The farmer and mechanic., 1915-04-20

hors and friends something of the |
many constructive works we are en-
gagged in down home" The North |
Carolinian who cannot talk ABOUT |
schools. social service, betterment |
work, forestry. good roads and rain
age knows but little of what is going
on around him. Under your lnvltauon
| feel that / shall not be charged
with boasting Of the accomplishment
of our commonwealth when l narrate
TO you just one chapter out OF the
book of her many activities.
The State of North Carolina at the
session of the General Assembly IN
1909 passed comprenenS'Ve anu
workable drainage act It's passage
was the direct result OF drainage
convention held in the City of New
Bern the year before. For some years
prior thereto the North Carolina State
Geological and Economic Survey un-
der the guidance Of DR.. Joseph Hyde
Pratt our very able State geOloglst,
had been giving special attention 70
the problem of draining certain
swamp lands belonging to our state
Board of Education. During his in
vestigation of the large area of swamp
lands belonging to the State DR.. Pratt
was impressed with the enormous
acreage of swamp land in the eastern
part of our State. and also with the
idea of the feasibility Of draining
and reclaiming them. He saw that
much of these lands in private owner
ship was capable Of being drained at
reasonable cost, and that when drained
properly a highly productive area
would be added to our agricultural
land We then had no adequate laws,
which would warrant anyone under
taking such drainage. In fact no sim
gle individual could undertake 1t
either with profit or good results
Our geological board called a pop
ular convention for the purpose OF
considering drainage in all it's phases.
and for the purpose of recommending
to the General Assembly such legisla-
ton as would make the drainage Of
this vast area Of splendid land both
practical and profitable. The subject
Of drainage was given marvellous en-
phasis by the facts and figures and
recommendation, the convention sub
mitted to the people Of the State and
TO the Legislature. The law recon-
mended by the convention was passed
with little opposition.
At this convention the North Caro-
lima Drainage Association was organ
ized as a permanent body. 1t is to-
day alive and alert. Under it's direc-
tion interest in the drainage of oul
swamp and overflOwed land has taker
possession of the entire State. and nov
there are but few sections Of the
coastal plains or Piedmont region tha
are not at work in draining swamI
lands or in preventing overflow OF
creek and river bottoms. The mos
interesting feature at the annual meet
ings of our drainage association is ;
recital OF the practical results tha
have flowed from the drainage tina
has been completed. Until you hav
organized in Tide Water, Va, wher
the large body Of lands needing drain
age is located, a permanent drainag
association, you are not likely to max
great headway in any particular drain
age project. The subject is one tina
concerns the entire State. l am sur
your own wisdom will direct you
such an organization at an early dat,
As Done In Holland.
When the subject of drainage
mentioned the intelligent mind nat
urally turns to the low country {
Holland. with it's populous province
now reclaimed from the disastrous IL
roads of the North Sea, and from tn
overflow Of the rivers which rise
the German Hills. The skill
the Dutch in the design an
construction Of dikes. canals, an
other works required in drainage an
have an acquaintance with reclams
tion subjects. Their engineers ha,
Tor years been looked upon as author
ties In that kind Of work The
training has come to them throue
centuries of the most trying exper
ence imaginable. The Netherland
commonly spoken of as Holland, col
sists of eleven provinces having 6
area OF 1858 square miles and a DO
ulation Of five and half million
One-fourth of the surface is belo
sea level and more than one-third
less than three feet above ordina
tide. The productive part of Holla,
is that which is protected by dikes a,
drained by bitches, a productive al
fiourishing kingdom veritably snatch
from a tempestuous and hostile sc
The largest and by far the most not
ble reclamation project in that cou
try Is HARLEM Lake. The lake "
body Of fresh water oblong in sha
but OF irregular contour, about fo,