THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



167 



necessary ditches. The sanitary feature of drainage 

 takes precedence of all others because the coast lands 

 cannot be successfully cultivated by white laborers on 

 account of their unhealthfulness. The fact is now rec- 

 ognized that these lands must be drained before they 

 will be made attractive to the better class of immigrant 

 farmers, or produce paying crops. It is a matter that 

 concerns the prosperity of the State, especially since 

 an effort has been made to induce foreign immigra- 

 tion. Until these fertile lands are made healthful as 

 well as productive, there is little encouragement for the 

 farming class to settle upon them, nor will they remain 

 when once located unless both of these conditions are 

 assured. 



The drainage laws of Utah and of North Dakota 

 have been amended to remedy defects in their opration 

 which experience has shown to exist. In the former 

 State, where the drainage of irrigated fields is becom- 

 ing imperative, the amendment makes it possible for 

 a few landowners to effect an organization for the co- 

 operative construction of needed outlet ditches. The 

 counties bordering the Ked River Valley in the latter 

 State now have maps, plans, and estimates for compre- 

 hensive drainage systems suited to the needs of those 

 level lands, which have been prepared by the Office of 

 Experiment Stations of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture and which at a convention held last 

 winter, were indorsed and recommended for use in the 

 prosecution of future drainage operations. 



The State of Mississippi enacted a drainage law 

 which was approved in April 1906. This law makes it 

 possible for landowners to organize in the prosecution 

 of work necessary to reclaim the large areas of fertile 

 land which are now attracting attention, in the western 

 part of the State. Preliminary steps are now being 

 taken in accordance with the law, to effect drainage or- 

 ganizations for the reclamation of several bodies of land 

 in the northern part of the State. The Drainage Di- 

 vision of the United States Department of Agriculture 

 has reported upon the feasibility of improving the Black 

 Bayou in Washington County, which is the natural out- 

 let for the drainage of 157,000 acres of valuable land. 

 The channel to be improved is 58 miles long and has a 

 fail of only 6 inches per mile. 



No national legislation on drainage was passed by 

 the last Congress, though several bills relating to that 

 subject were read and referred to committees. The 

 Flint Drainage Bill, introduced during the first part of 

 the session, was not reported out of the committee to 

 which it was referred, until the day before the close of 

 the session. This bill is drawn so as to provide for 

 the reclamation of swamp lands by the government in 

 much the same manner that arid lands are reclaimed 

 under the provisions of the irrigation act of 1902. The 

 cost of construction is to be paid from a fund arising 

 from the sale of public lands, and to be charged against 



the land which is drained, and later collected from the 

 owners of the land in installments without interest. 

 The Warren Bill providing that 40 acres of land be 

 set aside in each project constructed under the Na- 

 tional Irrigation Act for experiments in irrigation and 

 drainage to be conducted under the direction of the 

 Secretary of Agriculture, for the purpose of aiding 

 settlers in starting their farms poperly, was referred to 

 the committee on irrigation, where it now remains. 



The legislature of California has appropriated $15,- 

 000 for irrigation and drainage investigations in that 

 State for 1907-08, $5,000 to be especially used for 

 drainage, the amount to be expended tinder the joint 

 direction of the State Agricultural College and the 

 Office of Experiment Stations of the Department of 

 Agrictulture on condition that the same amount be 

 added to the fund by the latter office. The legislature 

 of Utah has appropriated $5,000 for irrigation and 

 drainage investigations for the next two years, upon 

 the same general conditions, and Wyoming appropriated 

 $500 for special drainage investigations in the Grey 

 Bull Valley of that State. 



The Hon. Fred J. Kiesel of Ogden, Utah, 

 Irrigation to whom is largely due the credit of the 

 Congress. splendid success of the irrigation congress 

 held in his city three years ago, and who 

 was instrumental in the success of the congresses held at 

 Portland, Ore., in 1905, and at Boise, Idaho, in 1906, 

 has again become prominent in connection with the 

 congress to be held during the first week of September 

 of this year at Sacramento, Cal. 



Through the efforts of Senator Kiesel, a bill was 

 recently passed by the Utah legislature appropriating 

 $4,000 to be used as prize money for the best fruit and 

 grain exhibits from Utah at the Sacramento congress 

 and exhibition. We are informed that this appropria- 

 tion would not have been made had it not been for the 

 splendid efforts of Senator Kiesel in its behalf, and 

 the people of California owe a debt of gratitude to 

 not only Governor Cutler of Utah, but Mr. Kiesel as 

 well. 



This money will be used to collect, ship and install 

 at Sacramento a splendid exhibit of Utah's products 

 on the occasion of the interstate exhibition to be held 

 in connection with the Fifteenth National Irrigation 

 Congress. 



The Utah State Agricultural Society will have 

 charge of the exhibition and account for the expenditure 

 of the money. A splendid showing of the products of 

 the irrigated lands of Utah will be made. 



We are informed by the board of control of the 

 National Irrigation Congress that the Southern Pacific 

 Company has made a one-way rate for round trip for 

 materials intended for the exhibition at the Interstate 

 Irrigated Lands Products and Forestry Exhibition. 



