WET LANDS OF SOUTli'ERN LOUISIANA. 07 



FINANCIAL. 



In its original state much of the prairie hind is worthless, ils only usefulness 

 being in that it serves as n trapping and hunting ground. lis present raarkel 

 rvalue is due to possibilities of reclamation rather than to any present useful- 

 ness and is more or less speculative. The value of the land varies according 

 to the completeness and permanence of the drainage improvements, as well as 

 according to its original character. A wide variation exists in the quality of 

 the improvements, especially in the pumping-plant equipment. The cost per 

 acre of reclaiming the various districts depends on natural conditions, the com- 

 pleteness of reclamation, and the character of the drainage improvements. 

 The usual variation in the cost of such reclamation is from $30 to $45 per acre. 



SUCCESS OF DRAINAGE. 



The drainage of these lands has been uniformly successful, and from the 

 drainage engineer's standpoint the work is now well past the experimental 

 stage. Where successful drainage has not been attained it has been due to 

 insufficient and poorly constructed improvements rather than to inherent and 

 insurmountable difficulties. On some of the districts the improvements have 

 been installed without competent engineering advice and services, and while 

 successful drainage has been secured in some such cases, it was not secured 

 with the greatest economy. The earlier faults were due principally to attempts 

 to drain the land too cheaply. This has been demonstrated to be false economy, 

 and the present practice is almost uniformly of such a. grade as will ultimately 

 result in the complete drainage of the lands of this section. 



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