10 ENGINEERING FOR LAND DRAINAGE. 



ease. With such facts before us it will require no argu- 

 ment to convince the average citizen that drainage has 

 largely increased the health and wealth of that com- 

 munity, and thereby added materially to the prosperity 

 of the State. 



This subject involves the conservation of soil moisture 

 as well as the removal of surplus w^ater, the care of 

 private and public roads, the sanitary drainage of the 

 home and grounds, subjects which receive too little 

 thought from the average landowner. One who 

 chooses to devote a small fraction of his time to ac- 

 quiring a knowledge of the principles and best practice 

 along these lines, and to apply the same in the light of 

 his own observation and common sense, may become 

 sufficiently proficient to direct the operations on his own 

 estate, in fact become his own engineer if he cares to 

 engage in that business. 



The writer appreciates the many practical difficulties 

 which present themselves to the landowner who per- 

 sonally attends to all of the detail work connected with 

 the improvement of his farm and home, as %vell as those 

 that must be met by the investor who improves his 

 holdings for the purpose of deriving a larger annual 

 revenue from the capital invested. Many drainage 

 projects necessitate cooperation on the part of interested 

 landowners, without which private interests suffer, 

 and will continue to suffer, until certain men who op- 

 pose the combined effort become persuaded that it will 

 be to their profit to join the movement under equitable 

 provisions of the law, bear their proportion of the ex- 

 pense, and receive the benefit accruing from the work. 

 For this reason as well as others heretofore mentioned, 



