112 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



local topographer. The latter attempted to show the 

 usefulness of these surveys in furnishing the data re- 

 quired for the design of drainage plans. His presenta- 

 tion of the plans and estimates for the drainage of the 

 overflowed land bordering on the Deep Fork of the 

 Canadian river indicated quite clearly that a 20-foot 

 contour survey furnished extremely meager data for the 

 design of such important work. 



Mr. J. G. Melluish of Illinois, Mr. George A. 

 Ralph and Mr. Arthur Morgan of Minnesota discussed 

 various phases of drainage law and practice in their 

 respective states, in each of which, as is well known, 

 large drainage works have been carried out. 



The committee on permanent organization reported 

 a constitution and by-laws, which were adopted, and 

 the organization is to be known as the National Drain- 

 age Association. The election of officers resulted in the 

 selection of George E. Barstow, Barstow, Tex., presi- 

 dent; J. S. Oshourn, Coffeyville, Kas., first vice-presi- 

 dent; A. L. Fellows, Bismarck, N. D., second vice- 

 president. The executive committee consists of A. G. 

 Vernard, Cass Lake, Minn. ; F. W. Brockman, St. 

 Louis, Mo.; J. G. Mellinsh, Bloomington, 111.; H. S. 

 McGowan, Snyder, Okla. ; L. E. Ashbaugh, Ames, Iowa ; 

 Chas. L. Rushing, Meridian, Miss. The constitution 

 stipulates that the secretary and treasurer ehall he ap- 



Harvest Time on An Irrigated Farm. 



pointed by the executive committee. At the time of 

 adjournment these appointments had not been made. 



Not the least important part of the proceedings was 

 the adoption of resolutions. Those which relate directly 

 to drainage were as follows: The endorsement of the 

 bill of Senator Flint of California for the establish- 

 ment of a drainage fund and the construction of works 

 for the reclamation of swamps and overflowed lands. 

 Opposition to the diversion of any part of the reclama- 

 tion fund from the purpose authorized in the act. The 

 drainage work and investigations carried on by the 

 United States Department of Agriculture was endorsed 

 and asked to be continued. The new state of Oklahoma 

 was by resolution urged to provide in its constitution 

 for the anactment of adequate drainage laws, and 

 states generally were urged to pass such legislation as 

 would permit cooperation with the federal government 

 in prosecuting drainage work. 



The movement inaugurated by this association is 

 significant in several respects. It indicates the impor- 

 tance which our people now attach to the development 

 of idle or unproductive lands which are surrounded 

 by high-priced farms, are traversed by railroads, and 

 are within sight of thriving market towns. It is seen 



that western lands are no longer cheap lands, and that 

 certain fertile wet areas can be made productive at a 

 less cost than arid lands. This phase of the matter, how- 

 ever, forms the subject of highly-colored word pic- 

 tures often indulged in by those who have little more 

 than a general knowledge of work involved in prose- 

 cuting these improvements. The making of $100-an- 

 acre land by expending a dollar or two an acre in drain- 

 age is known to be a delusion by those having experi- 

 ence in the work. Not all swamp lands are equally 

 fertile or adapted to agriculture, nor are they drained 

 with equal facility and expense. 



There were several different views expressed in 

 private discussions upon the subject of federal aid and 

 supervision of works of drainage. Those who had wit- 

 nessed the successful prosecution of large and varied 

 drainage operations under state laws saw little ad- 

 vantage in government aid. If the project is a good 

 one they find no difficulty in paying for the work in 

 the manner provided for in the law. While they admit 

 that the work is not always done efficiently or economi- 

 cally, they do not feel assured that it would cost them 

 less were it done by the federal government, which 

 might very easily do more and expensive work than 

 would be required and charge the cost against the land. 

 To some the prospect of obtaining a loan without inter- 

 est for defraying the expense of the work is attractive, 

 yet in order to secure it under any method yet pro- 

 posed it will be necessary for landowners desiring drain- 

 age to perfect an organization in order to apply for 

 such aid and in the end they must pay all costs upon 

 the terms fixed by the government. 



In the opinion of many the use of federal loans 

 should be limited to the large drainage projects where 

 the improvement of inadequate watercourses for outlets 

 is necessarily expensive and affects a large number of 

 landed interests. In performing such work it is diffi- 

 cult to see why the improvement should not be made 

 from direct government appropriations and the work 

 regarded as much a public benefit as if it were done 

 for navigation and commerce. Should not a stream or 

 watercourse wholly unfit for navigation be opened and 

 improved for the uses of agriculture at government 

 expense ? 



The association just organized may properly con- 

 sider all of the different phases of land reclamation by 

 drainage which are of general and public interest. It 

 should be closely allied to the agricultural interests of 

 the country and be dominated by those who are con- 

 versant with the methods and requirements of agricul- 

 tural drainage. 



MEASUREMENT OF FROZEN STREAMS. 



One of the most perplexing problems that has con- 

 fronted the hydrographers of the United States Geolog- 

 ical Survey has been that of the determination of stream 

 flow during the frozen season, and the results of in- 

 vestigations on this subject have just been published in 

 Water Supply Paper No. 187. In the northern and 

 central parts of the United States the streams are gen- 

 erally closed by a more or less permanent ice cover for 

 a considerable portion of the year, varying from nearly 

 five months in the extreme north to a few weeks or less 

 in the Central and Atlantic States. The data collected 



