The Detroit times., 1913-07-28
RAYMOND W. PULLMAN.
Times Washington Bureau, Metropoh-
tan Bank Building.

tdh Bank building.
WASHINGTON, July IS. - That
floods are preyentable and that rain
fall is in the com
Control of plete control OF
Rainfall. man, prov n &
present known
methods of controlling water are
adopted by the farmers Of the country,
is the belief OF George IL. Maxwell. or
New Orleans. who is now in Washing
ton 20 confer with heads OF depart
ments and bureau chiefs on methods
of controlling stream flow.
Mr. Maxwell was head of the Pitts
hurgh flood commission several years
ago. and also conducted investigations
OF the great floods of 1912 and 1913
along the Mississippi and its tribu-
taries. At a recent conference OF all
OF the bureau heads of the United
States department of agriculture. who
were called to hear Mr.. Maxwell. and
which was presided over by Assistant
Secretary Galloway. the food investi-
gator spoke 10 the experts who were
gathered and disclaimed originality In
the ideas which he advanced. saying
| that they were found here and there
in various government publications.
Through the more general adoption
| OF the methods OF so-called contour
| farming" along with system OF
checking" non-cultivable lands, by
the blowing OF occasional deep fur
rows. will make il possible TO catch
practically all OF the water as II falls
and soak il into the ground. according
10 Mr.. Maxwell On steep hillsides
where there is sure TO be some run
of OF rain and melting SHOWS, control
OF water can be effected. he thinks
by the construction of reservoirs
which will store water 10 be used IN
1.-THE dry seasons of the year for irriga
ton. In the opinion OF Mr. Maxwell
! and other experts, the adoption OF
these methods OF stream control would
not only prevent the great damage
which is caused by floods almost every
year, but would also result in enrich
ing farmers by increased yields OF
crops brought about by more even dis
tribution of water on the soil.
Mr.. Maxwell. who is now working
for better methods OF cultivating the
soil and for flow control, is the same
advocate who twelve or fourteen
years ago travelled from one end OF
the United States TO the other tellinl
OF the need of reclamation OF the arid
lands of the west through irrigation
Director Newell and other officials OF
the United States reclamation service
have often expressed their belief hac
not Mr.. Maxwell popularized the irrl
cation movement during the latter
years OF Mckinley's administration
and in the beginning of Roosevelt
| first term, that the law would never
have been passed as early as 1902
when IL was put on the statute books
| Mr.. Maxwell believes that the damage
done by floods has awakened the peo
pie OF the country TO their danger and
the uselessness OF such excessive los:
almost every year, and that Congress
will soon adopt legislation such as thai
proposed by Senator Newlands, of Ne
vada. and others, which will provide
for adequate methods of food contro
in the United States.
| Something more than levee systems
| which often proved unstable in time
| of emergency, Is necessary, according
TO Mr.. Maxwell. In the YaZoo distrIct
OF Mississippi he says that 90 per cen
OF the levees have been abandoned
| Speaking OF a national policy of fiooc
| control, yesterday, he said:
| The more one studies the subject
the more he is forced back to the con
clusion that the only way 10 prevent
| floods, preserve the normal flow OF
| navigable rivers in summer time anC
preserve the rains and SHOWS of win
ter, which usually cause the floods, Is
TO go back to the source and conserve
the rain or snow as IL falls. The
| problem Is 10 devise some means o.
catching and holding back every sin
gle drop of water or fake OF snow or
each acre Of land In the United States
| IL can be shown by this method tina
the precipitation on twenty acres o
land can be controlled. and TO my
| mind IL Is just as feasible TO contro
| the precipitation on the entire drain
| age basin on the Ohio river, and tina
would mean the control Of the lower
Mississippi floods. Man has destroyed
the provisions of nature for preserving
| water and equaliZing its flow in mos
sections OF the country, and man mus
restore these provisions or provide
measures which are substitutes. The
| so-called source system OF stream flow
control includes the construction o.
storage basins for surplus water the
enlarging of channels as you go down
| stream, adoption OF contour methods
OF farming the land, so that water viii
not rush off rapidly, and the perma
| nent protection OF banks OF rivers b.
the building OF revetments before tn'
| banks are worn away. Willow plant
| ing has been found to be the best
method OF constructing revetments.
! 81 believe the conservation OF wa
ter and the control of floods can BIZ
effectively brought about only through