Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-11-04

the land of $1l4.000.00O.
The completion of the drainage sys-
tens throughout the state will put
practically every, acre in the farming
districts under cultivation. the state
agricultural experiment stations hav-
ing proved that variety of soils now
regarded as waste land will be made
available for general farm crops and
for truck gardening. 1t is estimated
that the drainage will pay for itself
in from one to four years, the cost be-
ing from So to $40 an acre. while land
which could not find a buyer for $40
or SIS an acre will have increased val
uation varying from $75 to 500 and
above.
The nearly two-thirds Of, a million
acres of marsh lands in the state now
absolutely worthless will be especially
valuable when drained and under Gull
tivation because of their richness and
the amount of nitrogen which they
contain. In addition to the marsh
lands the reclamation plans include
100000 of peat and muck lands,
which will be made fairly profitable,
and nearly 100000 acres of clay
lands. poorly drained and under water
great part of the time. on which the
benefits of drainage are estimated Us
twice as great as in the case of the
marsh lands.
The total value of Wisconsin lands
is estimated as over S1.100.00O.0 900,
while the increase in valuation due to
drainage will be nearly S200.000.0O0.
an increase which is expected to add
greatly to the states prestige as one
of the leading agricultural and dairy
ing sections of the Union. These esti-
mates are based on the actual expert
ence of farmers in various parts of the
state. whose individual enterprise first
demonstrated the value of the drain
age in Wisconsin, as well as upon eX-
perinfents by the state experts carried
on for Il number of years. These eX
perts declare that they know of no
other way in which so great an in
crease in the productive power of the
agricultural lands of Wisconsin can be
effected as by drainage.
In the estimates no attempt has been
the addition to the area of productive
| soil. But the cultivation of land other
| wise not available for farming is not
| the only benefit, among the others be-
| ing the further facts that drainage al
lows earlier working in spring. allows
| the soil to warm up more rapidly in
| the spring, thus increasing the length
| of the season and lessening the danger
from frost, produces good ventilation
| and filth in the soil. increases the
| amount of water available to crops.
aids nitrifcation. retards denitrifca-
tons. lessons surface washing and al
lows fields to be made uniform in out
line and hence worked to better advan-
tage.
| The laying of tile for the drainage
of farming land was begun by in
dividual farmers in Wisconsin about
| fifteen years ago. 1t is to be pushed
under state law and state supervision
| through the organization of drainage
districts, in which the expense of dig
ging the bitches and laying the tile
will be met by Il tax on the property
benefited, a special law governing this
line of work having been passed. For
mer Governor W. ID. Hoard of Fort
| Atkinson, publisher of Hoard's Dairy.
man, was one of the first of the Wis
conSin farmers to tile his farm, and
the results obtained by him, by Joseph
Winterling of Jefferson. by jefferson
county on its poor farm, by Carl Fol
and NelS Holman of Deerfield and q
number of Others both in the southern
and northern parts of the state, had
a great influence in starting the work
The experience of Carl Foil of Deer
field is cited to illustrate the benefits
to be derived from the use of tile OF
| marsh areas. His success in growing
corn on the reclaimed marsh land anC
the further success of the state agri
cultural station in finding an early
maturing corn which gives heavy
yield under Wisconsin conditions are
expected to advance Wisconsin in its
position of Importance among the corr
producing states.