Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-07-25
RECLAIMIsG TIDE marshes.
Their Utility for Agricultural Purposes
The Sea-Marsh Soil of Louisiana.

The Department of Agriculture at Wash
ington has just issued volume devoted TO
the reclamation of tide marshes and their
utility for agricultural purposes. 1t is es-
timated by TIE department that the area OF
the country for such purposes could be in
creased at least 10000 square 1Nles-an
area Of territory SIS large as the State of
Vermont-by taking not only the marshes
on the ocean border but those farther in
land, fringing bays, sounds and rivers. It
also contains reports from various parts OF
the country showing what has already
been done in the way Of rcclaiining these
waste lands, which were of value only for
their crops of salt hay. The principal re-
Carnations are in New Jersey along the
Maurice river; in Pennsylvania on the
Delaware, where one farmer has splendid
farm of 600 acres safe from the highest
tides; in North Carolina, South Carolina
and Georgia, where valuable lands have
been diked for rice; in Louisiana and
Texas, where they have been reclaimed for
rice and sugar-cane culture and cattle
ranging, and Washington Territory, where
yearly one-half Of the area formerly occu-
pied by the channels of PUGET sound.
amounting to i,050 square miles. have been
converted into rich, arabic lands. In Cali
fornia also. at the mouths Of the Sacra-
mento and San Joaquin rivers where
there are nearly 100000 acres Of
fresh-water marshes, about $4,000 acres
have been reclaimed, and are among
the most fertile lands in the whole State,
being devoted mostly to fruit-raising. In
this connection the New Orleans PicayQle
calls attention to the reclamation carried
on by the Louisiana Land Reclamation
Company, which has saved 1900 acres in
Terre Bonnie and St. Mary's parishes. The
soil of the sea-marSh in that region is q
black mass of decayed vegetable matter ca
psbIe OF being drained and Of growing any
Of the products of the State. while the sub
soil is u stiff, blue clay well adapted to dixie
building. Speaking of the cOmpany's OPP
erations the Picoame says:
THE land was broken bv steam plows
plying between parallel canals and operated
by the engines of two steam dredging ma
chimes floating in the canals at opposite
sides of the fields. Rice, jute, vegetables,
etc, have been cultivated in this reclaimed
land successfully. The company claim a
larger Weld of rice than the South Carolina
lands give under the most favorable cir
cumstances. JUte grew six feet III five
weeks on this new land. In st. Mary the
company has also operated with much sue
cess and land is reclaimed every year and
Guilty IS accomplished, and levees need be
only two or three feet high. The greatest
danger is from overflow from the Missis-
sippi, it being very easy to protect the lands
from tidal overflow. The new lands are
too rich in soda. po,assa and ammonia to
produce canes of high saccharine strength
for several years, but are excellent for corn
crops. and in eight years under cultivation
become good sugar lands. The cost OF re-
clamation is 8 per acre.
Operations on still larger scale are Ee-
ing prosecuted in Calcasieu, Cameron and
Eermilion parishes, where a syndicate has
purchased 100000 acres of marsh lands
upon which il is now engaged The Plea
ytRe says The average cost of rcclaiming
these lands is found to be Sc per acre, the
marsh when reclaimed being much richer
than the adjacent uplands, with rich,
deep soil, well suited to rice or for pasture
or meadow land. [ChicagoTribune