The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-17
TRAIN COMES ID AID RECLAMATION Illinois Central Is Behind
 the Work wv. l.. PARK TALKS Vice President Explains Importance of Reclaiming Thousands of
 Acres Now Going to
 Waste


 the Illinois Central and the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley railroad companies arriy ed in Birmingham at o'clock yes terday evening. This train, which Is be- | Ing sent over all the territory GOV cred by these two roads, has been an attractive feature all along the route 1 from Cairo. Ill, to Birmingham. IL consists of four cars-a baggage car, a day coach in which lectures are given bv government experts who accom- pany the train at places too small 10 afford halls; Pullman and private car, Extending the full length or the baggage car on each side is large sign reading. Proclamation special drain the swamps. exterminate themos- qujtoes. make homes on the land The train is in charge of IL L. Anderson of the vice president and general man ager's office, and will be accompanied on a part of the journey by W. L. Park. vice president and general man ager.
 MT. Park Talks
 In explaining the purpose of the spe- cial train, MT. Park said: The fact that so many thousands of the best citizens of the United States are nov ing across the Canadian border. there 10 take up homes on the land and to be- come subjects of Great Britain, Is matter of serious concern to every cit izen of the United States. It Is certain that these migrating citizens must find something in Canada more attractive than their home country and when we look out over the land and find more than 70,0oO,0 900 acres of the richest land in the world are lying idle within the United States 1t behooves us to ask, 'WhyT These millions of acres com prise the wet lands of the country.
 4They have been lying at our doors for more than a century while American capital has stretched out far beyond the seas in order to find remunerative in vestments The swamp lands of the United States are made up of the best soil materials that the country affords. Properly drained and protected from over- | flow they increase in value so enormous I ly that there is no excuse for the inac- tivity of the American people in making the best use of them. The drainage or | swamp lands may be accomplished with comparatively small expenditure. When | the enormous SuCC6SS pl hll6a1Oi HI the west is contemplated, irrigation which cost from s2O to s100 per acre, and when l it is considered that the swamp lands of 1 the United States can be drained and 1 protected at cost of from S2 to S20 per acre. there is reason for encouragement and education of the people as to the facts so that they may organize and se- cure the laws that are necessary to ac-
 complish this great purpose.
 "A piece of land in Indiana produced
 during five years previous to drainage
 an average of 3419 bushels of corn peI acre. During the five years after drain age it produced 741a bushels per acre During the same two periods physicians l in that region reported 14S0 cases Of ma laria before drainage and only 490 cases after drainage. Was the drainage worth while?
 | "On Wellsford plantation, in the coast marsh country of Louisiana, reclaimed land sells for $50 per acre The same land outside of the levee, undrained finds no purchasers at $6 per acre. Was drainage a good investment in that case!
 Tn the Shiocton marsh in Wisconsin l land which was worthless before drain age raises 20 tons of cabbages to the acre | Ask the Shiocton people concerning drain age values.
 Work in the West
 Land in the bottoms of Kaskaskls river in Illinois, practically worthless be- cause so frequently overfiowed that agri- lculture cannot be assured, produces when protected and drained 100 bushels of corr per acre.
 'The greatest asparagus farm in the west, producing fabulous profits, consists | of formerly worthless peat land in the San Joaquin valley in California. Drain | age has done this. The reclamation oi the swamp and overflow lands of the 1 United States is not a dream of an ideal ist Every year more difficult pieces oi engineering work are accomplished. The | extension of the terminal of single rail | road system into New York city, com pleted a short time ago, involved more engineering difficulties in the distance o1 about three miles than could possibly be met with in the reclamation of 70O00. .O0t 1 acres of swamp and overflow lands In the 1 United States. The construction of a sin gle bridge across Salt Lake opened uI
 more new and untried fields In engineer ing than have ever been encountered 1T drainage work since its beginning. Two
 things are vital in swamp land reclama
 tion-hrst, a realization of the possibili
 tes, and, second, a united effort of thu
 people. Most large propositions of thii
 kind depend for their final success oI
 commercial demand In the present cas-
 such demand for a large amount o
 drained area is already present.
 "The Illinois Central railroad has takel
 into account the foregoing facts and knowing that the prosperity of the coun try through increased agricultural pro duction necessarily means increased pros perity along all lines of activty. has pro posed as a purely business proposition Il call the attention ofsthe country to thes' possibilities. Transportation is necessar7 to all prosperity and therefore the inter ests of any railroad and those of the peo pie whom it serves cannot be made dis tlnct The issues are joint and produe tive results cannot be secured except by a common agreement and cooperation among the several parties affected" 1 REBELS REFUSE