HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 363 
Mr. Mrap. Yes. Two things enter into it; one is that the very 
hy, hot summers destroy their pastures there 
he CuatrMan. Where was that did.you say, Mr. Mead? 
Mr. Map. In Italy, in the Valley of the Po. The other thing is 
that being able during the hot, dry months of the summer to have 
fresh and green food to supply to dairies so increases their yield as to 
make a great factor in the annual output of produce. They get more 
off of their land, they get more out of their cows, and I believe that 
is one of the things where irrigation, when a water supply can be had 
anywhere under 30 feet, will be largely adopted in the eastern part of 
the United States. 
In the southern part of the country we have this year been measur- 
ing in five places the amount of water used in the irrigation of rice, 
to determine the duty of water in that section. We took that up at 
the request of the rice growers of Louisiana. 
Mr. Brooxs. What do you mean by the duty of water? 
' Meap. The amount of water required to irrigate an acre of 
and. 
Mr. Brooxs. Does that vary according to the soil and climatic 
conditions? 
Mr. Mrap. Yes. 
Mr. Brooxs. Is that one of the problems you are studying? 
Mr. Meap. Yes, sir. \ 
Along the Atlantic seaboard we have made several visits at the 
request of the rice growers to advise with them about some of the 
questions that concern the reestablishment of the rice irrigation along 
the seaboard, and I think we can, by continuing that friendly service 
at no very great expense, assist materially in the carrying out of cer- 
tain reforms that they believe in, that they ought to be encouraged in 
adopting, making use of the experience we have had in the western 
country, by advising them how to go about it. 
Two years ago we were authorized to begin studies of drainage in 
connection with irrigation; and there had been before that time—in 
fact, from the very beginning of this investigation—requests for us to 
study the seepage problem of the West. With the study of drainage 
we took up, in connection with certain districts, the study of whether 
lands cau be drained best by ditches from the lower end, or by 
ditches that reached up and cut off the seepage supply from the canals 
that were flooding the land—that is, certain peculiar questions connected 
with the preparation of drainage plans, under irrigation, contrasted 
with the preparation of drainage plans in the East. The publication 
of our reports on drainage in the West brought us last year a large 
number of inquiries from communities in the East for advice about the 
same matter, and I think was assisted by the fact that we had in our 
employ, I believe, the best drainage engineer in the country. At 
least, he is the man who is recognized throughout the Mississippi Val- 
ley as an undoubted expert in farm drainage. Last year our drainage 
experts met with communities and advised with them on definite proj- 
ects upon land, all told, to the amount of $1,300,000 in value. About 
half of these were in the arid region and about half of them in the 
humid region. 
I believe the drainage work ought to be extended east. There are 
large sections of the country in the Mississippi Valley and along the 
