The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1918-07-26
Wet Lands in Much of State
Cause Loss to Farmers,
NJ. A. c. Says.
NEW LAWS ARE NEEDED
Present Method of Collecting Drain
Tax Is Too Burdensome, Accord
ing to o. e. Robey.
BY o. E. ROBEY,
Specialist in Drainage Michigan Agri-
cultural COLLEGE,


In which we are taking all conceivable
steps to protect our crops against all
possible enemies and the world from
famine we should not lose sight Of the
immense crop producing value Of prop
er drainage.
Whenever we see an area under wa
ter which would become very good
farm land If properly drained. but
which Is not bearing an edible blade OF
grass, we wonder why we are not max
ing better use of II. Excess water Of
another sort. however. is probably cur
failing our agricultural effort more
than are these vast tracts of unreclaim-
ed land in Michigan. / refer to the
thousands Of fields plowed and planted
each year with the anticipation of Il
favorable season but which yield only
disappointment at harvest time be-
cause of too much moisture i'm the sub
soil.
In the case Of the undeveloped land
we do not expect crop. We do not
spend our high-priced labor attempt
ing to cultivate it nor do we waste our
high-priced seeds. Our direct loss here
Is not great In the other instance,
where the wetness Is not so evident,
we squander both time and seed and
the loss is sometimes ruinous.
This latter type of land. the kind that
looks dry but actually is wetter than
Wisconsin is losing more for the Mich
igan farmer today than are the unre-
claimed tracts. Usually these lands are
marked by heavy clay soil which is
very retentive of moisture. con-
tinued wet spell so saturates them that
time. This prevents the soil from
properly warming up in the spring, or
at any other period of the growing sea-
son, because the water as well as the
soil must he heated. The moisture al
so prevents the proper circulation Of
the air which is so necessary for the
growth Of the plant and for the break
ing down Of plantfood. Warmth, food
and air are all Of them very vital ele-
ments in the development of plant
One of the most effective ways of in
surfing crop upon this type of land
is to Systematically underdrain it. I'm
derdrainage, where il is needed, is one
Of the most fundamental requirements
Of profitable agriculture. Yet how oft
en- is this fact lost sight of. If under
drainage is necessary, and it is neces-
sary if crop is partially or complete
L., In fn al 10 10
one of the first improvements which
should be made,
Whenever drainage is spoken of in n
community where ii has not been tried
out to any great extent the expense is
first thought of. 1t does seem expen-
sive to invest from $40 to $40 an acre
in land that may be already high in
price. hut IL should be remembered that
the benefit from this expenditure is
not for one year alone, hut should rea-
sonably extend over Il lifetime. If we
consider the problem on this basis, 1t
amounts to much smaller expense per
year than many Of the other invest
mentS which we are making 10 increase
production, such as application Of fer
tilizers, use Of high-producing seeds,
and so on.
In visiting various sections Of the
state where undertakings has been
prncticed for some time one cannot but
he impressed by the uniform opinion
of those who have tried ii that
IL is one of the most paying invest
ments they have ever made. Many a
farmer who is accommodating money to
buy an additional farm might far bet
ter invest his money i'm Systematically
understanding his present property.
Many instances have come 10 my at
tention of farmers. who lacking money.
have borrowed il and drained to their
financial betterment.
TO illustrate what tile drainage will
do to increase food production, IL is
only necessary to remember the num-
Der of tile laid in Michigan last year.
We believe that the 25.00000O tile put
in last year will incredse crop produc-
ton one-third on the land drained
when taken over n series of years.
Forty thousand acres Of land were
drained In Michigan last year. The in
crease yield of this land due to better
drainage will supply sufficient wheat
corn and potatoes to feed city OF go
600 people for one year.
One of the most efficient ways of
increasing food production even I'M
der present conditions, IL will be SEEN
would be TO increase the amount Of file
drainage In Michigan. This would not
only produce food now, when IL is most
needed, but II would go on producing
food for years and years to come.
During the last year the farmers of
the state of Michigan paid over three
million dollars in drain taxes to secure
suitable outlets for drainage to their
land and undoubtedly this was money
well spent. II will bring great deal
more than this amount In returns, but
II Is one of the most lamentable facts