An account of the manners and customs of the modern Egyptians, written in Egypt during the years 1833-1835 . ion; but the fields in the vicinity of theriver and of the large canals, and some other lands, in which pitsare dug for water, are irrigated by means of machines of differentkinds. The most common of these machines is the shddoof,which consists of two posts or pillars of wood, or of mud andcanes or rushes, about five feet in height, and less than three feetapart, with a horizontal piece of wood extending from top to top,to which is suspended a slender lever, formed of a branch of atree,
An account of the manners and customs of the modern Egyptians, written in Egypt during the years 1833-1835 . ion; but the fields in the vicinity of theriver and of the large canals, and some other lands, in which pitsare dug for water, are irrigated by means of machines of differentkinds. The most common of these machines is the shddoof,which consists of two posts or pillars of wood, or of mud andcanes or rushes, about five feet in height, and less than three feetapart, with a horizontal piece of wood extending from top to top,to which is suspended a slender lever, formed of a branch of atree, having at one end a weight chiefly composed of mud, andat the other, suspended to two long palm-sticks, a vessel in theform of a bowl, made of basket-work, or of a hoop and a piece ofwoollen stuff or leather : with this vessel the water is thrown upto the height of about eight feet into a trough hollowed out forits reception. In the southern parts of Upper Egypt, four or fiveshddoofs are required, when the river is at the lowest, to raise thewater to the level of the fields. There are many sMdoofs with. THK SHADOOF. Lanes Modern Egyptians] [Page .WO AGRICULTURE. 301 two levers, etc., which are worked by two men. The operationis extremely laborious.—Another machine much used for thesame purpose, and almost the only one employed for the irriga-tion of gardens in Egypt, is the sakiyeh. This mainly consistsof a vertical wheel, which raises the water in earthen pots attachedto cords, and forming a continuous series ; a second verticalwheel fixed to the same axis, with cogs ; and a large, horizontal,cogged wheel, which, being turned by a pair of cows or bulls, orby a single beast, puts in motion the two former wheels and thepots. The construction of this machine is of a very rude kind,and its motion produces a disagreeable creaking noise.—There isa third machine, called tdboot, used for the irrigation of landsin the northern parts of Egypt, where it is only requisite to raisethe
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