The farmer and mechanic., 1915-04-20
RAINING WET LANDS
IN NORTH CAROLYN A
IAN Address Delivered by Hon. Francis D. Winston OF WINDSOR
Wednesday night April H. Before the Chamber OF Com
merce and Citizens of Newport News.

swamps needing drainage and areas
in it's hill country needing projection
against overflow.
North Carolina has one drainage
district which covers an area of 12o,-
900 acres Of land, nearly three times
as much as was reclaimed by the
great Holland development.
The Obstacles.
The obstacles standing in the way
of drainage and reclaiming the North
Carolina swamp lands in the past have
been:
/. Lack Of machinery capable of
digging suitable bitches or canals to
take care Of the water. Invention and
modern ingenuity have evolved the
powerful dredge which does this work
with the ease of an Elgin watch and
draws from the mouth Of nature a
stump four feet across with the pain
less precision and unconcern of a
dentist extracting a molar.
2. No adequate laws that would per-
NIT the carrying out Of drainage prop
ositions We have now taken the
great burden from the shoulder Of the
individual and distributed it with its
benefits throughout the entire COM
munity. The drainage proposition has
entered the realm of brotherhood. and
every acre of land within its area
for it's support in proportion to the
benefits conferred.
3. The excessive cost of clearing
swamp areas. With the passage of
| the North Carolina drainage law Of
| 1903 the last Of these obstacles has
been removed and wherever the land
| has a sufficient agricultural value to
| warrant it the drainage proposition
can be carried out. AS I have stated
| our State geOlOgist ascertained in 1898
| that there were near three million
| acres Of unreclaimed wet and swamp
lands in our State. These lands con-
| stituted the most fertile area within
our boundaries. In the coastal
| swamps and Piedmont river valleys
| these lands lay dormant and unprofit-
able. Their only recognized value con-
sisted In the growing timber, which
they contain. part OF which has been
removed. Much Of this area had been
owned by the State and by the State
Board Of Education who had sold the
at an insignificant sum. The purchas-
ers had no other immediate purpose
than the removal Of the timber from
the land. It was also estimated that
! at least million and a quarter acres
OF these lands were susceptible OF
drainage at reasonable cost and that
/ the greater part thereof could he
, drained by gravity. This did not com
prise by any means all the lands
! where drainage was demanded. Many
acres OF the most productive lands
were reclaimed years ago, and cult
: vated Tor generations. but were un-
! satisfactory in their productiveness
N every year OF excessive rainfall the
: growing crops were impaired and the
1 productlveness Of the land greatly III.
m1nlsned How often have you heard
the statement that the earlv season
promised good crops but the exces.
!. | s!Ve rains OF midsummer "drOwn OF
h them out"
Large Areas Involved.
> There are no engineering problem.
: = which have not been solved and uvh;ot
? cannot be solved, and the cost Of s,,ot
: oralnage was within the limit of eco
g nomlcal investment and would Well
- ABUNDANT returns. I repeat again tha
4 mere was one phase of the problem
involved IN the drainage Of thes,
aieas ana II mad come to be recog
;. nlzed that the problem was hevon,
. the capacity Of the indiyidual 1.na
owner. Ihe tract Of land which "a,
- be successfully drained without rofa.
- ence TO contiguous lands is very 70 -,
% no generally the drainage Of one TIA =
IS connected with and dependent mo,
le olaihaee OF other tracts TIL
- dominant landowner must of naaa.
= sity seek an outlet for his draina -
through the servient lands and 1t.
lattef must take care Of tho u.+a
e which flows from the dominant lsnd
, we have recognized that only iar,
IF areas could be successfully and ~
r nomically drained and that tho h',u up
ID den den must be distributed among all tn tn
Is landowners in the proportion &c 49,
es lands were benefited This iO .nei
a. ie salient features Of our sdono one
Id drainage law. The basic ana ad.oo1
,e ,lal principles and provisions Of ti,i
i Id" nave peen upheld and annrora
ce iiya ny the Supreme Court of North pt2se care
relieved hle nf the test Of the law, not onl
or but has As sat;lfs ta;pPrshension of skeptic
ne thasers contemplating investment po' !
ii M ane eond issued by the various dr. ;, :
hit age a, districts The Supreme &C., Co,rt ~ al
ge ta'es tha iasa sach bonds a valid charge uno
ly ioiius embraced within tho IL