Oxford eagle., 1912-07-25

ia your valuable paper TO allow
me to tell Of what we saw in Tu-
palo. Miss.
The drainage commissioners.
Messrs. r. ". Avent, Wm. Hus-
ton, and II L. Davis. and J. =.
Young and the writer made a
visit to Tupeio the early part OF
this week To loo., over the drain
age districts and good roads there.
Iconiess { never had any definite
idea Of just what that kind OF
work could do for any country.
The results obtained in and
around Tupelo are nothing short
ol marvellous. Here are some Of
the things We found: Tupelo is
situated on the very edge Of n
bottom, the bottom being almost
AZ wide a. Yocaua. The worl,
was begun there eighteen years
ago; it began by putting down a
ditch six feet vice and two feet
deep. Think of that as a Begin
ming t. drain N0coual They
levied tax of twenty five cents
per acre AZ first, that only cleared
up the right OF way, they had a
new law passed and finally they
have put through a ditch twenty
i've feet wide and ten feet deep
Iaybe you don't think that would
amount TO much. Well. you will
see from what say here as a.
what that has done. Letme say.
however, that they are going 10
widen that about six or eight feet
right away. How does this ditch
help; what results have they OBJ
tanned by this sort Of ditch to a
bottom one mile wide? Just this
This same land sold fifteen wears
ago Tor its taxes. Ne one wanted
1t, No one would buy it. We
were shown 4 sixteen acre block
Of this land after being drained
by this ditch and tiled for 81. .000.
We saw 2l7 acre block OF this
land that had recently been sold
for 3, 100 that the man has nov
refused $4,000 for. What about
that per cent? We also saw a
5ig body Of land that cost SIS. GOO
not over four years ago that will
sell (but they won't sell i'd for
Sl50, ,000i And this is the rule of
the increase Of values caused ex-
@ilsively by drainage, no exeep-
tons at all. Does drainage pay?
Look at the above figures. The
result has been that there are
about twelve drainage districts
.lready in Lee county, the sec =
ond smallest county, in area, in
Mississippi.
But, We are asked il the canal
must not be large enough to car
rs all the water. No. Nothing
but the hills will serve as levees
Tor oyerlOws-no canal will ever
carry it. The above land over
flows sometimes several feet deep ::
thev say that it is good for the
land gives new life TO it by de-
posting sediment. Then why
dig canal? For the simple rea-
son the water runs off at once.
The above land before drained
took over sixty hours to run the
water of; now little over twen-
". Running water. does not
hart; the standing water kills.
Every observing farmer knows
that.
Do you use the old stream?
Not in the least. don't get near
1t If you can help il. 1t is always
crooked and full Of logs L Is
cheaper to build L new one, much
cheaper than 70 even clean out
the old. What experience has
shown the men around Tupelo is
to get the straightest possible
ditch, straight as a gun barrel, II
possible. Another idea, never
cut banks Of canal straight up
and doRn. \ canal thirty five
feet wide at the top should not
be over ten feet at the bottom
where not over twelve or fifteen
feet deep. Why? Because straight
banks soon cave in and stop up
the canal; beveled aides keep the
stream clean; it assures a free
and easy passage OF all water.
The bevele5 sides Of the canal
together with depth is what gets
results.
They don't have any open
bitches after the canal is cut
they use tiIing-their fields are
as level as they can be; they
drag in and fill up all old creek
runs and sloughs, put down tiling
and drain into the canal. Tiling
can be done at small cost COM
pared to results obtained. Every
open ditch IS being done away
with; the wettest slash is dried at
once and kept dry.
They are organized district not
over three miles in length there
Everybody is talking drainage ;
il there is a single man opposed
to drainage we were not able TO
find his postoffiee address. 4.
FIRST they were called crazy folks
for attempting this work; now it
is tine salvation OF that country /;
1t has opened up thousands OF
acres Of the finest lands they have
that was formerly worthless. And
The work has just begun.
And Just here let me say that