, 1874-06-20
A Plain :of $4,000 Square Miles, on
Which 1.-Two 12,000,000
People.
Topography Of tho Talley--The Terrible
!. lnunlqtions to Which It Is
Subject.
Careful rillage OF the SoiI-:7.:Genera!
Employment Of Artificial
Irrigation.
The Chief Agricultural Products
---Trccs by the Million.

The Chief Agricultural Products
---Trccs by tho Million.
Tile Rivers OF Blood That Hare Boon
She'd for tho Possession Of This
Fertile plain.
Special Correspondence af Thu Chicago Tribune.
VENICE, May %, 1874.
Aftor = long delay in Floronce, proceeded to
mako tour through
THE GREAT VALLEY OF THE TO.
/ had road and heard much about 1t, but
raaltp did not comprehend It until after lad
'srn1e1od ovorit, or rather had "swnnG Tho cir
oil" around it. II may bo briefly described as \
sr.s"h1ong plain, walled in by mountains Oh
tL.s.s sidos, aud facing tho Adriatio aaa ou tbs
fourth. It Ia bounded by tho Alps on tho north,
tho Aponninos on tho south, tho Maritime Alps
on tho oast, and tho Adriatlo on the west. The
three ranges Of mountains so circunacribe the
po Valley as to siyo It tho exterior outline Of
an o1-bow, or great latter U. Traversing the
contra OF 1t runs tho River po for Il distance Of
moro than 400 nies, rcckonod Oh an air-line and
1t divides the valoy into two equal parts, Or
halres. But, following tho vindings Of tho river
from its fountaiu-hcad at Mk. CeniH to it's doltas
at tho aoa. tho length Of tho main channel OK
Goods 800 mica. Tho Valley OF tho Po being
thus 1anked by grant mountains for mora than
200 miles, whose cratta are covered with SNOW all
tho yoar round, tho discharges Of water into tho
main conduit which loads to tho aca must nocos-
saril, be very great ut particular soasouH. 4
good map allows more than 100 branches, or
subordinate rivers, which, 1islng In tho 1nouu-
talns, low into the main chnnuol; and, In tho
spring Of tho year. whom alt Of theeo afluonts
arc svollen by rains and melting SHOWS on tho
.uountatn-alopes, aud pour thoir doods ain1ul-
tanoouslJ into tile Po
FOUNDATIONS OF ENORMOUS PROPORTIONS
and tr!ghfu1 consequences result therofrom.
Bomotimos tho losa Of life is great, and tho
destruction Of property Ia xlmoxe incaloulaha.
Last spring,-1873, tho almost unprecedented
overdows OF tho Po and It's tributaries indicted 4
loss on tho agricultural interests Of thia valley
estimated at &c, 900, 900, tho evil consequences
Of which have boen felt eli over Italy. Tho
whoat-crop WAS cut abort. leaving none to e1-
port. and compelling some to bo Amportna. Ths
balance Of trade" Was doranged, and tho pre-
MUM Oh gold advanced per cent; thak is, the
Italian papcr-1noncy, which had bocn worth bo-
fore tho freshet % per cent OF coin, raa dcpre-
cinted. In consequence Of the damages dono, to Sc
por cont. Tho promise OF good harrost this
eeaaon lss reduced tho discount from Il por aout
to IL rithin few weeks pa1t The dorornment
hpr also bsen n heafJ loaur Of rovonuo by reason
OF the bad crops OF last season, and times hayo
been hard in Italy, though there has bsen no
panic.
As bofore stated. the Valley Of the Po extends
from eaBt to woBt ncrosn tho Italian reninsula,
from The Aponnines to tho Adriatic, 80 distance,
on IN airline, of nearly 500 miles. The width OF
the valley between tho mountain walls which
bound tho plain averages about s5 ml1es and it
contaiun something like 20, 600 bquaro miles Of
land AZ level and rich as the prairies Of Illinois.
The 1nountain-slopes aud valleys, which are cul-
tivated and dousay populated, will add about
1000 square miles to the To Valley,-makug in
oil 80, 600 square miles Of arabic land, or IN area
something larger than the State Of Indiana. On
this plain, and within those mountain-cou1noa,
there lire and arc bubnlttea
TWELVE MILLIONS or sou1,a!
This area Is scarcely ~ largo as ireland. but 1t
supports twice tho population Of that thich!y-in-
hnbltou island. ltcontans as many people as tho
ten Western States, including Ohio aud Wiacon-
ain, wlilo its torrltury is but: tho sizo OF tho
populated as denaely a. the Valley OF tho Po.
would contain 220, ,000, 900 OF inhabitants, that
ia to say, 400 to. tho square mile This valley
bears tho sams relation to tho rest OF Italy,
do to tho whole Union.
Valley. Ths soil il titled with all tho cara
bestowed on garden, throughout its eutiro ex-
beyond tho American conception Of componsa-
lion. Tho chiof implements Of tillage ara
ihe spade and tho hoo. Flows are mora
DF D1o ! !oss @ 1' smpo5sa bst S1sa w1srs GSe
tro at work digging and subsoiling tho fields,
! Manure IL gathered and applied to tbs crops
! with the utmost care !; but tho experience oi
! nany ceoturiea proves that
! IRRIGATION ACTS uNFA1L1NaLY IL 4 MANURE.
md restores tho strength OF the soil as fast at
tho crops exhaust it. Thus there are thousands
pf meadows which yield four or five cuttings OF
bay each aoason.. and hayo continued to DO &c
tematlo irrigation. Tito famous rarmosan
choose ID manufactured in tho heart OF this val-
Icy, extending from Parma up to milan, from
nilk OF coUs fed on grass grown BY irrigation,
but tho Braas is cut and carried to tho stalls, and
Tho resulting manure IN most carefully pre.
ksrvod aud appliod to tho grain and root crops,
Tho reason that artificial irrigation ia 80 BONG
strength, is. that tho water from tho hllu and
mountains holds In solution various salts, lime,
ammonia, aud a'uyial sediment, which. when
tpraad in thin sheets over the fields, soak into
leaving behind all the other tortllizlng proper
I|ien and sub4tauces carried sloug by the water.
(rhus, every TINS fold is VOTED BY Irrigation,
III In, in fact, also nlanurod. Hence tho fertility
sf thobe lands seoma to be utterly inexlauatiblo
ks they yield ~ lu1uriant haryests now aa they
hAvo ever dono these ten or tronty ceuturics
American farmers understand worry little about
tho extraordinary value Of systematic irrigation
bf land. II they wolo to visit Italy or Franco,
hey wonld open tloir eyes wide, and carry back
kilh thom aome ugoful IDEAS aud knowledge ol
le art Of good farming.
Almost ~ acre Of t6be po Valley |. auHcoptl.
tlo OF artificial irrigation and Is 1noiHtonsu in
bat mannor. A brief description Of
TIE ToroulAFHY OF TIE COUNTRY
I'LL chow the reader how this ia possible. In
DO first place, the valley, to tile eye OF Tue
ayolor, II perfectly leyel plain, less uu.
}llatlng than tio prairies Of 1lliuols noyert,s-
pls towards its contte like q dish, For tic frsl
w miles from the mountain ths decline may be
or 70 feet to the mile, which becomes srad1.
Ply icss al she plain epprpachoa tho 20 or
tller silo Which runa at y mean distance of 10
80 miles frUnl and parallel to, the Alpa IN f1,e