examined during the season. A large underflow of water passes from the higher lands bordering the valley on the north and accumulates on the lower lands during the season. As a result many acres now show serious injury. Drains were laid out for intercepting the soil water from the lands of some farmers who see the necessity of drainage. Suggestions upon the drainage required for several farms have been offered, and investigations have been made in the lower Ahtanum Valley with the view to determining what method should be adopted to reclaim it as a whole from the injury which it has already received from overirrigation and from seepage from higher lands.

Examinations have been made of wet lands in the Grey Bull Valley, near Burlington, Wyo., where the rapid seepage of water through the open gravel beneath the soil has ruined portions of the richest valley land. A simple drainage plan was proposed, which met with favor, and will probably be followed by a few of the most progressive farmers.

For the reason that the last two seasons have been excessively wet in the Central West drainage has received marked attention during the past year. The absolute necessity of this improvement has been forced upon the attention of farmers, especially in the States of Iowa and Missouri. During the five or six years previous to the last two there was only an average rainfall, while one of them (1901) was unusually dry. These years were favorable for the opening up and cultivating of lowlands which, with little or no artificial drainage, produced large crops. The success which attended the cropping of these rich lands under conditions of normal rainfall led to the cultivation of a large acreage of lands which had hitherto been neglected. A considerable part of the Missouri Valley lands between Sioux City and Council Bluffs, Iowa, are of this kind. In Monona and Harrison counties not less than 75,000 acres have been rendered unproductive during the past year, much of it being land equipped with good improvements. The Little Sioux River, with its tributaries, overflows its banks when at flood height. From the fact that the banks of both the Little Sioux and Missouri rivers are higher than the land between them, the overflow of this stream and the water of rainfall must flow parallel to both until it may be discharged into the Missouri River at some lower point. The difficulties connected with the drainage of this valley are twofold (1) protection of the lowlands from the overflow of the streams, and (2) provision for disposal of the surplus rainfall.

The plan proposed for this improvement consists in straightening the little Sioux River by making cuts across circuitous bends, thereby adding one-half to its carrying capacity. For the more complete drainage of the land itself it is proposed to build a large relief ditch, 22 miles long, which will discharge into the Missouri River. These improvements are estimated to cost $238,000, for which it is proposed

to tax 58,000 acres of land. A public meeting was held at which a representative of this Department was invited to explain the plans and discuss their adaptation to the needs of the portion of the valley under discussion. Several propositions for draining lands in Woodbury County, lying directly north of Monona County, were briefly examined and the people of that county, at their request, were addressed at a meeting held at Salix, where the feasibility of the plans proposed, as well as the general principles involved in the drainage of level lands, was discussed.

In Buena Vista County the improvement of Coon River is proposed. The channel at the headwaters of this stream is a mere slough, which has been used as an outlet for surface and tile drainage, but, owing to the unusual rainfall, a large acreage of land which has been tiledrained at considerable expense has been flooded. The improvement of this river will involve provision for the drainage of approximately 115,000 acres. The drainage expert of this Office was called upon to confer with the county auditor, attorney, and engineer regarding the proper steps to be taken for starting this project in accordance with the State drainage laws. Surveys for this work are now being made. It should be observed in this connection that the provisions of the State drainage law are meager, many regulations for carrying out efficient drainage work requiring the cooperation of landowners being wanting. Much confusion has arisen in the attempt to organize districts to execute work in accordance with the law. The county auditors of the State have a committee which is instructed to formulate such amendments as occur to them as necessary. A drainage convention is called to meet at Ames, January 15-16, 1904, for a conference upon changes needed in the law and for a complete discussion of the methods required in combined drainage. A representative of this Office has been asked to meet with this convention.

A large amount of drainage work is being arranged for in Hancock County, where the present drainage districts were examined, the aggregate estimated cost of the proposed work being $250,000. Written reports were prepared upon each of the general projects described, containing recommendations to both supervisors and engineers. A summary of the approximate estimated cost of the work which has been examined and upon which advice has been given is as follows:

Swamped lands under ditches at Fresno, Cal.
Sunnyside, Wash....

North Yakima, Wash.

$236,000

3,500

12, 600

Advice has been asked relating to levee work for the further protection of valuable lands on the Illinois River bottom in Greene County, Ill. Large interests are here involved and the work is still under consideration. Nearly all of the levees along this river, being of a somewhat temporary character, were broken last year and the land inundated, entailing a large loss upon the owners as the crops were entirely destroyed. A move for heavier and more complete work is now under consideration in many localities.

In portions of the South cultivated hill lands are greatly injured by erosion, many otherwise valuable fields having been abandoned on account of surface washing. An experiment was tried in northern Georgia last spring in which tile drains were used to prevent hillside washing. After the drains were laid, all existing gullies were filled and the land leveled off. The report from that field states that one good crop has been taken off and that there is every indication that the experiment will prove a success.

In South Carolina, at the solicitation of rice growers along the Cooper River, a survey was made to determine the feasibility of diverting water from the Santee River to the west fork of the Cooper for the purpose of increasing the amount of water in the latter river, which is a tide-water stream, for the benefit of the rice fields in that valley. This project was found feasible, but, owing to its magnitude and the cost of the proposed work, it has not received serious attention from those most interested.

LAWS AND SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS.

Under the clause of the appropriation law providing for the study of laws and institutions relating to the use of water, work has been done both in this country and abroad.

The work of the year in this country included the publication of a report on irrigation in Utah, the field work for which was done in previous years; the publication of a bulletin on the acquirement of water rights in Colorado which has been in preparation for a year or more; and the field work for a study of the Platte River as an inter

state stream.

The branches of the Platte River rise in Colorado; one flows through Wyoming into Nebraska and the other flows directly from Colorado into Nebraska. Rights to these streams have been acquired under State laws, each State in determining the rights to water ignoring rights in the other States, although the United States courts and the supreme court of Wyoming have held that rights in one State are subject to prior rights to the same stream regardless of State lines. Further, Colorado and Wyoming have abrogated the doctrine of riparian rights under which water can not be taken from streams to the detriment of riparian lands, while the Nebraska courts have upheld this doctrine.

It will be seen that the only intelligent basis for determin

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FIG. 1.-IRRIGATION INVESTIGATIONS-VIEW NEAR BINGEN, GERMANY, SHOWING
PROTECTION OF HILLSIDE FROM EROSION.

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