The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1875-01-21
MIssIssIPPI Valley


Humphreys and AbbOtt's Estimate OF
the Value or Lands Reclaimabie In
Arkansas, Mississippi and LOutsiana.
It is safe to assume that every citizen
of the Mississippi valley south of Cape
Girardeau, and, indeed, of the whole
southwest, is closely interested In the
question soon TO come before congress
relative to the Matchmaking of the Mis-
sissippi levees. The conviction that
this work must be taken in charge by
the government or finally abandoned
has become universal, and the report of
the commission to congress, and the
action to be taken thereon, are now live
and absorbing topics.
Although the board of engineers have
not yet made known the nature of their
forthcoming paper. or the specific char
aeter of the recommendation they con-
template making, which may be inferred
from the previous expressions of the
more eminent members of that body,
and of the leading engineer officers of
the government, Gen. II. L. Abbott. for
instance, who, in conjunction with Gen.
A. II. Humphreys, compiled that great
work on the Physics and Hydraulics"
of the Mississippi River" has COM
munication now before the house, which
communication appeared simultaneous
" with 60 Morey Bel, for constructing
the Mississippi levees and as Gen.
Abbott IS one of the commission APP
pointed to recommend a plan by which
the general government may take charge
of the leVees, an extract from his letter
of February 16. 1869, viii prove inter
esting, not only as regards its intrinsic
qualities, but also as q foreshadowing
Of his course In the matter now pending.
In the communication referred to,
Gen. Abbott wrote thus:
The cost of the Mississippi levees, as
indicated in the for going table, would
not be trihing, but it should be re-
membered that the figures are based
upon present inflated prices. The prof
ect can hardly be considered as beyond
the limits of judieious investment when
| it is remembered that the amount actu-
| ally expended upon the Erie canal ex-
ceeds S33, 900, 600, and this, too, mostly
paid in gold. A slight idea of the
profits which may be anticipated with
| the necessary outlay, can be formed
| from the following facts The total
area of the bottom lands Is about 80, 600
square miles, of which a mere narrow
| strip along the main stream and its prin-
cipal tributaries and bayous has been
| heretofore given to cultivation. Pro-
| tected against the river and properly
| drained, this would render available at
| least 2, 800, 900 acres of sugar land, or
more than double the amount hereto
fore planted. about 1000, 600 acres of
| the best cotton land in the world, capa-
| BILE of yielding bale to the acre; and
not less than 1000, 900 acres of corn
! land of unsurpassed and inexhaustible
| fertility. An expenditure of about
! three dollars to the acre (present prices)
| of land actually made cultivstable by
! the levees would thus be sufficient to
reclaim them from overflow. Suppos-
! ing the cotton lands alone to be under
! cultivation, q tax of one cent a pound
for one crop would nearly pay the cost
of the levees for the entire valley.
And with reference to the area and
| value of the land which viii be re-
claimed by a permanent and effective
! leVee system-such as is contemplated
! by the government-we find IN the work
of Humphreys aud Abbott, page 42l,
the following:
It may be well to exhibit, in connec-
| ton with this approximate estimate of
the cost of leveeing the alluyial region,
the extent and probable value of
the advantages of a 1evee system, lands
which thus protected from overflow will
be rendered available for cultivation.
The area of those lands from Cape Gil
rardeau to Red river is 49, $50 square
miles. It may be assumed that one
half of this area Will be rendered Gull
tivable, and as its value per acre may
be set down at S55, the total viii amount
to 800, 900, 600. The area of alluvial
land under cultivation below the mouth
| of Red river is not less than 1000, 600
acres, which, at 500 per acre (by no
means an extravagant estimate), gives
| 800, 900, 600 for the value of the plants-
tions in that section, making a total of
$3.50 900 900 for the land that will be
rendered perpetuallY cultivatable by
the expenditure of ST., 900, 600.
There is another aspect under which
this part of the subject may be pre-
scented. The number of acres thus pro-
tected is 81, 600, 900. Each acre of allu-
vial land will produce one bale of cot
ton, worth on the average $40. We
thus have for the value of the annual
product of the alluvial lands 1915, 000,-
600. The loss on the Tensas bottom,
from the food of 1850, furnishes an in
stance of the injuries resulting from
inundation. 1t was estimated that
the loss thus occasioned exceeded
1000, 900.
Thus it viii be seen that, with two
/ such powerful friends at headquarters
Gen. Humphreys Is the present chief
of the engineer bureau-there is
every prospect of prompt and favorable
action by congress in our behalf. OF
the urgency of the case and the magni-
tude of the benefit to be derived there
can be no sort of doubt.