488 KKroKT OF Ui'l'lCE C»F EXrEUiMKNT STATIONS. 



ciilty was ciu'ountoivd from t\w salt AVJilcr in I'.Mi;'), tlio I'rosli-watcr 

 supply li!i\iiiu' l»f('M imi])l('. A dam is hciiiL;- <"<»Mstruct«'(l in (he Mcr- 

 nu'iitau Kix'cr in order to keep out the salt water in seasons oi" sliortajre. 

 The elleet of this will be watched with much interest. 



Data has been collecttul to show the cost ol" i)umpin<;- water a?id to 

 assist in determinin*;- the elliciencv of dilleivut types of pumi)s. The 

 collection of saiuples of salt water for the Bui"(>au of Chemistry was 

 iiitorruptcd by a change in our agents, l)ut arrantfomcnts are being 

 made for the renewal of this cooperation in r.>()4. 



The time of Professor Aldrich was given to the collection of data 

 showing the cost of supplying Avater, the character of the rental agree- 

 ments, and other social and legal questions connected with the use of 

 these streams in irrigation. 



INVESTIGATIONS ALONG THE ATLANTIC SEABOARD. 



In February last 3'ear, in company with Mr. Sanmel G. Stone}', I 

 made an inspection of the rice plantations alojig the Cooper River, 

 near Charleston, S. C, for the purpose of ascertaining what could be 

 done for the betterment of conditions along this river. Ever since 

 the war the rice industry along this stream has languished, the total 

 area undcj- cultivation being onh^ aboiit half what it was a half centui'v 

 ago, and many of the plantations and buildings have been a])andoned 

 for many 3'ears. 



The inspection was made from a gasoline launch, and we stopped at 

 a number of places where dikes w^n-e l)eing l)uilt and repaired and saw 

 a numl^er of plantations on which the cost of repairing dikes has led 

 to their disuse. This was the second visit made to this district and 

 it confirmed the conclusion formed at the first one, that the thing 

 most needed to restore the rice industrj' in this part of the countr}' to 

 its original prosperity is the organization of all t\w planters along 

 each river into some sort of a cooperative body, having for its object 

 the maintenance and repairing of the levees according to systematic 

 plans. Such an organization of rice growers would permit of the 

 operation of modern up-to-date machinery for the driving of piles and 

 the building of dikes, and this would lessen the expense of repairs by 

 at least one-half and would greatly improve the character of the work 

 when completed. Such an organization would insure protection of 

 the levees along the stream. As it is now one negligent planter often 

 endangers the safety of the plantations above and below him. 



The })uilding of ])etter levees is one of the measures needed to 

 insure the protection of these plantations in time of flood. Other 

 improvements arc needed to insure an ample water supply in time of 

 drouth. Su))sequent to my visit some drainage survcA^s were made 

 bv Mr. Elliott of this Oflice to ascertain the feasibilitv of securing a 

 supplementar}' water suppl}- during the low-water season. It is 



