92 THE FARMER OF TO-MORROW 



Because these tracts are scattered and iso- 

 lated, it is rather difficult to obtain a clear 

 idea of their extent; yet the area is larger 

 than that of the British Isles. Government 

 engineers were assigned to survey and report 

 on the swamp and overflow lands with the 

 idea of determining how much of the area 

 would be susceptible to drainage. In their 

 opinion there exists to-day an empire of 77,- 

 000,000 acres east of the ninety-ninth me- 

 ridian which can be reclaimed and fitted for 

 cultivation. Make a block of this area and 

 spread it across the map. You will discover 

 that it is equal to the area of the three States 

 of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. In the bulletin 

 "Swamp and Overflow Lands of the United 

 States," J. O. Wright, supervising engineer 

 of the drainage and irrigation investigations 

 in 1907, summarized the economic significance 

 of this vast empire thus: 



"As to the cost of draining these lands, and 

 whether or not it will pay, we have but to 

 refer to the numerous works of this kind that 

 have been completed. In those States where 

 large areas of swamp land have been thor- 

 oughly drained by open ditches and tile drains 

 the cost ranges from $6 to $20 per acre, while 



