HUMID AREAS AND THEIR RECLAMATION 65 



92. Reclaiming the swamp lands of the drift regions. 



- Minnesota is probably leading the other states in the 

 reclamation of swamp lands of drift regions. This is due, 

 in part at least, to the peculiar nature of its drainage laws, 

 and the organization of her drainage commission. Up to 

 the present time, the work of reclamation has consisted 

 chiefly in the construction of large drainage ditches and 

 in the straightening and deepening of the natural water- 

 courses traversing the areas requiring draining. 



The Michigan system, which is practically a county 

 system, proves very efficient as a method for accomplish- 

 ing district drainage. 



93. A diked farm in Michigan. The Owosso Sugar 

 Company's farm, located eighteen miles south of Saginaw, 

 Michigan, is peculiarly situated at the confluence of two 

 considerable sized rivers, and for this reason, and because 

 of the flatness of the country, if unprotected, would be 

 very subject to overflow. The farm consists of 10,000 

 acres, and is now inclosed by 27 miles of dike, with en- 

 circling ditch outside and inside the dike. This dike 

 ranges from 8 to 20 feet in height, and from this fact 

 alone was much more expensive to construct than the 

 dikes of the delta regions. The first " unit " of this farm, 

 opened up, consisted of 4000 acres ; and to drain the water 

 from it to one corner, 75 miles of open ditch were dug. 

 The four pumps used in lifting the drainage water over 

 the dike from this 4000 acres have a capacity of 40,000 

 gallons a minute, 2,400,000 gallons an hour. The open 

 ditches divide the " unit " into 40-acre tracts. 



94. Reclaiming marine marsh lands. The work of 

 reclaiming marine marsh lands, up to the present time 

 in this country, has been accomplished by diking out the 

 sea and digging a system of open ditches. Twenty-five 



