The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1907-11-29
LAND NOW LYING VAST e.

Naryland's interest in the scheme for
draining the swamps is Of somew hat
peculiar character. There are states
whose swamp lands, if drained, would
perhaps be more valuable than those of
Maryland, but not many of them Few
have any adequate conception of the
extent of the swamp lands in this state,
particularly on the Eastern Shore. 1t
is safe to say that if such lands were
drained On the other side of the Bay,
they would be of more value than the
lands now under cultivation. The pro-
cess of draining has been already cars
risd On after desultory fashion, and
much coed has actually resulted from
these petty efforts. The government
has from time to time appropriated small
amounts, which have been carefully ex-
pended, resulting in the cutting of
channel here and another there and Civ
ing a play and current to the waters
which have killed much of the grass on
the bottoms of the streams and made
them habitable for fish and oysters,
whi.e the draining mas led to the recov,
cry of certain parts of these lands and
their conversion to agriculture.
These spurts have been so slight as to
Gu. no figure in any general scheme, the
use arising from them mainly to show
Whist can be done al a moderate e3pend-
,ture Of money. 1t is this latter feature
which should commend itself to states
mon who take broad interest in the
future of the country. The cost of
drainage is by no means as great as Is
supposed. Skilful engineering will
avoid expense in making cuts and dig
xins canals only when needed. A very
small cut will sometimes drain a large
area and make it cultivable.
OF course, when the drainage ques-
ton is coupled with the scheme for
succession of canals along the Atlantic,
Is it necessarily will be, question of
prime consideration will be the use OF
the trained water. With a series OF
lsnd-locked canals the best thing that
can be done will be to drain these
swamps and to turn their waters into
the canals. It will be cheap means OF
supplying the canals, and the drainage
in many of the states, aside from the
canals, will cost very little.
The East is emit tied to consideration
in this matter. 1t has contri butsd
largely, and is contributing at this 20 Jm-
ent, to the irrigation of arid lands.
The difference between arid lands and
swamps when both are placed on an
equality is that the arid lands may be
productive, while the swamps will GER
tainly be the most productive lands on
earth. The one is in new country,
practically uninhabited, and invites
people to settle, while the other is in a
territory inhabited by millions of peo-
pie, who need the reclamation of these
| swamp lands. The government should,
Of course, look out for the welfare OF
all of the people, and not of part
only.
A series of land-locked canals would
give to the Atlantic seaboard such fac
ilities for trade and traffic as would re-
lieve the strain for many years to come,
| if not forever. 1t would lift burden
which is rapidly becoming too serious
to be handled by present methods OF
transportation, and incidentally it
would drain territory which is in it.
self an empire and convert it to the use
of the public. It has been said by the
agent of the government that forty
millions of dollars worth Of land could
be reclaimed from Maine to New York.
This is . bagstelle compared with that
which esuld be accomplished from
Maine to Florida. One thousand mil.
liens of dollars will net begin to repre-
sent the wealth which is lying waste in
these swamps.-Baltimore American.