The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-09-08
LAND STOLEN FROM TIE SEA.
THE OCEAN BEACH TO BUD AND BLOSSOM LIKE
THE ROSE.

In 1s49 the draining of the Lake of Haarlem
in Holland was completed. The lands thus
recovered have since been sold by the Govern.
ment for nearly So. 500 600. or about $50 per
acre. The success of this grand experiment
has prompted others, like the draining of the
z aid Plss-s lake covering nearly IL. 600 ceres,
an arm Of the SHIELD, which will recover some
35. 900 acres. Encouraged by the results Of
these enterprises. the Netherlandish engineers
now advocate the etapendous PREF ject of drain
ing the great salt water basin of the Zuyder
Zse-sn inland sea which covers 1 SOC, 900
acres. The Italians have nearly completed the
work of enlarging and deepening the tunnel
cut by the Emperor Claudius, to drain Lake
Celanc. This tunnel. more than four miles in
length, and costing over $6 900 900, will recov-
or for agricultural occupation AZ 900 acres of
most fertile land.
While it is interesting to know the extent
and success of lake drainage in the old world,
in our country with millions of acres of virgin
soil such expenditures would be unwise. But
in New England and the Atlantic States there
are large tracts of bogs and Swamps that may
be easily and economically reclaimed by drain.
age. This practice has been common in Europe
for long period. Wien the works now in
progress in Hungary are completed, that coun-
try will have over q million acres of swamp
land drained and brought under cultivation.
Many Thousand acres have thus been recently
improved in Italy, and similar works are now
progressing in France and elsewhere In Ea-
rope. Much has lately been done in the same di.
reotion on our New jersey sea coast, along the
BnOEeB OF Lake MlCnlRRn ana 00m0W6a6 In the
New England States. Several successful ex-
periments in swamp drainage and securing
land from overflow have been tried in Califor-
mia, time already improving some 200. 900 acres
of land on our Pacific coast. The dikIDR in and
reclaiming the salt marshes along the sea-
shore is worthy of increased attention. In
Marshfeld, Mass, over 1400 acres of salt march
have been already greatly improved by shut
ting off the tides of the ocean, at a cost Of
over $50 900. If the success expected attends
this experiment, it will deserve to be yepeated
on broad ecale along our sea shore.
An extensive experiment for the reclamation
of beach sand lands was tried most suocessful-
ly, nearly hundred years ago, along the coast
of the Bay of Biscsy. These BRnd hills, or
dunes as they are called, stretch over o hun
dred miles between the rivers Adour and
Gironde. These dunes, ranging from 190 to
320 feet above the level Of the seR, are COM
posed of white silioiOus sand rounded and re-
duced to minute grains by tritsrition. These
grains are still too heavy to bs borne aloft by
the winds and scattered afar like the ashes of
volcanoes. On the Atlsntic shore of France, |
the prevailing and most violent winds are from
the west and south vest. Hence, at low tide,
the sands dried by the sun and the wind are
driven as along an inclined plane up the stones
which descend seaward, and thus form these
growing dunes. which, moving inland, have
caused great deeolation.
The sand dunes of Denmark cover over 160,-
900 Rcres-those of Prussia 110. .000-those Of
the single province of Gascony in France over
200 600, and in all Europe the drifting sands,
to PRnneWitz, cover 600 600 acres.
There is no question that most of this waste is
capable of reclamation by simple tree plant