The Southern herald., 1899-04-28
FARM LANDS CREATED
The Great Undertaking OF an Enter
prising Agricultural of
Indiana.

The largest owner of swamp lands
under cultivation in the world is b.
?. Clifford, Of Jasper county. Ind. in
which nearly all of this body Of fertile
soil lies. Twenty years ago. where the
thousands of acres of Mr.. Gifford's ten
foot corn bends TO the autumn winds,
there was naught but dreary stretches
Of mOrass. In the driest seasons the
water stagnated on the surface OF the
black and Shiny ooze, built up in stratus
of decayed vegetation, year by year. In
the spring and fall this wide area of
marsh was not infrequently trans
formed into series of lakes from three
to ten feet deep. All this has been
changed by the thorough system of
drainage adopted by Mr.. Clifford, who
realized in the black muck limitless ca
pacity for the production of marvellous
crops of corn and vegetables.
The experiment of drainage was a
doubtful one. 1t meant an immediate
outlay Of fortune, with the possibil-
ity that when the vast Improvement
was completed il would stand on the
debt side of Mr.. Gifford's ledger al a
sum far in excess of what equally good
land might have been bought for in
more desirable localities. Mr.. Gift
ford took the chances. The success
which has crowned the venture has
indicated his Judgment.
He obtained from the state of In
diana deeds to $4,000 acres of this
swamp for song, and then bought
steam dredge and began operations.
For five years, save in the dead of win
ter this dredge has been in operation
constantly, day and night, and it has
cut in that period IS miles of bitches.
These bitches were the main lines. and
measured from to 12 feet deep and
from Is to 20 feet wide at the top. Dis
charging into them were laid several
hundred miles of tile drains, all sizes,
criss-crossing the immense tract at such
distances as would serve to extract the
superhuous moisture from the marsh.
The water is running from these tile
drains almost the year round, and there
is never a period when there is not
good head of water in the main bitches.
As the dredge plowed its way through
the dismal eNpanse the reeling mud
was dumped along the sides of the
cutting, and hydraulic ram attached
to the dredge forced powerful stream
of water on il and washed il far back
from the verge, so that in the storm
lest seasons il never drifted iAto the
channel and choked il up. The crops
raised on the enormous tract afforded
sufficient traffic to keep a small railroad
busy, and as Mr.. Clifford estimated he
could with profit ~BuiId his own line and
haul his corn. stock, hay. vegetables,
and other products to the Chicago
market, he surveyed a line from the
center of the tract, and is now con-
structing a freight line from the CEN
ter Of his farm north to point of
junction with the Indiana, Illinois and
Iowa line, which gives him direct con-
nection with Chicago, The grade of this
road, the heavy work on which has
been completed, is along the principal
lines of main bitches. and the earth ex-
cavated in cutting the bitches is be-
ing worked into fair roadbed at mod
crate cost.
There are $50 tenants on the farm,
and every tenant has comfortable
five-room dwelling, These buildings
are all alike, and in themselves Gonsti-
tute a colony of no mean proportions.
Last year Mr.. Gifford's corn crop ex-
ceeded 1.000000 bushels. and besides
this. he has disposed of 100000 bushels
of onions. which. in the rich, black
vegetable mold. grow to unheard-of
sizes and in a profusion beyond ones
most tropical fancy. His hay crop on
the wet prairies is enormous. and COM
mands price in the city markets only
inferior TO that Of prime timothy. lie
has hundreds of horses. which he is
raising for farm work and for the mar.
ket.-CEicago Tribune.