Reclaiming the Swamp Lands 



299 



FLORIDA 



Z9000SQMI. 



LOUISIANA 



ISOOOSQMI. 



WESTERN STATES 



10000 so Ml. 



ARKANSAS 



90003Q.MI. 



M/SS/SSIPPI 



3000SQ.N/. 



MICHIGAN 



7500S0MI. 



MINNESOTA 



6000 so Ml. 



PV/SCONSIN 



"fSOOSQ.MI. 



MAINE 



4000 SQ. Ml. 



NORTH CAROLINA 



37SOSQ.MI. 



GEORGIA 



37SOSQ. MI- 

 ILLINOIS 

 3S00SQ.MI. 



TEXAS 



3500SQ.MI. 



MISSOURI 



3000 SQ. Ml. 



SOUTH CAROLINA 



2750SQ.MI. 



NEW YORK 



Z500SQ.MI. 



ALABAMA 



175^0 SQMI. 



VIRGINIA 



ISOO so Ml. 



TENNESSEE 



I2SO SQ.MI. 



OHIO 



1250 SQ.MI 



. INDIANA 



'250 so Ml. 



NEW JERSEY 



900 SQ Ml. 



NEW HAMPSHIRE 



eoo so. Ml. 



MASSACHUSETTS 



SOO so Ml. 



MARYLAND 



SOO SQ.MI. 



IOWA 



•too SQ.MI 



VERMONT 



•^00 SQ.MI. 



NEBRASKA 



400 SQ.MI. 



N.DAKOTA 



37S SQ.MI. 



S DAKOTA 



37S SQ.MI. 



KENTUCKY 



3S0 SQ.MI. 



PENNSYLVANIA 



300 SQ.MI. 



KANSAS 



250 SQ.MI. 



CONNECTICUT 



too SQ.MI. 



DELAWARE 



50 SQ.MI. 



RHODE ISLAND 



30 SQMI. 



W. VIRGINIA 



Diagram Illustrating the Swamp Areas of the Different States 



This act provides for "drainage dis- 

 tricts," in which they may levy a tax, not 

 to exceed ten cents per acre per annum, 

 on all swamp or overflowed land in that 

 district, and to expend the money so col- 

 lected in the drainage of these lands. 



Progressing now, as with irrigation, 

 from state to federal action, the United 

 States government has recently shown a 

 disposition to aid in the reclaiming of 

 swamp lands by drainage. The period 

 of unaided private endeavor is long past ; 

 the effort at state reclamation through 

 drainage districts is showing its inability 

 to cope with the problems involved. None 

 can doubt that ultimately the federal gov- 

 ernment must take up the problem and 

 treat it in the broad and comprehensive 

 manner essential to its proper solution. 

 A few years ago the Division of Irriga- 

 tion Investigations of the Bureau of Ex- 

 periment Stations of the Department of 

 Agriculture had its title changed to that 



of Irrigation and Drainage Investiga- 

 tions, with an increased appropriation, 

 the purpose of which was to cover drain- 

 age inquiries. For several years past 

 this division has examined into and pre- 

 pared plans for the drainage of individ- 

 ual farms as examples for the neighbor- 

 hood, and also of large areas of swamp 

 or overflowed land, of which it has made 

 surveys through the various agricultural 

 experiment stations, sometimes in co- 

 operation with the states. An instance 

 of the latter work has been a complete 

 preliminary survey of the western side 

 of the Red River valley in North Da- 

 kota. From this, preliminary plans and 

 estimates have been prepared having in 

 view the complete reclamation of the 

 swamps involved. Similar investigations 

 have been made by this division on the 

 Missouri River near Yankton, South Da- 

 kota, the Wabash River in Indiana, the 

 Illinois River in Illinois, in the Florida 



