432 REPUKT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



ell'ort \v;is simply (o rid lli(> laud ol' llic liiiiiruil willioiil juucli lei^jird 

 as to wliolluM- or not the (lraina<j;e of the soil was sociired. As most 

 of the plantations ran from the bayous or streams back into the 

 swamp, there was usually at least a sli<;ht fall away from the streams, 

 and a series of j)arallel "leadin«j;" ditches from 6 to 10 feet wide and 

 2 to 4 feet deep, spaced from 800 to 1,200 feet apart, ran the 

 len<:th of the plantation. These were intersected at right anj^lcs, 

 usually by ditches of similar size, at distances of 800 to 1,200 feet 

 apart. These latter ditches were laid with no fall, so that the water 

 woukl flow either way, dependent upon the heif^ht of the water surface 

 in the "leading" ditches. Smaller "panel" ditches, 2 to 6 feet wide, 

 1^ to 3 feet deep, and placed every 90 to 120 feet, ran parallel to the 

 leading ditches, thus dividing the land into blocks, locally known as 

 "cuts." The cultivation of the crop was in rows parallel to these 

 panel ditches and every 300 to 400 feet the furrows were crossed by 

 shallow shovel ditches, known as "cjuarter drains," which caught the 

 run-ofT from the furrows and led it into the panel ditches. After each 

 cultivation it was necessary to go over these sliallow drains with a 

 shovel, in order to clear them out and make them eifective. Large 

 rainfalls were quickly disposed of by such a ditch system, but, owing 

 to the shallow depth of the ditches, the drainage of the soil was not 

 as effective as under more modern systems, and from 10 to 20 per cent 

 of the cultivable area was taken up by the ditches, besides the incon- 

 venience caused by the smallness of the plats to be cultivated. The 

 cost of such a ditcli system, not including levees or pumping equip- 

 ment, would amount to over $2,000 for 80 acres, or an average of 

 over $25 per acre. 



PHESENT METHODS. 



It is apparent from the experiences of the past that in the recla- 

 mation of small areas of land the cost might often be prohibitive, 

 but as the size of the plantation increases, the cost per acre rapidly 

 diminishes and probably approaches a minimum price when the plat 

 of ground amounts to eight sections (5,120 acres) of land or more. 

 Under ordinary circumstances, however, it would be difficult to 

 find such a tract of land lying in regular shape and available for recla- 

 mation, hence there are few smgle projects thus far which have 

 attained this size, although the impetus recently received in the 

 matter of reclamation of these lands indicates that the undertakings 

 will become larger and larger. The various main elements which 

 enter into these projects are the levee system, seepage, outlet canal 

 system, interior ditch system, and, lastly, the pumping plant. 



