454 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



at twenty-five to forty dollars per acre, and that only fiftten years ago. 

 N0|W every farm is tiled; there has not been a farm sold at sheriff's sale 

 for years and none are for sale, and I do not know of a farm in this 

 township which could be bought for less than $125 per acre. Where we 

 used to haul our grain eight or ten miles, we now have warehouses every 

 three or four miles on all our railroads, and better still we are building 

 in this county 130 miles of macadam roads, all easily traced to the bene- 

 fit derived from proper drainage. I have some land here that was once 

 as wet as my land near Britt, that in spite of the very wet season here 

 made over sixity bushels of corn per acre. 



You can readily understand why we are "not afraid to buy your wet 

 farms. I have had several friends move from here to Nprthwestern Iowa 

 and buy the most level farm they could and then be compelled to sell it 

 again for the reason that it was too wet for a home and no outlet obtain- 

 able for drainage. Make your laws favor the man who wishes to im- 

 prove your county. I am anxious to pay a ditch assessment on. my 800 

 acres and do not want the State, county or township to drain it for me; 

 just give me a ditch and I will gladly pay the bill; without it my land is 

 worthless. Start fifty dredges next summer and you will start such an 

 larmy bf landseekers from the level prairies of Indiana and Illinois and 

 such a land boom as you have never witnessed in your State. They 

 ,h.^;ve quit Iowa until you get better drainage. 



If I do not close you will think me a crank on this subject, but drain- 

 age has made this county, as well as myself, financially, and I always 

 like to push the good work; that is why I am standing ditch viewer in 

 this county; they kniow, I never reported against a proposed drainage. 



After the reading of this letter the meeting adjourned to meet the 

 following morning at 8:30 o'clock in the college chapel. 



MOR>ixG sESSiox, JAXTAEY 16. 1904, 8:30 o'clock. 



The committee on permanent organization reported Professor W. PI. 

 Stevenson for president and Mr. John Hammill for secretary. The re- 

 port was adopted. 



The president-elect made a few remarks in acknowledgment of the 

 honor conferred upon him. and then announced the first number upon 

 the program would be an address upon "Road Drainage." by Senator 

 John T. Brooks, of Hedrick. 



A summary of the address follows: 



I do not stand before you, gentlemen, claiming any special technical 

 knowledge. That I do not profess, as I am more interested as a learner 

 than as an instructor. I am vsuro that there will be a number of gentle- 

 men present who will disagree with my views on the drainage question. 

 There may be some who will agree. I wish to warn both classes not to 

 take my views too seriously. Whatever they may be they have come to 

 me through my own experience and observation. I am announced on the 

 program to talk to you on road drainage. I will not treat this questi-on 

 or consider it in itself. I fully agree with Professor Curtiss In his re- 

 marks when he joined field drainage and road drainage in one problem. 



