The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1872-03-15

/ Inc Iule IihhOs Oh NushhOruhss-
The Tule lands of California are so
named from flag by the Indians called
Tule pronounced Today, which grows
ON them so thickly rs to exclude pretty
much everything else. Eastward from
San Francisco, as far as Stockton;
a hundred miles, perhaps-the country
is level plain, in the midst of which
the two principal rivers of California,
the San Joaquin and the Sacramento,
form JUNCTION. ard aow .hsncs into the
Bay of San Francisco. There s,e a.-
merous sloughs, deep and navigabie,
connecting with these rivers and with
each other, and so cutting up the plain
rs TO make il collection Of islands. The
streams have so little fall that the tide
overAows their banks for hundred
miles up from the hay, submerging the
lands from three to ten miles sidewards
from the bay, and the space so submerged
comprises the tule lands-an area of
several hundred thousand acres.
Doubtless this area was once an arm
Of the sea, filled by ages Of sedimentary
delu-it from the upper streams. Il con-
sists largely of vegetable mold, and is
found as rich at the bottom--be it eight,
ten or twelve feet-as at the surface.
Hence the soil is inexhaustible. But as
from time immemorial these lands had
been regularly submerged and kept in a
semiliquid state by the tides, the posi-
bility of their reclamation had hardly
been thought of, and they were regarded
as simply worthless. The Government
Of the United States, some twenty year,
ago, donated them TO the State of Cali
f6rnia, and the State long offered them for
sale, in small tracts to actual settlers, at
a very low figure, but found no pur-
chasers. Several years ago, this policy
was changed. and they were offered to
all, settlers or not. and without limit
as to quantity. Whereupon a number
of sagacious, public-spirited capitalists OF
San Francisco, believing il practicable
to recaim them, bought up large pro
portion of the Tule area, and at once
adopted measures for their reclamation.
One Of the first efforts at reclamation
was made on Twitchell Island, which has
an area of 5000 acres. A ditch six feet
wide was dug around the island, parallel
to the stream and twenty-six ieet inward
from the water-line, the excavated earth
being thrown 10 the river side Of the
ditch, thus forming levee sufficient to
shut out the tide-water. At proper in
tervals sluice gates were placed in the
levees. The soil Of the island being
loose and porous, the water from 1t
drained freely into the ditch, which was
regularly emptied through the gates
when the tide was down. When the
tide began to rise again the gates were
closed 10 prevent the inflow Of its waters.
Thus by expelling all the sipage water
and admitting none from the river, a
considerable portion of the island was
soon sufficiently drained and dried 10
admit of its cultivation.
When the surface became dry by
drainage and evaporation the aquatic
Tules lost their vitality and dried mp
whereupon they were readily consumed
by fire, as well as their roots and the soil
to a depth of three or four inches, leay-
ing large mass of ashes; a peck to the
acre. Several hundred sheep were next
turned on and driven to and fro, to
tramp the seed into the ground, and this
completed the work of putting in the
crop. (By the second year the ground
becomes sufficiently compact TO admit Of
the ordinary appliance of tillage-the
plow, harrow. etc.,
BY this tramping in process ] 100 acres
were sown in wheat the first year. Owing
TO the snort time the land had been sub
jected 10 drainage, the parts most remote
from the bitches were but partially
drained, and the crop ON them was much
lighter than on the well-drained portions
II should be mentioned, too, that a very
violent wind, coming before there WA
any rain to compact the burnt surface
blew OFF the ashes from about 100 acres
leaving 50 much of the seed bare tina
the crop came too sparse to be wortl
harvesting, and il was left standing.