Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-02-26
DR. AIN AGE ag
Pepper Read by j. S. Wattles Before
The Farmers Institute ct Missouri
Valley. lows. February z6, 1908.

commenced under the direction of a
franciscan Monk, and it took 100 wears
Co complete 1t.
| The excavation amounted to over
l54 600, 600 cubic yards, and the work
was performed by natives-gathered
by force and driven in their work BY
the most cruel taskmasters in the
world-the Spanlards.
ltis said that 10000 natives lost
their lives during the prgress of this
work
The Mexican Central railroad now
occupies the right bank of this exca-
Walton.
These works soon, for lack of proper
attention. filled up and ceased to be-
useful. But this work will always re-
main one Of the greatest monnm ants
Of the industry of man, when we con-
slider that it was executed nv the most
primitive methods only without the aid
of anv engineering plant
In 1865 the work of drainage was
was again taken nm and W as Or c.ical-
,oasied to prosecute this work, aud one
peculiar feature the financial scheme
was thstSl2 1000 per month VAS raised
l
lights in the City of Mexico.
The sewerage of q city of 400 OO) pao-
pie has for more than century been
poured into lake Texc)co, aud before
the completion of the present drain
age system. The annual de4th rate
averaged 40 to 1000 the highe T. d.a.h
rate ut Hnv citvln the civil'z ID world
Since this drainage system has haen
in use the sanitary conditions have go
changed that the city il as healthy as
any in that latitude.
want to call yOnr attention briefly
to the drainage schemes in Florida.
AT the tlms tha public lands vera
surveyed all swamp, or overflowed
lands, were given to the state by the
general government.
THIS grant covered not only the
swamp lands proper, out sll tho n It
pine lands which were wst and sloppy
during the rainy season, and thereby
the larger part of the s'aJe was class-d
ss swamp, although it Is fact that
very much of this land is never wet,
but on the contrary requires lrregatiol
to raise oranges and other crops
The broad Interpretation of the act
granting to the State call swamp and
Overtl Dwed lands" has reacted upon
the state by establishing the reputation
of having eight or nine tenthS of its
area in swamp. But ii Ia an undoubted
fact that this classiiic alton partook of
the nature of land grab from the
general government, the agents select
ing tbs lands being appointed and
paid nv the state
In 1881 the state sod to q company
100000 acres of swamp lands. The
conditions of this sale required the
company to expend $4,000 per year in
excsvating canals aud bitches for the
drainage of these lands, and the com.
pany was to have one acre of land for
each % cents spent in drainage.
The work to be- done under the
direction of board of internal i'm
provement
A large area has been drained. and
these lands now sell for $775 to 800 per
acre.
These lands are very rich and pro
ductive, and are said to yield so to Is
bushels of rice per acre per year, and
the sugar cane yields 30 tons of sugar
per acre per year.
While these Improvements have not
been carried on scientifically nor syste-
mstically. yet the financial results
have exceeded the highest hopes and
estimates of the promoters.
The company has opened $50 miles
of steamboat navigation. But there
is still q feeling of insecurity about the
drainage arising from the lack of
scientific and systematic treatment
Several other companies have been
organized, and it is predicted that
within fifty years q large majority of
the area of the state will be efficiently
drained. adding millions of dollars to
their valuation and largely increasing
their commercial interests.
Concerning the vast possibilities of
Irrigation. the public is now pretty
we'll informed. but the quiet work
which is being done in several states
in the drainage of swamp and over
/ flowed lands has attracted little atten-
tion. With the possible exception of
Florida, the states of Illinois and In
diana have done the greatest amount
of work in land drainage.
| Large tracts of land in both these
states. which were formerly impen-
etrable swamps and marshes OF no
value whatever, are now yielding bet
ter crops than the hest prairie land and
their value is far above the cost of the
reclamation.
Whlle m any of these drainage enter
prlsvs are carried Oh without engineer.
lug assistance (and some of them have
suffered shlpwreck thereby many
others are OF sucn magnitude and I'm
portsnce as to requlrelarge experience
aud technical skll of q nigh order.
Among them Is tho propose drain
age of the KanKakee swamp.
This swamp heads near south Bend,
indiana, and runs IN generally west
eriy course crossing the state hue aud
terminating near MOmence, limos.
A straight line from one end to the
other measures 70 miles.
The kankakee river meanders thro
this swamp aud survey shows its
length In the swamp to be- 24O miles.
The swamp varies from one to ~
miles in width and covers about two
per cent of the area of the state vi
Indiana and the slope to l.3 feet per
mile.
This whole tract was given by the
general government to The state Oh
condition that the proceeds of the land
from its sale should be applied to Its
drainage.
| A drainage law was passed In 1863
and y drainage company organized,
and active operations wei commenced.
| By the terms of the charter power
was given to MAKE the assessments on
the lands benefited, or supposed to be
benefited by the improvements.
The land owners had generally un