul and Zangabat will require tbe outlay of a considerable sum of
money.
Near Abu Zanabil a few Jubur raise water by means of tbe karad from a natural
spring stream. The karad is not seen elsewhere in the district.
Another method of irrigation to be seen in this district is the artifice of the
kahriz or artificial underground channel. The course of a subterranean stream is
followed by Avells dug at intervals of ten to twenty yards, and the channel bricked and
roofed in.
3. Agriculture. —The Kifri district is famous for its winter crops, and contains
the well-known Daudiyah Avheat-growing area. The winter crops are usually so
profitable that cultivators do not trouble to cultivate saifi crops.
The local people recognise six varieties of wheat, but it would appear that there
are two main varieties, one called Kandahari, an excellent bread and biscuit wheat,
the other called “ Khashn,” a much harder variety. There is only one variety of
barley, the black type, and it is the unshakeable belief of the people, proved, it is
stated, by experience, that whatever kind of barley is sown it will eventually all
return to the Black variety
The best crops are usually produced on the rain-watered lands.
There are three distinct methods of cultivation :—
(1) J he soundest method is ploughing the land first in winter and again in
spring, and sowing in August or September on the dry ground and ploughing in the
seed. Birds and mice are not so common here as in the Sulaimaniyah district.
This method is called in Arabic and Turkish “ filhan,” and in Kurdish “ wushkawara,”
and is called the “ sarmayah ” (capital) of the fallah Arabic for ‘peasant’. It was used by British officials to refer to agricultural workers or to members of a social class employed primarily in agricultural labour. . This method in moderate years
gives a yield of 15 to 1, and usually more. All three methods are sown at the same
rate per plough if the ground is alike.
on the
2) The second method is called in Kurdish “ mevard,” and is an improvement
e; first method, the land is ploughed as in the first method in the preceding
wilder and spring, and after tbe first rains of tbe following autumn it is ploughed,
sowed, and ploughed again. This method removes the grass and w r eeds and makes
clean cultivation, but depends on very early rains for success. Given very early rains
it may give a yield of 20 to 1.
(3) The third method is called tarakal, and is only resorted to when there is
no filhan or ward ready from the preceding spring. After the rains have fallen
the land is ploughed and sown. This method depends entirely on the spring rains-