376 ANNUAL EEPOKTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTTJEE. 



irrigation, and on the economical use of public water supplies. 

 Studies of the operation of irrigation districts and mutual and 

 cooperative water companies, and public control of irrigation have 

 been carried on. 



DRAINAGE OF IRRIGATED LANDS. 



All the drainage work in the West has been assigned to this di- 

 vision. The work consists in making surveys and plans for the drain- 

 age of agricultural land and supervising the installation of drains, 

 experiments to determine the best methods of drainage, and studies of 

 drainage organizations and the operation of the laws controlling 

 drainage. There has been a large demand for assistance in drainage 

 work in the West throughout the past year. 



DRAINAGE INVESTIGATIONS. 



CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF DRAINAGE WORKS. 



Extended field studies have been made of drainage ditches in the 

 central and the southeastern States that have been in operation for 

 several years. Experiments have been undertaken in seven districts 

 in North Carolina, Arkansas, and Iowa, to determine the best meth- 

 ods and the cost of clearing drainage ditches that have become ob- 

 structed, and of keeping the ditches in effective condition. Concrete 

 tile drains in the southeastern States are under observation. 



A revision of Department Bulletin 71, " The Wet Lands of South- 

 ern Louisiana and Their Drainage," has been prepared. Manuscript 

 for a report upon " The Cost and Operation of Drainage Pumping 

 Plants in Louisiana " has been prepared. The study of pumping for 

 drainage in the upper Mississippi Valley has been continued. 



PEAT, TURF, AND MUCK SOILS. 



An investigation was made of methods used in draining muck lands 

 in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The measurements to 

 determine the subsidence or compacting of peat and muck soils in 

 Florida and south Louisiana, due to draining, were continued. 



ORGANIZATION, FINANCING, AND LEGAL REGULATIONS OF DRAINAGE DISTRICTS. 



A report upon " The Organization and Administration of Drainage 

 Districts," explaining the means of forming drainage districts and 

 the precautions to be observed in order to avoid litigation and to sell 

 the bonds on the best terms, has been published. 



An investigation of the methods of distributing the cost of district 

 drainage among the beneficiaries has been begun, including a study 

 of the laws and court decisions bearing upon the subject. 



In conference with mejnbers of the legislature, the main provi- 

 sions were outlined for the act that has become the general drain- 

 age law of West Virginia. 



RUN-OFF INVESTIGATIONS. 



An article on " Run-off from Drained Prairie Lands of Southern 

 Louisiana," presenting the conclusions deduced from several years' 

 study, has been prepared and accepted for publication in the Jour- 

 nal of Agricultural Research. 



