Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-10-15
RECLAlMiNG SWAMps
Drainage May Be Undertaken bv II {
Government,

Washing ton. oct. II -Tbcrn a., =; !,
United States over sixty million r ~ w,
swamp land. Nov that the arrnnI, ~, ~
lands arc becoming scarce and ~ - -, ~
| ernmcnt has shown what it can do to
water the barren deserts of the Wcst ~
people of the country are bepinnine ~,
realize that the Government, ninht1 ~ H.,
equally successful IN removing sinner
abundant water. The fact has bann n ot.
tahlishcd that by drainage these w,st.
swamp lands may b" rendered habitahi !,
and productive. Since the Gnv"rn,r.n,
has set aside millions of dollars Tor the
reclamation OF the desert lands NJ ~
arid West through the agency of !r,-en-
ton, this fact is specially interesting I0r
| the vast swamnS OF the lower Mississirpi
Valley and OF Florida. Of the Sacramento
sofa and the southeastern coastcd niain
are now the only great remaining sources
of future agricultural lands
The effort to dram swamp lands hogan
like the movement to irrigate the deserts
with the individuals. WAS taken ur by the
corporation or colony. and is now fast be-
coming the concern of the state In
northern New York. Ohio and Wisconsin
corporations as we'll as individuals hayn
drained some of the larger swanlps and
now raise in them the finest quality Of
MIA the state has aided in draining the
tule lands, az the extremely fertile
swamp lands of tn lower Sacramento
Valley are called. Here are grown crops
that love rich and moist soil. In Florida
a governor has recently won an election
on the drainage issue and the people
of that state are hoping to drain not only
their more accessible swamps but posi-
BIZ even the great Everglades. In Min
nesota and North Dakota State drain
age commission has been organized and
vast areas are DelnS drained and settled
under state auspices
The state having taken hold Of the sub
ject. it soon became evident that it
yp-nth
complications due to the possession OF
these lands BY private individuals. by the
Federal Government and by the states
themselves AS demonstrated by the his
tory of irrigation development, the only
pO:sible agency through which draiDag e
works can be planned and constructed in
n broad way, on modern principles. with
ont the complications resulting from! d.
yided ownership is the Federal Govern
mont Realizing this, members Of Con
arcss have introduced bills for the dram
been enacted, hut several received the
careful consideration of the proper COM
mittees during the last session OF Con
grcss. 1t is safe &c. assume that favor
able LEGISLATION will eventually follow
and it is hoped that it may take forns
analogous to that under which the Sinil-
lar problem of reclamation by irrigation
has been worked out IN recent years ny
tbn Proclamation Service of the United
States. ,- r;.,
lands Ey irrigation WIS hlSt ,ulI.i NJ. ~
cusson ii became at once evident tnat
the vast area which had been topogranhi-
cally mapped by the United States Geo.
graphical Surrey offered the 'irst ana
SIMPLEST point of attack in the prcn2r:t-
lion of plans for active work: Similarly
If develoOs that this survey has already
mapped many hundreds OF thouS'n 10 .h "l
acres of swamp lands. A scrutiny OF .ir
,oano wade from, such surveys shows
many possible drainage projects worthy
of immediate study. - ,.,.,,,,,
All of the sixty million acre. OF SMd', w.
Reclaimed t.l by drainage. I,nfort,mat,,lH
many years ago Congress enacted tl.-
ton patentng these lands to nc I 1in,d
Nv X, y the states Except in the few cases
p3Sentioned above this has not beer dona
hen necessary arrangements can ho', in.
ion,, 1o,a in the matter of irrigation. 70
carrying on the necessary drainage "i'''''
Federal auspices.