Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1886-07-09
DRAINAGE IN ILLINOIS.
Swamp Lands Rt claimed The Work
Done in Mason, Tazewell, IroquOis,
Ford aud Champaign Counties.

FOrd and NhampaIgn counties.
A special dispatch from Mattoon,
Illinois, to the st. Louis Republican
of the I'd inst. says:
Few people realize the magnitude
of some of the drainage enterprises
now on foot in Illinois. From Ira
o. Baker, professor of civil engineer
Ing at the University of T. sslinois, who
has just returned from tour of in
spection, accompanied by the state
board of agriculture, the following
facts are cleaned.
The largest district in the state is
the Mason and Tazewell district, be-
tween Havana and Pekin. The trait
consists of low, fiat prarie twenty
miles long and FIVE miles wide. The
entire distriat has heretofore been
untillable, The total valuation of
personal property on 10000 acres of
land was less than $4,000. The
work of reclamation was commenced
in 1882, and is now nearly complet-
ed, al cost of $500, 900. The work
has been done b steam dredges sim
liar to those employed in deepening
harbors. The reclaimed lands are
now owned by private parties, but
were originally the property of the
county, being part of the swamp
lands donated by the state to the
counties. Mason county spent
S400,0 900 trying to reclaim its swamp
lands but received but little benefit.
The bitches were dug with spades
and scrapers, though possibly the
best that could be made with those
implements, they were too small and
soon filled up. The steam dredges
have changed The aspect. Larger
and deeper bitches have been exca-
vated. In the Mason and Tazewell
district the main ditch is so feet
wide at the top, 10 feet wide at the
bottom and feet deep. The bene-
fits derived are very perceptible, and
the land owners are elated over the
prospective results. Already large
tracts have been put under cultiva-
tion that were never before suscepti-
BILE to it, and the present season will |
witness thousands of acres more |
placed under the plough. Bountiful |
crops of corn are raised on ground |
but few years ago covered with |
water throughout the year.
The North Culver swamp of Mason
county is striking example. This
tract was five miles long and three |
miles wide, and was an impregnable
swamp. 1t was grown up with bull
rushes and other rank vegetation.
In many places the water was three
to four feet deep. Fish abounded in
great numbers, ducks reared their |
young unmolested, and muskrat and |
mink dwelt in peaceful seclusIon.
The ditch has changed the aspect.
Prosperous farms and comfortable |
Idi huOuSSS lhNO IoSSl4 VIC paw OA
the inland lake. The laud is now |
cultivated up to the banks of the |
ditch on both sides, and the crops |
last year sold for enough to pay the |
entire assessment of the cost of the !
ditch. But little t.ling is necessary,
sinct the land has natural drainage |
by bed of sand three or four feet |
below the surface. Out of $4,000 |
acres, but about 5000 will need til
ing.
In Iroquois county, near Ashkum,
is a district lately organized. There
%, 900 acres of land will be reclaim
ed by thirty miles of bitches and
$4,000. The land is as fiat as the
floor as far as the eye can reach, the
fall in no place being more than
two feet to the mile. In but few
places had there been any attempt
to cultivate the land, and the eight
or ten long since deserted farm
houses, the only ones in the entire
tract, told sad story of failure.
The soil is deep, rich, black loan,
which, when properly drained, will
grow as large crops as any land IN
illinois. There is no doubt that the
steam dredges now at work will
solve the problem as they have in
Mason county.
In Ford county dredges have been
working on the Vermilliun swamp
for two or three years. Forty-e1ght
thousand acres are involved. Fifty
eight thousand dollars will make the
swamp tillable land.
Within radius of fifteen miles of
Champaign are districts organized to
dram I2a, 900 acres. At an expense
of from 81 to So an acre. with tile
under-drainage, this waste land will
be made veritable garden.
Heretofore the redemption of Illi-
nois swamp land has been consider
cd too expensive to be available,
even if practicapable; but now hav-
ing learned the correct method Of
thorough drainage, and fully appre-
ciating It's value, the work of re-
deeming the wet lands of the state
may be said to have only fairly be-
gun.
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Nam0cratic Caudor