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45 the acreage be increased by bringing in new lands under irriga- tion, but all areas will be benefited by the increased and depend- able supply of water which the dam will sustain. Furthermore, it will make possible the double-cropping of a large proportion of the area, i. e., two seasonal crops can be harvested from the same land each year, which in effect doubles this acreage. Arghandab Dam is located in a narrow valley in a region of low mountain ridges, about 25 miles above where the river breaks out onto the broad plain. The dam is about 60 metres high above the rock base at maximum section, and 50 metres high above the old river bed. The width of the base of the dam at the maximum section is about 230 metres and the length along the crest is 520 metres. It is a rolled-filled earth structure, and the embankment contains about 2,500,000 cubic metres of water. This dam will play a great rôle in the economic and social develop- ments of the Arghandab Valley. It will also help in generating electricity, some 6,500 kw, which is badly needed at Kandahar. AGRICULTURE IN AFGHANISTAN In most parts of the country agriculture is primitive and pro- duces only a small part of what could be produced if the water- supply were fully developed, and the best farming methods were used. Wheat is the principal crop, and in many places, the only crop grown. Much of it is grown under the old system in which the land produces one crop in two or three years, lying idle in the alternate years. This is due partly to shortage of water, but it is also commonly believed to be necessary to keep the fertility of the land high. In a few places where soil fertility is unusually high or where abundant manure is available, the wheat crop is followed in the same year by a crop of corn