The Wastage of Reservoir Sites 403 



then be cultivated in their entirety. The dry part 

 would be available for ordinary agricultural use and 

 crops can be grown by methods already well worked 

 out. The permanent water could be made to produce 

 fish and fish forage and other water crops. The 

 advantages of this plan over drainage would appear 

 to be the following: 



1. Increased productiveness. 



2. Permanent water storage. 



3. Diversifying of crops: it w r ould not be merely 

 adding more of crops already extensively cultivated. 



4. Diversifying the industries of the people. 



5. Completer utilization of the wet areas. 



THE WASTAGE OF RESERVOIR SITES 



There is another service that water culture may 

 render to great public works. It may make water 

 reservoirs productive. The various measures now 

 being widely considered for the development of our 

 water resources should be co-operative rather than con- 

 flicting. The making of reservoirs for holding the 

 surplus rainfall near the headwaters of streams, allow- 

 ing it to flow as needed, should result in three distinct 

 and permanent civic benefits: 



1 . Permanent water power. 



2. Continuous navigation. 



3. Increased production of food. 



One of the things that has stood in the way of the 

 development of reservoirs has been the necessity for 

 condemnation of valuable agricultural lands needed 

 for the reservoir site. Such lands when covered with 

 water are, of course, removed from agricultural use. 

 But they might yet be used for water culture, and 

 indeed the value of the resulting crops might thereby 

 be increased. 



