THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



113 



DEPT. 



WISDOM OF PLANNING COMPREHENSIVE 

 DRAINAGE SYSTEMS.* 



BY C. 0. ELLIOTT. 



The commonwealth of Iowa is destined to soon 

 occupy one of the leading places among the prominent 

 agricultural states of our nation. Her location between 

 two of the greatest rivers of our country and the 56,000 

 square miles of land inclosed by her boundaries, give 

 her a commanding industrial position. Above all, her 

 soil being naturally fertile and especially susceptible 

 to improvement, may be so developed that there is 

 scarcely an acre which may not become a productive 

 factor in the markets of both state and nation. The 

 attractiveness of her lands and confidence in her future 

 agricultural prowess have induced a large number of 

 most excellent citizens from states farther east to locate 

 within her boundaries, much to her advantage in both 

 material and social affairs. The development of her 

 natural resources is of eminent import to each one of 

 her citizens. This convention will consider one of those 

 industries which pertains to her material progress, in 

 so far as it relates to individual business interests. The 

 manufacture of finished products from native clays is 

 an art of notably ancient origin, and one distinguished 

 by great advancement in the methods of work and 

 results obtained since the days of the Pharaohs. 



The application of one division of the clay in- 

 dustry to the development of the lands of the state may 

 very properly engage the attention of prominent clay 

 workers here to-day. The number of nourishing fac- 

 tories for the manufacture of drain-tile in the state and 

 the continued addition to the list indicate the active 

 interest which is taken by landowners in this phase 

 of development. Those who are interested financially 

 in this matter enjoy the advantage afforded by the 

 experience of other states in dealing with the various 

 problems connected with drainage. No organization is 

 better qualified to appreciate the needs of the state in 

 this regard, nor in better position to wield an influence 

 in shaping public opinion regarding proper laws and' 

 comprehensive work than this association. Every 

 measure may be promulgated and supported by its 

 mc-rits. While manufacturers of tile and implements 

 for drainage may incidentally profit by the advancement 

 of such interests, it may be easily shown by referring 

 to the history of the movements in other states, for a 

 similar purpose, that landowners, citizens and the coun- 

 try at large will receive far greater benefit. 



Only one phase of this subject can be alluded to 

 in this brief paper. The people of the state are but 

 just beginning to appreciate the additional productive- 

 ness of their soil which may be secured by drainage. 

 The value of comprehensive plans is beginning to force 

 itself upon those who are most fully conversant with 

 the subject. As early as 1883, the writer made plans 

 for the tile drainage of a large farm in Black Hawk 

 County, for Gen. A. C. Fuller, of Illinois. All tile for 

 this work were shipped from central Illinois, which 

 fact may afford some notion of the expense of under- 

 drainage at the time of its inception in Iowa. The 



*Read before the -Iowa Brick and Tile Association, 

 Ames, Jan. 21, 1903. 



outlet for the system was of easy access, but the boun- 

 dary of the watershed included a much larger area of 

 land than that owned by Mr. Fuller. The work did 

 not include the entire watershed, and in later years 

 complications arose when it was desired to make the 

 drainage of outlying lands more complete. The defin- 

 ing of watershed lines and drainage basins should be 

 one of the first duties of those who desire to undertake 

 such work in a comprehensive and efficient way. 



The method pursued under the old laws of Ohio, 

 Indiana and Illinois, of constructing a drain and assess- 

 ing its cost with reference to its length and land imme- 

 diately contiguous to it, gave rise to much confusion 

 and to complications which later called attention to the 

 wisdom of recognizing natural watershed boundaries in 

 the consideration of all large drainage operations. Yet 

 this is now often overlooked, and there are drainage 

 districts in Illinois which overlap each other and land- 

 owners find themselves under the embarrassing situation 

 of being assessed for work under two or more different 

 organizations. It will be wise for tile manufacturers 

 to inform themselves fully upon drainage questions and 

 to become advisers, as far as their business relations 

 extend in these matters. It is said that an old physi- 

 cian, in giving advice to young practitioners, said: 

 ''Never discuss health topics." Perhaps there are manu- 

 facturers who follow the sentiment of this counsel. If 

 such is the case it is a mistake. On the groxind of 

 personal interest, if no other, manufacturers of drainage 

 requisites may well interest themselves in promulgating 

 sound and far-reaching ideas on a subject upon which 

 their own prosperity as well as the agricultural advance- 

 ment of the state depends. 



It was a memorable occasion in the history of Illi- 

 nois drainage when Senator Whiting appeared beforfe the 

 tilemakers' convention of that state, asking the assist- 

 ance of that body in obtaining the passage of a more 

 comprehensive and equitable drainage law. Such enter- 

 prises, the value of which had become recognized, were' 

 greatly jeopardized by the confusion resulting from 

 adverse decisions of the courts, relating to the existing 

 laws and the individual rights of drainage. The associa-' 

 tion endorsed the efforts of the Senator and appointed a 

 committee to act with him in urging the passage of the 

 bill then pending. The result was the enactment of the' 

 law of 1885, which, as finally amended, constitutes the- 

 most practical legislation ever enacted for the develop- 1 

 ment of a state requiring comprehensive drainage sys- 

 terns. , 



Developments of the drainage practice of Indiana 

 resulted in the passage of the law of 1893, which 'per- 

 mitted the substitution of the large drain-tile for openi 

 ditches where such was regarded advisable. This was* 

 brought about by the active influence of tile manufac- 

 turers, so that now the use of tile from 30 to 30 inches 

 in diameter in place of the open channels is not un- 

 common in that state. 



Iowa has the example of states older in -the work,: 

 from which she may profit without passing through the 

 entire experimental successes and failures from which" 

 these practices and laws were derived. When Minrie- 1 

 seta realized her need of a law to meet the demands 

 of her growing drainage interests, she evolved one from 

 the Illinois code. When Missouri wished to improve' 

 her waste lands in a radical and comprehensive way, 

 she found the Indiana law best suited to her require- 

 ments. By taking heed to the lessons learned by others, 



