The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-07-05
LOW LANDS BEST FOR
DIVERSIFIED CROPS
WET ACRES PAY FOR RECLA-
NATION UNDER GEORGIA
DRAINAGE DISTRICT LAW.

Some months ago it was proposed
to create a drainage district for the
purpose OF draining the swamp lands IN
Terrell county along Chickasawhatch-.
chez creek. and some OF the owners OF
the land held meeting in Dawson Tor
the purpose of considering the matter.
Nothing became of the movement,
however. In this connection the to-
lowing article. which was contributed
to the Marietta Journal, on the sub
iect Of drainage districts gives some
interesting information:
When business is bad and prices are
low every wise manufacturer slows
down his plant and reduces produc
ton. but he uses this time to repair
and improve his machinery, SO that
when the time for speeding up comes
there will be nothing to hinder a big
and profitable output.
When farm products are low and
the market full the wise farmer will
reduce his acreage OF crops requiring
much labor, and plant those crops
that help the land, and vii use his
spare time to improve his land and
farm buildings. He always has in mind
that no matter how bad business IS,
or how low prices may go, there must
be reaction. People must have 1ood
and clothes. 1t is from the land that
these have come in the past, and 1t is
only from the land that they must
come in the future; therefore, time
spent in improvement OF the land IS
never thrown away however low
farm products may be at the moment.
This is a logical and conservative
statement.
One important feature OF farm i'm
provement has been largely neglected
/ in Georgia solely because the people
have not been generally informed
IconCerning the provisions OF the dram
age law OF the state. For ages the wa
tiers have been taking the soil from
the hillsdes filing and overtioWlng
! the streams, spreading and making
waste marshes OF these bottoms. Here
! lie thousands OF fertile acres, capable
OF producing corn and other crops IN
great abundance, and that without any
! fertilizers, if only these acres can be
made safe for cultivation.
/ Knowing the character OF these
! lands farmers are tempted to plant
them, year after year, only to have
the result of their labors destroyed
! bv one or two overhows. Then the
lands are abandoned to become an I'M
slightly menace to the health OF the
community. Perhaps the losses OF a
single year might have sutflced to
! ditch the lands, but without cO-Opera-
/ ton, from above and below this would
prove worse than futile, 1t was to meet
/ this situation that the Georgia dram
| age law was passed.
Under the law these lands become
! the sole security for their own recla-
nation, and instead OF remaining a
dangerous liability they are transform
ed into valuable asset. Often the
first crop pays for the whole improve
ment to say nothing of the better
health. which is a blessing that can
not be measured in dollars and cents,
The law is no longer an experimental
one; Walton, Cobb, GWinnett and a
number OF other counties have already
labundantly proved its benefits. In
| Cobb alone are four completed drain
! age districts, one under way and sew
eral others being organized.
/ Since the south must turn to the
diversihCation OF crops to redeem her
! farming interests bottom land should
be peculiarly valuable at this time,
and surely there never was a better
time for farmers to put in some work
on the improvement OF their lands.
Aside from the bond provision for
financing drainage districts the gov
eminent is offering farmers money
for farm improvement at rates, and
upon terms, which the banks can not
obtain.
Briefly stated, a drainage district
Punder the Georgia law is organized
as follows:
Assuming that the wet lands in a