STUDIES IN THE SOLUBILITY OF PORTLAND CEMENT CON- 
TINUED FROM 1908. 
BY G. G. WHEAT. 
In the year 1908 we presented a brief paper before the Academy of 
Science, calling attention to certain uses of portland cement concrete 
for farm drainage and city sewer purposes and in that connection raised 
the question of the fitness of the material for the use made of it. The 
importance of the question has greatly increased, as the spirit of im- 
provement and progress is running like wildfire over our state. 
Approximately $300,000,000 will be spent in reclaiming wet lands of 
the Wisconsin Drift region of Iowa. Of this perhaps $30,000,000 will 
'be open drainage ditches, the remaining $270,000,000 being the cost of 
drain tile and the cost of laying. 
Perhaps as much more will be spent in the remaining sixty-nine 
counties. The rapid advance of our cities and villages in sewerage sys- 
tems will call for an expenditure of fully one-tenth as much in sewer 
systems, the grand total being not less than between six and seven hun- 
dred millions."^ - 
When compared with the cost of the Panama Canal, quite accurately 
estimated at from three hundred seventy-five to four hundred millions, 
its importance becomes more manifest. In view of the fact that all con- 
struction is underground and most of it impossible to inspect, the ne- 
cessity of perfect materials is obvious. Since the crops upon the millions 
of acres to be drained will depend upon the free circulation of ground 
waters through the tile systems, the importance of the nature of the 
materials, as related to our future food supply, asserts itself, and per- 
haps more important than all, the health of our citizens in our villages 
and cities depends upon pure water for the household and a perfect 
elimination of all excretia from the city and from its soil. 
In this last collection the recent reports from the city of LeiMars are>: 
of interest. Sewage contamination of the city water led to the examin- 
ation of the sewer system. A break in the sewer manhole connections; 
*Note. — These calculations are based upon the actual amount expended to 
date in thirty counties, the actual acreage cost and the acres remaining yet to 
. be done. These records were personally taken from the county records by the 
writer. 
