DRAINAGE INVESTIGATIONS. 49 



ship, about Lawrence, Kans., that are subject to overflow from the 

 Kansas River. A levee was phmned along the ri^er, and drainage 

 ditches within the district, the construction of which will reclaim and 

 improve 7,500 acres of valuable land. 



The Sellars ditch, near Henderson, Ky., is a cut-off 1 mile long on 

 Canoe Creek, that does not fulfill its purpose of preventing the flood- 

 ing of the bottom lands. A survey was made of this ditch by J. R. 

 Haswell, who prepared recommendations for constructing a diversion 

 dam in the creek at the head of the ditch, and for enlarging this chan- 

 nel so that it and the creek will provide a sufficient outlet for the 

 drainage basin which has an area of 13,750 acres. 



Investigations were made and a preliminaiy report prepared by 

 C. G. Elliott, A. E. Morgan, S. H. McCrory, and L. L. Hidinger 

 on the drainage of the fifth Louisiana levee district.^ The area com- 

 prises 1,562,000 acres in the northeast part of the State, of which 

 not more than 300,000 acres are cultivated, the balance being Avood- 

 land. Very neiirly the whole area suffers from lack of drainage, 

 owing to the flatness of the country and to the crooked and obstructed 

 character of the natural streams. The report outlines the necessary 

 work for providing the required main drainage systems, the lateral 

 drains, and the levees, and gives an approximate estimate of the 

 cost of this work, besides making recommendations concerning drain- 

 age organizations and suggesting methods of conducting a complete 

 survey of the district. 



In Johnson County, Nebr., the bottom lands along the Nemaha 

 River have been overflowed so frequently in the past few years that 

 their cultivation has become quite hazardous, and about 2,500 acres 

 formerly cultivated have been abandoned. A survey of the lands 

 was made by F. F. Shafer, and a plan was prepared showing the 

 ditches and other improvements which would be necessary to protect 

 from overflow about 13,000 acres in the valley. 



The overflowed lands along Wahoo Creek, in Saunders County, 

 Kebr., were surveyed for drainage purposes. A large ditch was 

 designed by "\Y. J. McEathron to assist the creek in carrying away 

 the water from the upper part of the drainage basin and to pro- 

 vide a good main drain for the low farm lands from which the 

 water does not flow readily into the creek. In the upper part of 

 the valley cut-offs are planned to shorten the creek channel and in- 

 crease its capacity. These works when constructed will benefit more 

 than 16,000 acres. 



A report was prepared by A. D. Morehouse, based upon a pre- 

 liminary examination by L. L. Hidinger and data from local sur- 

 veyors, for improving the channel of Lower Creek, in Burke and 

 Caldwell Counties, N. C. The work recommended is the enlarge- 



lU. S. Dept. Agr., Office Expt. Stas. Circ. 104. 

 91866°— 11 i 



