World's cresset. [volume] (JAH-ville [Colony], Fowler, Mo.) 1891-19??, 1907-10-17
WASHINGTON
) LETTER,
From our Regular Correspondent.

aH
meridian, there have been q num-
her Of suggsstions Ai,out doing
something on 'ap ,roximately the
same line for tho aAt. The kr.
clamaiion Service b lar ha- del
With desert lAnds, putting wat,r
on them. II has reclaimed hun.
dreds Of thousands III acres o:
desert and the INCREASED price that
.and sells forlo the settlers hss'
furnished more money 10 reclaim
more land. So that by tho time
the government. gots through with
the sc, DOC. 600 or 40 acres OF land
which there 10 water to irr;gate
the work will hays paid for itself
ard there will be an mpire added
to the area Of tia United Statss.
But there is another problem IN
the same line 90 lar rs retaining
land 10 concerned but diamei real.
lly opposed to il IN tho matter Of
water. Tint is in draining the
swamp land Of tho country aud
getting rid OF enough Of the water
to make the soil availahia for az
riculiure and homesttaJa, A re-.
port on the sui set has Just been
rendered by } o. Wright Of thr
Department. "f Agriculture aud
som ii the snris shown are start.
ling Tho swamp land area Of tho
United Statea that is wattil.. ~
be reclaimed IL 17,0oO.0oo acres.
The most ut tins, liaes il tbs
middle North, along the Atlantic
Gas, or IN the Southern States.
1t is al area bigger than Eny,
land Ireland, Scotland aud Wales
bigger also than the Who'll. Vow
= Hampshire New York and n part
o! Pennsylvania. A good dc al #
thus land has been drained by
private enterprise n,,d II has been
shown that when drained il 10 the
finest agricultural land in tn,
world. The matter of draining i.
/ simple much simpler than r,
cunning laud Tor irrigation, for all
, that IA needed IN n COMPREHENSIVE,
system, "t rauais and bitches an,
the water flows IN hv itself. Tn,
eat vt draining this immense are.
, hy the mrst appr we'd mpiu.l
methods would bc nbou. hiitic,
collars. bu' Tho hand il,e.l won
:. i" worth 'ur billion Wh.u r,
claimed VIII .r,as now u IL won't
ho,hing ltwould furnish fort,
acre luFm5 for | 900 uVO een,i g
\ ar'tNo work, ''kr ia, irrigation
could hg d gradually and mad
\ to pay Tor ,..rIr. Mr. Wr;.:h
makes 10 Recommendations III hi
report ~ TO WHETHER The wcrl
should he dome under federal q
state authority. Tho draluin
cun easily h., done by tho ,udlv nj
u ual .,ates without interfering wit
Z each other. In this it is di,ieren
I firm irrigation where ircauentl
4 river runs through more tina
one state and where tho fedora
d government Is tn. onlr Nuthori,
Y ,ha, can we'll handle and sliis
= tae claims be: TIC e,a,n-.
- is u fascinating itobi"m. thi
- draining OF the 1wanlps addln
/, to N" natlona. wealth., adding 4
thu available holun nrnn OF III
country and wrrrng out mn'arl;
aud mosquitoes IN the proc. =.
& Ilw -u.n The work will he uf.
= deriak"n rna large scale. II Is I'M
- possible ~ say, but i, is sonnet lin,
, That would cost rrar'caIIv ne, h
tug aud should II" dom. az once.
TIA. railroad commissioner, wi,
hay" been holding thar coLyo,.
ti"h her" tins wors ar. confront.,
with u problem, They are We!
cont"'t to lat ,ha Interstate Com
'nerce Commission deal with tn
,hscr-la'r rn'troad problem: bn
they arc concorhed with ihr mira
STATE roads aud thy want som
method whereby the in,erstut
aud the ultra. state earnings q
the reads can lie rcpara,cd 80
:, shown in ditlsrsn: reports. TIL
sa delicate aud complex prohl",
f, ~ book .kcspiUg aud one nho,
=, which the commissioners are u,
nj all decided 81 IL anlni,n w