DRAINAGE 14! 



lands needing drainage ; though the ponds, seepy hill- 

 sides, alkali areas under irrigation and other minor 

 classes of areas are also large in the aggregate. The 

 values now going to waste in lands which, on account 

 of too much water, are not under cultivation, or are not 

 yielding the full return on the capital and labor in- 

 vested in their cultivation, is represented by hundreds 

 of millions, if not by billions of dollars, in the United 

 States alone. 



The writer knows of no cases where the investment 

 in well-constructed drains, on lands clearly needing 

 drainage, has not proven profitable. On the whole, there 

 has been far too much conservatism in draining out the 

 wet places on the farm, and in co-operative efforts of 

 individuals and public agencies in promoting and build- 

 ing community drains. 



There are very few forms of property in which money 

 can be more safely invested than in lands which have 

 been properly reclaimed by drainage. Underdrains of 

 tile are nearly as permanent forms of wealth as the soil 

 itself. 



Lands needing drainage. Those soils need draining 

 which are too wet for the crops we wish to grow on them, 

 though some of these may not pay for draining, es- 

 pecially if they are so situated that the cost per acre will 

 be large. Fields requiring draining may be mentioned 

 under the following heads : 



Slough. Low, flat areas over which the water usually 

 flows in a sluggish manner, seeping through the surface 

 and passing away slowly, are common in nearly all 

 neighborhoods, and many far'ms have one or more of 

 them. Removing obstructions from the sloughs, or plow- 

 ing them so as to permit the surface water to flow more 

 freely, will often make these low areas sufficiently dry 

 for the cultivation of crops in rotation or, at least, for 

 the growing of useful meadows of cultivated grasses. 



