The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-11-06
ARE FLOODS n BLESSING?
The Experience of Il Farmer in
South Dakota With an Artc-
sian Well.

The Experience of Il Farmer In
south Dakota With an Artc-
sian Well.
MIR. IL. T.. Burnett, truck farmer of
Ntbraska, who has been studying the
effects Of soil washing upon the land
from which the soil is washed estimates
that into the Gulf of Mexico IS poured
every year flom the lands of the
mississippi valley rich soil enough to
cover one foot deep 105, 20 acres, and
ne believes that the heavy rains IN
kansas and Nebraska this year des-
troyed moro wealth in those States
than that represented by the millions
OF Rockefeller. IIo suggests not only
Tree planting to promote balancing
OF moisture condition and for q prcyen-
tlon of Hoods and washouts, but the
building Of dams and temporary ponds
and lakes to hold back the waters until
they drop their fertile sediment. Tic
has put his suggestions into effect on
lls own farm, and says that he has al
ready gotten from his II neighbor's farms
one foot Of rich soil ono rod wide and
six miles long, and he believes that if
every farmer in his county would hold
back the water as he does, the county
would soon have 1O,3GS acres of the
finest meadow soil in the world.
This experience of Mr.. Burnett is
worthy of imitation in some parts of
The South. 1t recalls the experience
of farmer of South Dakota. lie
lived five or Six miles from tho county
scat, whc1c a search was being made
for arLesian water. The wells in that
part OF the country are quite keep, and
artcslan water is struck in a sandstone
formation which comes TO the surface
where the Missouri river washes the
western boundary Of the State. The
well in this particular county-seat had
reached depth of 100 or l 200 feet
without satisfactory results, when the
oncoming OF winter compelled the ces-
sation of operations. The boring
machinery and tools, etc, were cover
ed at the well's mouth with boards,
and shortly aftcrward were lost under
three Or four feet of snow. One night
the inhabitants OF the cOunty-seat
were alarmed by horrible rumblings
and quakipgs, and rushing from their
homes discovered that the well of itself
had broken loose and was sending
forth magnificent stream of hot water.
Belolo the flow could be captured mil
lions Of gallons of water had found
their way down hill TO the property of
the farmer SIX miles away, and had
turned it INTO IL lake. Hot foot, the
next morning he came to town and in
stltutcd suit for damages against the
county-seat. AS most of such suits,
this one moved slowly. Before it. had
come TO trial the lake disappeared and
the farmer had determined to make an
experiment in planting corn. That
season was an unusually hot and dry
one. For miles and miles the corn
crop was q failure, but against the
short and puny srowths or shrivclod
stalks and blades of his ncighbors'
crops stood forth in magnificent green
luxuriant growth of the suing farmers
crop. About the time for cutting he
called upon Lis attorney to urge him
to press the suit. My FRIEND" said
the lawyer in reply, {" let me suggcsL
that you drop this suit, for l happen to
know that The county is preparing to
sue you for tho difference between
what your crop will bring and what i;
would not have brought had your fa I,
not been inadvertently iloodn' H.
winter by the towns artcsian ~,'i.'