RECLAMATION OF WASTE LANDS 



CONTINENTAL countries have always given great 

 attention to land reclamation. They regard 

 every acre of reclaimed land added to their 

 territories as an addition to their national 

 wealth. A few, and only a few, examples may 

 be given of the success of land reclamation, 

 wherever it has been carried out. In England 

 the great operation in this direction was carried 

 out by former Dukes of Bedford, who, by a 

 lavish expenditure, reclaimed the great " Bed- 

 ford Level," comprising 300,000 acres of fenland. 

 This land was almost valueless at the time. It 

 consisted mainly of bog and morass. It was, 

 however, rich in alluvial deposits, and when 

 reclaimed by drainage became one of the richest 

 and most productive areas for corn-growing in 

 Europe. It is difficult to estimate the enormous 

 yearly income which this land reclamation has 

 secured for the nation. 1 



1 The whole surface of the Fens is lower than the sea. 

 A few years ago the writer was visiting a farmer friend on 



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