The Washington herald., 1910-05-22
FARMERS WORK FOR
SWAMP DRAINAGE
Regard 1t More Important
Than Irrigation.
WOULD ADD WEALTH TO EAST
y. f. YOakum Speaks I'm Favor of
Such Reclamation of Waste Lands
In South-DecIares Utilization of
Farms in Mississippi Valley n
Pressing Economic Question.

Educational and Cooperative Union and
the American Society of Equity-have
united in campaign to bring about the
drainage and reclamation of the swamp
lands OF the country through Federal
aid. work that will add nearly So,OOO,OO0
acres TO the farm section of the country.
which would be worth from $3,OOOO00OOO
to $4OOOOO0,OOO if reclaimed.
The recent action of the congress Of
these two organizations in adopting a
resolution asking Congress TO appropri-
ate Sl5O,OO0 for the drainage Of swamp
lands in Louisiana. Missouri. Mississippi,
and Arkansas is the first step in the cam
paign The work. the farmers say. is
more important than the Federal govern
ment's reclamation projects in the semi
arid West.
This movement, long matter Of desul-
tory discussion, has been given added
impetus within recent months by the
public utterances of r. F. Yoakum,
chairman of the st. Louis and San Fran
cisco Railroad Company. who estimates
that there are 100000 acres of rich land
in the Mississippi Valley that can be re-
Ildlllltu llb4I TIE oNdlllpo dN a. oAAltAAA
cost.
Vastly Important Work.
ITO drain the valley TO build new rail-
roads, to develop the country, and TO
enforce our regulative laws he says.
ARE more important works than the en-
actment Of new and experimental laws.
For almost a century our government
has looked with indifference at the rich,
unused lands OF the Southern States,
while the British government furnishes
its money and credit to aid Egypt 10 re-
claim waste lands in the valley Of the
Nile. 5000 miles away.
THE low. rich lands of the South have
become matter Of Importance TO the
whole country. First. the people need
the food cotton, and other products
which these low lands will produce in
abundance.
Second. these lands are needed for
settlement by the American citizens who
are seeking homes in other countries
Sixty thousand or more people moved
from the United States into Canada last
year. They carried with them $1,000 each
from SC0OO0,OO0 to $lOo,0000O0. Our people
are leaving thickly settled districts where
the price Of farm lands is high. This
means that our own people are building
up an empire belonging to a foreign
country at the expense of our own na-
ton
These rich Southern lands may be
drained at a cost Of s. an acre, located
near the congested centers, and viii pro-
duce the kind of food that supplies the
kitchen Of the consuming masses.
THE government is interested in recla-
nation in the Northwest, but the admin
istration at Washington has become in
terested in the irrigation projects. be-
cause the people Of the Northwest be-
came interested in the development of
cheir country and urged their claims.
value of swamp Lands.
There are 100000 acres OF swamp
land in the United States: 5S.O00O00 acres
Of which are in the Southern States-an
area greater than the combined area
of Kentucky and Tennessee. BY reclaim
ing them we can at one stroke add two
big. rich, and prosperous States to the
Union. This would enable us TO make
farms quicker than they ever were made
in the history of the world"
Some drainage enthusiasts have esti-
mated the cost at much less than s. per
acre. but at Mr.. Yoakum's estimate. the
total cost of reclaiming the 100000
acres would be $3SO,O0OOO0. This is a
little more than three times as much
as the government estimates it will cost
10 reclaim by irrigation. about 100000
acres in the West and Northwest. The
estimates for the reclamation work gives
the average price Of getting water on the
semi-arid acres. at about $50 per acre-or
six times what il would cost 10 drain
the swamp lands.
Reclaimed swamp lands are richer than
any other kind. They have been ferti-
Ilzed by decaying vegetable matter and
deposited silt for ages. They raise abun-
dant crops. They are worth at least $50
an acre on the average. Draining the
100000 acres would thus add $500. 1905 600
worth of farm lands to the country's to-
tai
Divided into farms Of 100 acres each.
the swamp lands would make 10000
farms. II is estimated that a good farm
of this size provides permanent homes
for at least seven persons and supports
about ten persons. The swamp lands
would provide homes for $4,000 persons
and would support 900. O.OOO-more than
there are in the kingdom of Belgium, one
sixth rs many as there are in all Of
South America; more than twice as many
as there are in Switzerland.
Would Raise Good Crops.
Estimating the average value Of the
yield per acre. every year at only $50.
these reclaimed lands would raise an
nually crops worth one and a half bill
lion Of dollars-nearly twice the value Of
the total wheat crop of the entire country.
The government is doing some drainage
work in its reclamation projects. but Il
is incidental to the irrigation work I'm
der the Congressional law creating the
reclamation bureau and defining its
scope. it has no right to go outside Of
irrigation reclamation. although the men
who have had charge OF the work hope
the scope viii be extended.
Out in Washington and California-on
the border between the two States-in
the Klamath region-some drainage work
has been necessary, in order TO perfect
the irrigation project. Several thousand
acres in the lower klamath Lake dis
trict have been drained by the creation
of reservoirs and the construction OF irri-
cation canals. These former swamp
lands are being eagerly sought after
on account of the low prices Of canned
goods in California the demand has been
phenomenal 1t is thought that. outside
of two factors. it will tax the capacity Of