The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-11-26
RECLAMATION OF
THESWAMPLANOS
Work Already Begun in
North Carolina
NATURAL RESOURCES

of the Natural
OF the Nation il h
Most Important
DR.. Joseph HYDE Pratt. State Geo
logist, was in Raleigh last night, De
ing on his way 10 Baltimore. Mo,
where he Will attend the annual meet
ing OF the National AsSocia-
ton. which will be in session Monday.
Tuesday ard Wednesday of next week
While the work of this association
is not perhaps quite as Wei known a.
that OF the Irrigation Association. II
is as important. The retaining or
swamp lands and bringing them into
a state Of cultivation and source OF
revenue TO the countr Is as IMPORT
ant work in the United States as that
Of retaining the barren desert lands
Of the western United States. This
association is perhaps TO Eastern
United states what the Irrigation As
ISOLATION is to the western united
States, although the work or the
former extends through the Central
states. 1t is the belief Of the asso-
citation that the drainage Of sWamp
and overlooked lands Is just as much
q governmental function as that OF
irrigating arid lands.
Scattered throughout thirty-seven
Of the states there are approximately
o V,OOOsOVO vi of III ANAi@F
which there are in North Carolina APP
p~rOXimately 2.400, 600 such acres. 1t
would be somewhat difficult to esti-
mate with any degree OF accuracy
the immense wealth that would accrue
to the State by the retaining of
these millions of acres of now prac-
tically waste land. Surprising If the
crop value of these nov unproductiVe
lands was only $25 per acre. this
would mean an additional $4,000. 900
income annually in the state. me
tax on that would be quite an addi-
ton to the funds in the state treasury.
If this swamp land of North Carolina
were divided into 100 acre farms II
would make homes for "A 900 families,
each of which would expend annually
in the State anywhere from $500 to
$500 each.
Work of drainage has already be-
gun in North Carolina by the North
Carolina Geological and Economic
Survey on the Angola Bay swamp
land. The preliminary survey is be-
Mr.. j. @. Wright, the expert drainage
engineer of the North Carolina De-
partment of Agriculture. Mr..
Wright has worked out a plan for
draining another swamp in Wilson
county. AS soon as the preliminary
survey is completed of the Angola Bay
swamp \ i, plans and specifications
will be dNwn uD for the construction
Of the can Is necessary to drain the
swamp.
Some Of the swamp lands may
prove to be of little or no value for
liminary survey Of the different
swamps two questions are de-
cided, one whether it is practicable
to drair, the swamp, and second
whether the land after drainage Will
be OF sufficient agricultural value to
NO rra n 4 tho cost nf n Tai inn Up
y Great Conference.
DIR. Pratt, in speaking of the call
President Roosevelt has issued to the
various Governors. said:
The call that President Roosevelt
has sent out to the Governors of the
States inviting them to meet in con-
vention at Washington next May to
consider questions relating to the con-
ServatiOn of our natural is
one of if not the most important con
vention that the President has called
directly or caused to be called in the
interest of different national questions.
North Carolina will be especially in
tereSted in such a convention, at
which, according to the invitation
sent ou1. she will be represented by
the Governor, members of Congress,
and three representative citizens, on
account of the great value of her for
est products, fish and oyster indus
tries. water powers and mineral pro-
ducts, a.. of which will be subjects
of discussion at such a convention.
"At the present time these natural
of North Carolina, upon
which = large part of the wealth of
the state depend, are rapidly being
depleted. This is especially true Of
her forest products, which North
Carolina, together with other south
ern states. is still striving to
preserve through the establishment OF
the Appalachian Forest Reserve.
THE fish and oyster industries OF
North Carolina are being very rapidly
depleted, and unless some more vigor-
Ous measures are taken to conserve
these industries they Will become of
but little value to the State. While
they should be a source of some So
600, 600 of value to the State.
North Carolina water powers are
already becoming seriously affected on
account of the Wasteful destruction of
her forests, and especially of those
upon the summit of our mountain
range
How TO prevent this waste Of the
States wealth.. how to increase the
value of its natural and to
conserve them for future generations
are questions of vital interest to North
Carolina, and Will be questions that
Will be considered and thoroughly
discussed at the convention President
RnnSeIal+ has called