68 LAND DRAINAGE 



(3) of lack of understanding how to undertake the work 

 of reclamation. 



98. Proportion of waste land. It is not possible, with 

 the data gathered at the present time, to estimate the 

 ratio which the imperfectly functioning soils of the first 

 class, or which the negatively functioning soils of the second 

 class, bears to the total arable lands of the country. In 

 some parts of the country, it is very large, and there are 

 few portions of humid regions where these areas are not in 

 evidence. The economic losses due to their presence are 

 not appreciated. Neither are the ease of their reclamation, 

 nor their possibilities in crop production, when so re- 

 claimed. It is the existence of these areas and the economic 

 losses therefrom that have prompted the preparation of 

 this volume. 



