St. Tammany farmer., 1921-09-17
A TIMBER LAND
OWNER SHOULD
BE IN FAVOR OF
DRAINAGE
Unimproved CutoVer Lands
a. Losing Investment
To Owners.
MUST COMPETE
WITH MILLIONS
Not Even Reforestration Is
Successfully Accomplish
ed Without Drainage.
(By A., E. Briggs)

|
The owners Of timber and cut-ovel
lands in this parish can receive the
greatest benefits from drainage, and
without it they will be the greatest
losers. What are the reasons?
First, because as long as cut-ovc1
lands remain unimproyed and unpfO-
ductive, they are losing investmen,
to the owner.
! Second, without drainage these
lands have to compete with four
| hundred million acres Of other un-
| improved land in the United States
which can be made tit for agriculture
| by irrigation or drainage, and some
can be improved by simply clearing.
Third, to convert these lands to
profitable farming tracts, drainage is
| necessary.
Fourth, demonstration, because of
| the low return on the investment,
cannot be made attra ctive to capital.
Any reforestration here must be
made by the individual farmer on his
few acres, if any, of waste land, and
only on such land in the general farm
can he make it profitable.
Fifth, It is not practical for the
owner to hope for government pur-
chase of these lands either for re-
forestraion or colonization. He still
cannot afford to pay taxes on that
slender hope, for if it were realized
still he would be a loser. It cannot
come very soon, and unless it. does
taxes and interest will have eaten
up the owners investment in these
lands.
Sixth, on the other hand, drainage
viii make money for the land owner,
FOR it will make the land salenble, it
will increase the price of the land.
and at the same time DRAINAGE
WILL PAY FOR ITSELF.
Seventh Drainage is more feas-
ible in St. Tammany parish than
elsewhere, because this parish is
most advantageously located with
reference to markets and marketing
facilities, it's soil is especially adapt
able to trucking and orchard farm
ing, and in consequence of these ad-
yantages and favorable climatic con-
ditions farming can be carried on
here more profitably than elsewhere
in the South or North
All the foregoing reasons have
been proven by abundant evidence in
previous articles. 1t only remains
necessary now to show that there is
every reason why timber land own
ers should not longer delay drainage,
because in every way they will be
the gamers. The only objection to
immediate drainage which has not
been answered heretofore is the claim
that drainage would injure standing
timber This is mistake.
Drainage Will Benefit Standing
Timber.
The valuable timber in this parish
is mostly of character which would
thrive better under improved drain
age conditions. 1t is only swamp
timber, such as cypress and tupelo,
of which theer is comparatively little
in this parish, that could be injured
by drainage; practically, as | could
show, the cypress and tupelo-forests
would not be affected by drainage of
the higher lands. But there are
still considerable tracts of pine, and
with few exceptions it would not be
practicable while these are standing
to include them in drainage projects.
However, if any tract of pine timber
should fall within drainage dis
trict, there should be noloss through
INJURY to the timber, but on the coll-
trary darinage should increase the
growth and condition Of same.
While not arguing in behalf of
drainage for timber tracts, yet it is 1
necessary to remove the objection
that drainage would do damage to
timber. The absurdity Of this is ap-
CONTINUED on page 81