The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1873-09-13
The Wateree Swamp.
"A BOLD PLAN FOR S7RAIGHT,EN-
ING THE RIVER.
One Hundred and Twenty
Acres of Land TO be Reclaim
ed at a Cost OfOne Million
Dollars.

Dollars.
[CoRKEsPoNpESCE OF THE News & COURIER
Leigh Hunt has touchingly remarked,
81 for my part must still endeavor, till |
die, to push the world little further
into the sunshine" Although nv
world is very narrow one, ] trust that
somewhat kindred motive prompted
me to intrude my thoughts upon those
of your readers mos, directly interested
III this matter, and whom l can better
reach through your generally circulated
Journal than by any other means. |
beg leave to premise that am very
conscious that there are mauJ better
able to present this subject in its true
light than l am, but as they have not
done so, upon my repeated invitation, |
venture again, more at length, TO bring
it to view. l have repeatedly expressed
the opinion that tho
UNRECLAIMED LANDS on THE wATEREE.
now comparately useless, would feed the
State if brought into safe cultivation.
IF this proposition can be substantatcd,
surely State badly provisioncd will
make great efforts to reclaim these
lands. This is no new idea. Fifty years
since Col Adam Blanding was most
earnest in this matter, and just before
the war intelligent aud patriotic gentle
men had devised and were prepared to
execute scheme to eficctuatc this great
work 1t may be we'll to observe that
in the opinion of many of more enlarged
experience and observation than ca n
assume to have, there are. in this State,
NO LANDS COMPARABLE TO THOSE
Of the Watercc for the production of
corn, except, perhaps, those on the
upper Pee'lcc. Indeed. | have known
person of experience who have cxamincd
carefully the river lands and prairics OF
the southwest, who regarded the
Watereo lands superior for corn pro
duct. We have cotton lands in abund-
anoe all over our State, but our uplands
are unsuited to corn and the grasses.
We have lands suited to these products,
but our Nile which cnriches the land
devours remorselcssly its products. The
product, per acre, i'll corn on Waterce
lands equals that Of the Ohio Valley
and the prairics of the great w est, but
freshets and want Of drainage render the
crops uncertain in the extreme. There
are between the shoals at Camden and
the junction with the Congaree one
hundred and twenty thousand acres Of
swamp land, now Of little value, with
the exception of n few plantations near
Camden, which are capable Of produc-
ing, without manure, over
FIFTY BUSHELS OF COIN rEB ACHE,
if we'll drained and cultivated, or
surprising in native grasses the blue
grass of Kentucky. Now it is equally
impossible to Gu u'tivate these lands or to
expose sheep to the inroads Of the
freshcts. When labor was abundant
and compulsory the lands could, to
moderately certain extent, be protected
hy NIX nj, -I
fifty dollars per acre now the greater
portion of them is deserted y few,
somewhat protected, even now are valu.
ed at thirty dollars per acre, while
thousands Of acres of the richest lands
in the State could be bought at two
dollars per acre, and some at one dollar
per acre. Suppose these utilized and
producing millions OF bushels Of grain,
thousands of horses, mules, cutie, sheep
and hogs, and reflect that many of these
things arc now imported into the State
at an expense of transportation exceed
ing their prime cost The whole of
these lands would not now sell at an
average OF ten. dollars per acre Indeed,
[ know places where, subdividcd the
swamp lands, hitherto most valuable,
will not sell at all even at two to three
dollars per acre, while open uplands
adjoining sell readily for twenty five
dollars per acre. The good upands in
this State near railroads are pretty well
appreciated, and can soon "bcgin to
stand alone" although their inforiority
to bottom lands for grain is universally
acknowledged. Lands which will pro-