New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-02

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| Rough and Ready Island. .........-..... Loo
| Long Island ..............-....-..-.---... iVVo
| In ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
| ONE HUNDRED MILES OF LEyEE TO BE COMPLETED THIS
| YEAR
| These are the principal Tule Islands; but you must
understand that on the mainland, along the Sacramento
and its aaents there is great deal OF similar lahd
| probably ut least twice muchmore, perhaps three
times The swamp and overlooked lands were given by
Congress to the Sate and the State has, in It's turn
virtually given them to private persons 1t has sold
them for 81 per acre, OF which 20 per cent was paid
down. or 20 cents per acre. and this money less some
small charges for recording the transfer aud for inspect
ing the reclamation, is returned by the State 10 the
purchaser IL he within three years after the purchase
reclais his land that to say the State gives away
the land on condition that 1t shall be reclaimed, and
brought into cultivation. For number of years past,
enterprisng individuals have undertaken to reclaim
small tracts on these islands, by dyng them, but with
not success and it was not until law was
passed empowering the majority OF owners OF over
flowed lands any place to form reclamation district
choose board of reclamation and levy tax upon all
the land In the district, for building and maintaining
the dykes OF levees these lands really came into
USE Now this work of draining is going on so FAST that
this year nearly COO miles Of leyee Will be completed
among the islands Alone not TO speak OF reclamation
districts on the mainland There seems to be general
| determination to do the work thoroughly; the hRh
floods OF l37l72 having shown the farmers and land
owners that they must build high and strong levess or
else ALL least much, OF their labor and outlay
During Spring of 1872 huge breaks in some or
the leyees with overfowed lands to the serious damage
OF farmers for not only the crop OF the year lost but
orchards and vineyards, which flourish on the table
lands perished seriously injured by the waters
| CHINESE EMPLOYED IN MAKING THE LEyEEs.
find that Chinese labor is used almost entirely In
making the levees.' An engineer having planned the
| m Chinese
men take contracts for pieces at stipulated rates, and
themselves hire their couDtrymen for the actual labor
This subdivision which the perfect organization Of
Chinese labor readily lends ITSELF Is very convenient
The engineer master in charge OF the work deals only
with the Chinese oremen pays them for the work DONE
and exaots them the due performance OF the contract
The eyee stuff taken from the insde thus the ditch
is inside OF the evee aud usually on the outside is
space OF low marsh, which presently fills with willow
| and cottonwood. You may sail along the river or
slough therefore, for miles, and see only occasional evil
| denees Of the leyee. The soil Is usually a
| tough turf, full OF roots, which Is very
| cheaply cut out with on instrument called tule-
knife and thrown up the leyee, where 1t seems to
| hind we'll though orc would not think IL would. At
frequent intervals sefactng tidegates, for drain
age these are made OF the red wood Of the coast which
does not rot in the water The rise and fall OF the tides
is about feet The leyees have been in some places
| troubled with beaver, which however are now hunted
for their fur and will not long be troublesome There
is no muskrat-an animal which would do serious dam
age here The tue-rat lives roots the land, but is
not active strong enough 10 be injurious The eyee
IA usually to eight feet broad top, with the
| inside soping; but I told that experience had
shown that the outside should be perpendicular 1t is
not unusual for parts OF levee to sink down. but
could hear of OF capszng. The Levee Board OF
district appoints leyee.masters whose duty 1t Is to
look after the condition of the work. and the islands
| I visited there gangs OF Cinnamon engaged in
repairing and Tightening the levees.
You land at wharf and standing top OF the leyee
you see you usually the house, and other farm
buildings. set up piles, for security against break
and overflow and beyond. great tract OF level land
two or five feet below the level OF the leyee
and II 1t but lately been reclaimed covered with
| the remnants OF tules and OF grass sods.
PREPARING THE RECLAIMED LAND FOR CROPS
| When the levee Is completed and the land has had
opportunity to drain little, the frat operation is to
burn e. This requires time and care for II is pos
sbe to burn deep and in some parts the fire burns
deep holes If it checked II the land is covered
with dry tules the fire is set SO easily that single
match will burn thousand acres the strong trade wind
which blows up the river and these lands carry
ing the fire rapidly II the dry tues have boon washed
of Chnaman Is sent to dig holes through the upper
sod after him follows another with backload OF straw
wisps, who sticks wisp into each hole, lights 1t with
match and goes At thisrate, am told, 1t cost
ON one island 500 to burn 1900 lacres. f.
When this work Is done you have an ash-heap, ex
tremely disagreeabe to walk over, and not yet solid
enough TO bear horses Accordingly the first
crop IA nut on with sheep. First the tract is sowed
usually with hand machine and am told at the rate
NJ about 80 pounds Of wheat the acre, though be-
leye IL would be better 10 sow more thickly. Then
comes band or flock Of about 800 sheep. These are
driven over the surface IN compact body, and at nc
great rate OF speed, aud 1t Is surprising how readily
they learn what Il expected Of them, and how
thoroughly they tramp IN the seed Dogs are used IN
this work TO keep the sheep together and they expect
TO sheep in" they call 1t, about 10 acres day. with
500 animals giving these time besides TO feed on
the leyee and on spare land Tue land thus prepared
has actualiy yielded from 20 To go bushels OF wheat
DER acre Il does not always do 80. because. as my
sof saw IL is often badly and irregulary burned over
and probably otherwise msmanaged The crop Is taken
of with headers usual In this State For the next
crop the land powed twoshare gang pillow Is used
with seat for the powman IL 10 drawn by four horses
who have 10 be sod with broad wooden shoes, usually
made OF ashplank, exll inches. fastened to the iron
shoes of the horse by The soil does not appear
20 be sour and no doubt the from the burning OF
do much TO sweeen II where needs that But several
wears are needed reduce the ground TO Its best cond
zion for age and the difference this respect between
| newly burned secondorop lands and such matured
farms M that Of Mr. Bigelow on Sherman Island-who
has becn there eight OF nine years-is very striking