The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-12-15
As Others See 1t
UTILIZING OUR WET LANDS
(Florida Times-Union.)

Looking into the future, the secretary of agri-
culture sees time approaching when our tilabie
lands as they are today will not suffice to more
than feed our rapidly increasing population The
conditions under which America always has had
an exportable surplus are not likely to continue,
in his view He would probably except from this
view some crops such as cotton and, perhaps, to-
bacco.
American agriculture is suffering today from
the involuntary closing of our foreign markets,
due to the disturbed state of the exchange mar
ket With strong and insistent demand abroad
for our cotton and foodstuns and equally
strong desire in this country to supply that de-
mand, II 1t can be done with moderate degree
Of profit commerce stands comparatively idle.
Believing that the latter condition, due to re-
construction OF the worlds industries and COM
merce, may not last long, yet that the time may
come when our own population will call for all
the possible products of farms Secretary
Wallace announces:
81 have assigned to a committee of highly COM
petent men from the several bureaus of the de,
partmsnt the task OF making a survey of our
land area which is not now being utilized for
the production of crops. They will study the
dry lands, the wet lands, and the cut-over tim
berlands, especially with view to determining
how shch lands best be used to increase
agricultural production needed. We must have
reliable information concerning these lands if
we are to develop a wise agricultural policy"
Whether the secretary is a true prophet or
not, and II only for the purpose of maintaining
Americas agricultural status the feeder of the
world, it may be necessary to utilize all our po-
tental acreage. Much depends upon whether this
committee takes common-sense view of the
matter or not. Much money has been wasted
in costly engineering works to make the desert
produce. Everything suggested has been done
for part of the country where, with irri-
cation, not than one crop year can be
produced, where without it crop in two years
is the best that can be expected; the south,
where more than one crop-from two to four in
Florida-can be raised in year. has been neg
: 1ected Yet the reclamation of the wet lands of
! the south would have cost much less than the
! attempt to- make crops grow where nature has
forbidden them, the first being mainly question
! of drainage.
! If the committee can divest itself of prejudice
! it will perceive that the wet lands along the
coastal plain, especially in Florida being either
along the banks Of streams in swamps, have
received the benefit of years, ages even, of de-
caying vegetation and among the richest
! in the world, our mild climate producing more
profuse vegetation than the north is blessed with,
and at the same time reducing that vegetation
when decaying into humus more rapidly than in
] any colder regions.
II Secretary Wallaces committee studies condi-
tions with an eye single to the best interests of
| the country, Florida will eventually receive great
benefit through consistent policy of draining
the wet lands of the country.