The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-09-07
RIVER BOTTOM URAiNS.
Dean Raymond Shows Thst TIlss Must
BE Used 70 Obtain Results

Dean Raymond Shows That TiIee ksuss
Be Ussd 70 Obtain Results.
The river bottoms OF Iowa are usual
~ broad. with little slope toward the
river and almost universally with
banks slightly higher than the hand
farther back. these banks forming nat
ural levees to keep the river OF the
bottom lands except at very high wa
ter. but also serving to hold water
on the bottom lands for long periods
in the spring and sfter food stages OF
the river. AS result of this forma-
ton many thousands of acres of the
richest. most valuable land are wholly
unproductive. says Dean William G.
Raymond Of the Engineering State
university Of Iowa city. They are COW
cred by shallow ponds that dry out
only late In the season or serve only
for wild bay or inferior pastures
Attempts to drain these lands by
open bitches have sometimes been sue
cessful. but often have not owing to
the very slight fall that can be had.
the rapid choking OF bitches by yege-
tation and the blocking of the mouth
by river silt and sand. Moreover. this
method wastes considerable quantities
of this same most valuable land that
II Is sought to reclaim. An open ditch
must have easy side slopes to prevent
caving In OF the sides. and the dirt
taken from the ditch is deposited
alongside. 20 that properly construct
ed ditch only one foot wide on the bot
tom and four feet deep Ia likely to
waste a strip of land twenty-five to
thirty feet wide for its entire length.
A mfie OF such ditch would consume
over three acres OF tfllable ground IL
the annual profit to be earned on such
land Is only $3.50 per acre. this would
represent at per cent a capital ac-
count of $3.50 that could be added to
the cost Of an open ditch to build tile
drain. and II the annual cost Of clean
ing the open ditch be capitalized IN q
similar manner sum possibly even
larger could be added to the cost Of
an open ditch to build tile drain.
An open ditch that will even ap-
proximate the drainage effect of q
twelve inch tile cannot be properly
built for less than from 800 to $1,000
a mile, depending on the soil. the labor
market and the class of labor availa-
BILE, while the cost of twelve inch
tile well laid may be as little as about
$1.400 u mile, as is shown by the fol-
lowing cost OF $500 feet of such tile
drain laid for Mr.. II. r. Mosnat of
Belle Plaine. The cost was SSD5.76.
AS there were 27O acres directly
benefited by this drain the cost was
about 1882 per acre. Half of this
land had never been under cultivation
and the other half only in dry years.
About seventy acres were In two ponds,
and various attempts had been made
to drain these by open bitches. but
without success.
The result has been gratifying. and
the owner was offered a 40 per cent
increase on the cost of the land and
tile as soon as 1t was demonstrated
that the ponds could be drained. This
particular line of tile averaged four
to four and half feet deep and open
ed into the Iowa river by tide gate
or flap valve that let's the water into
the river at ordinary stages and keeps
the river out of the tile at high wa
for