Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1892-05-07
THE DISMAL SWAMP.
A Gloomy Reslsn inkabitsd ~ Fierce An
3;iSia:

THE DISMAL SWAMP.
Gloomy Reslen inkabitsd ~ Fierce An
iiiats:
The DISMAL Swamp III V}feipfa: DIS
1T tho LARGEST Of The sivampy tracts liz
America, is also one of the most promis-
ing areas for reclamation. 1t contains
fulIy fifteen hundred square miles, and
is at present Of little ~slne: SScstft fde 4
supply OF timber which is constantly di-
minishing. The swamp is situated on
an inclined plane, gently undulating,
and is really nothing but a continuation
of the lo~., swa,apa..i c,'a>*al t'la'',;
which extends from Texas northward.
It is an old sea-botton, and the western
boundary of the swamp is sea cliff
and beach. Owing to the original de-
ficiency of slope it js swampy hecnuse
the winter cehtct Yib ta; and It's stSarirs
vegetation which acts like sponge in
retaining water.
Near the center of the swamp is the
famous Lake Druinmond, about which
so much has been written, and the
origin of which is still an unsettled
question. 1t has been SUPPOSED that
during some time of drouth a fire, burn
ing the peat has produced a large de-
preston in which the waters of the
lake have gathered. Prof. Shaler, of
the United States geological survey.
considers this explanation to be Inns
proba bic. although smaller pools have
been produced IN this way. He offers
as /. theory that rs the vegetation grew
upon the old sea-bottom, which had
been raised to dry land, it began to
extend over the entire area, Lake
Drummond being the last place to
be filled. One of the most in=
teresting features connected with
the Dismal Swamp, Is Its peculiar vege-
tation. Trees generally cannot grow
in very swampy tracts for their roots
need to have access to the air during the
growing season. The bald cypress
(Taxodium distichum) under ordinary
conditions differs in no way from an
ordinary tree with respect to its roots,
but in swamps such as the Dismal
| Swamp. where the root. are befeath
water all the year. it has formed the
| habit of sending knce-like protuber-
ance from the roots up above the water
| into the air--breathing holes. one might
say. for the roots. In this way the
cypress can live in very wet swan1ps.
| The black gum of the Dismal Swamp
| accomplishcs the same end by arcbing
! it's roots so as to raise portions of them
| above water.
As would be expected the animal life
of this great swamp is also peculiar.
No squirrels exist because there are NO
nuts: ground-loving animals are also
] absent because of the extreme wetness,
| so that there are no mice, moles. SPUR
rels. or other animals of this class
Birds which build on the ground cannot
live here. and the chief animal popula
ton of the higher classes consist OF
water birds and snakes, OF the larger
animals bears are abundant. and there
is peculiar and very ferocious species
of wild horned cattle. These animals
probably the descendants of former
domesticatcd cattle, are now thorough
lv wild and very dangerous. The fights
| of the wild bulls are said to he very eX
citing by those who have seen them
and in the contests between the bear.
and bulls both are sometimes killed. Il
is said that the bear. in order to escape
the danger from the horns of the cattle
have the habit of springing upon theil
backs and rending the muscles which
support the heads of their prey.
This region is in part n wilderness
but some efforts have been made t.
drain it. though these have been il
the main unsyStematic and unscientific
| and have produced little result of value
Prof Shaler estimates that by n prope
system of draining this great swamp
fully one hundred and sixty thousant
| acres of land can be reclaimed at a cos
of four million dollars. making the lant
worth some sixteen million dollars. Th,
region is very favorably situated TO
cuitivating and marketing garden crops
Experiments already made prove tn
soil and climate to be admira bly, adapte'
to the cultivation of vegetables. Tn
Norfolk district. where a costly system
of fertilizingis necessary. now furnishe
large part of the supply of such crop
to from four to five million people alonl
the northern coast, and the demand j
certain to increase. The drainage chan
nels could furnish water transportation
to within mile of every part of tn
titled area and thence to the sea-
Ralph, in American Agriculturist.