EURAL ENGINEERING. • 85 



Rpections of hydrographic surveys, by P. J. Jennings ; and reports on reservoir- 

 site surveys, leveling operations during 1911. the proposed South Saskatc-hewan 

 diversion canal, and the current meter rating slation. Tables of precipitation 

 and temperature data of Alberta and Saskatchewan and current meter rating 

 curves, and data with maps of irrigation districts, accompany this report. 



Irrigation {Porto Rico Sugar Producers' Sta. [Pamphlet], 1912, pp. 25, figs. 

 S). — This pamphlet contains the proceedings of a meeting of sugar planters held 

 at Central Fajardo, August 15, 1912. It contains papers on Irrigation (pp. 

 6-11). Preparation and Cultivation of the Soil with the Purjwse of Conserving 

 Moisture (pp. 16-19). and Rainfall at Arecibo (pp. 20. 21), by J. T. Crawley; 

 Irrigation, by E. E. Olding (pp. 23-25) ; and a discussion on irrigation, by W. 

 W. Schlecht (pp. 12-15). 



Land drainag-e, H. B. Walker {Agr. Ed. [Kaas. Agr. GoL], 5 (1912), No. 1, 

 pp. 95, pi. 1, figs. 21). — The author presents in this pamphlet a nontechnical cor 

 relation of established drainage principles, collected from the currently recog- 

 nized drainage literature, together with other information collected by him in 

 his experiments and investigations of the drainage conditions and requirements 

 in the wet sections of Kansas. He discusses in detail surface drainage by open 

 ditches, stream improvement, and channel straightening and underdrainage by 

 tile systems, dealing at length with tlie action of water in various soils and 

 the required treatment in each case to obtain proper soil moisture regulation. 



In conclusion he gives a set of tile-drain specifications with some brief prac- 

 tical suggestions and points to be remembered. Chief of these is that to obtain 

 an economical drainage system a reliable drainage engineer should be employed 

 to make surveys and plans. 



Keport and plans for reclamation of lands subject to overflow in the 

 Kaskaskia River Valley, Illinois, 1910-11, J. A. Harman ( RprhigficUl, TIL: 

 Rivers and Lake Com., 1912, pp. 10, pis. 39) .—This report contains preliminary 

 plans and cost estimates for the reclamation of lands ^ibject to overflow in 

 the Kaskaskia River Valley from the Shelby-Fayette County line to the mouth of 

 the river in Randolph County. The land area included in this project is approxi- 

 mately 254 sq. miles or 162,560 acres, which is divided into 28 drainage districts. 



The work consists chiefly of improvement of the river channel by using 130.1 

 miles of the old channel and excavating 18 miles of cut-offs, and involves a 

 total of 34.335.200 cu. yds. of fill and excavation for levees and districts. The 

 estimated cost of the entire improvement is $4,778,610, which, including .$8 

 per acre for interior drainage by pumping or gravity outlets, averages between 

 $35 and $40 per acre. It is estimated that the total benefits" to be derived 

 from the reclamation of this land will be from 50 to 100 per cent more than the 

 cost of the improvement. 



River bank experimental road (Engin. Rec., 67 (1913), No. 10, pp. 25S, 

 259. fig. i).— An experimental concrete country road 3,000 ft. long and 18 ft. 

 wide was constructed with a crown of i in. per foot to determine its appli- 

 cability to local climatic, traffic, and subgrade conditions in the neighborhood 

 of Sacramento, Cal. Ten sections were constructed containing S different mix- 

 tures of concrete, varying from 1:2:4 mixture to 1 : 2* : 6. Four of the sec- 

 tions were reenforced with light wire mesh of sufficient area to reeuforce the 

 slab against temperature and shrinkage stresses. Four tyiies of expansion 

 joints were also experimented with, consisting of oiled surfaces, spaced 10 to 

 40 ft.; tar paper joints, spaced 10 to 20 ft.; i in. joints filled with bitumen, 

 spaced 25 to 40 ft. ; and § in. joints spaced 30 ft. 



Tables of tests are given of the comparative strengths of sand and the 

 properties of concrete mixtures used. 



