Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-05-14
SWAMPS
WILL BE
DRAINED
And Vast Areas Made to be Highly
Productive

the nation will be: Arkansas, $3.50
square miles, or 100000 acres;
Missouri. SSt0 square miles or
2.4SS,5OO acres; Louisiana, 1890
square miles. or 10,195,200 acres;
Mississippi, 5000 square miles. or
$1,000 acres. atd in other south
ern states from 600 square miles in
Kentucky to 3O,9S0 square miles In
Florida.
Several northern states also will
profit by the drainage projects, at
though the swamp lands lie mostly
in the south. The total area to be
reclaimed is 1892 square miles.
or 66.7S2,0S0 acres. This equals the
combined acreas of Illinois Indiana
and Ohio. Furthermore, these
swamp lands, immersed since time
immemorial in waters which have
received rich vegetable deposits and
alluvial sediments. when drained
will probably be OF richness scarcely
ever before witnessed in the world
This is the dream OF the National
Drainage association. and It also is
in the minds OF the members OF the
inland waterways commission now
in session here.
In session.
Land such as this will be worth
not less than $50 an acre. This
means that TO reclaim this immense
area from the now useless and noxi'
Gus swamps will add 10 the landed
wealth OF the nation property worth
something like S3.3O0.00O,OO0.
For years the government has
been devoting It's energies, and prop
erly, too. TO the reclamation OF the
western arid lands. This work will
proceed without interruption, be-
cause it Is planned so as to be more
htan self-sustaining; farmers taking
lands under government ditches Will
repay acutal cost OF reclamation In
ten equal annual installments.
Presume, then, the swamp lands Il
be reclaimed on some such plan, and
one cannot grasp the possibilities.
The swamp drainage projects really
overshadow those which have been
planned for the arid west.
And when the two are combined
in an estlmate-swamp and arid
lands-what the government will b5
doing with its revenue in a few
years as the annual lnstallment,
come in. must be left 10 the imagi'
nation.
For instance. Arkansas, with $3.50
square miles reclaimed. II Il be
worth $50 an acre. will have added
90 It's landed wealth S295, $685. 900
The economic importance OF these
facts may be guessed when one ro'
members the rapid increase OF popu'
latlon, the swift exhaustion OF the
public lands area, and the certainty
that before many years there will be
no "manless land for the landless
man" Pressure OF population II
/ forcing values of farming land up
ward until the high capitalization OF
/ farms ~ a menace 10 the continued
proseptrity OF the suburban people
or. II existing high market prices
be continued. a means OF oppression
OF those who live In the cities.
Were the annual immigrants 10 go
on farms OF 90 acres for each man
woman and child, the entire area OF
proposed swamp land reclamation
would last only about three years.
because people are coming at the
rate Of 100000 a year.
Another feature OF this problem IL
the cheapness with which swamp
lands may be reclaimed. II costs
from $40 TO 500 an acre 10 place
arid lands under water irrigation
Some OF the drainage projects which
undoubtedly will be undertaken viii
cost not more than s. 10 $40 an
acre.
II Is not TO be inferred that the
drainage projects are easy Of ac-
'compllshment. The Everglades OF
Florida. as an instance, present
stupendous problem IN engineering.
Yet. Il is more a matter Of deyising
than expending. for the expense viii
not be commensurate with the per
acre cost Of reclaiming western arid
lands
These facts are forcing themselves
home TO the consciousness Of public
men. AT FIRST. proponents OF these
projects met with indifference. Now
adays. the headquarters OF the Ma
tional Drainage association receives
numerous visitors. who want data
pertaining 10 this subject. The next
congress will hear from the drain
aea Advocates Probably there VIII