Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-12-04
WON FROM OCEAN.
Land Worth $4,000. 900 Reclaimed on
Lynn Salt Marshes.

Land Worth $4,000, 600 Reclaimed on
Lynn Salt Marshes.
To the Lynn marshes is now to go
the credit Of an altogether eXtraordi-
nary achievement of agriculture, the
triumphant outcome of a series of ex-
periments waged all during the past
summer, which means more, almost,
for the Atlantic seacoast's develop
ment than any other happening or
undertaking of recent years.
| Nor does this work OF farming. half
engineering, half project of chemis-
| try, concern the Lynn marshes alone
1t is of practical moment to the entire
Atlantic SeacOaSt, and because of it
hundreds Of thousands OF dollars, if
not, indeed, as is more likely, millions,
| will be very quickly added to the
wealth of the country.
| A scientist informally attached to
the department of agriculture has
taken a salt marsh near Boston and
turned it into very fruitful meadow,
as if by magic. This was achieved on
| land which could have barely brought
a few dollars an acre, and which is
now worth we'll up into the thousands.
and at a cost of about $50 an acre.
/ What is most interesting about this
mans work is that he has done it all
| without aid of fertilizer and without
/ carrying on it top soil. Having shut
the salt water off, having drained the
/ meadows by piping Of tile and turned
! OH 81 int =
fective operation, he had merely plwed
up, narrowed and macerated his tough
grass soil until it became quite another
thing, possibility of commercial vege-
tatiOn then, thereafter treating it with
scientifically compounded chemicals
thrown broadcast.
Theoretically, all this has been
known to be possible Wonders have
been accomplished in recIaiming land
in Holland and in the fen country OF
England. But in America the work has
awaited, somehow, the coming of a
master hand.
The United States government has
long had the project in view, and as
late as 1901 sent an expert to report
on the possibility of some such scheme
to reclaim this land. In August, 1901
this expert, Thomas U. H. Means, is
sued a highly interesting report over
his own name. Some of the things Mr.
Means said in his now famous report
are Of great Importance. He said:
1T is generally conceded that one acre
of reclaimed salt marsh land is worth
four or five acres of upland
Says Professor n. F. Shaler of Har
ward on the subject: THE great ad
vantage of the northern marsh acres
! is found in the fact that they are gen
orally near the large centers of pOpu
lation of the country, where they viii
have a high value as market garden
soils or fields for the raising of hay
When brought into their best state
such acres will, measured by the price
set upon other lands in the neighbor
hood, have a value of not less thar
5000 an acre AS the reclaimable ares
between New York and Portland, Me-
probably exceeds 100000 acres, thu
money value in their best state will
amount to at least $40,000,000. Thu
cost of retaining and reducing thes'
lands to cultivation need not exceed
one-fifth of this sum. In European
countries salt marshes are regarded a
the most fertile of lands. Large area
in Holland, Denmark, Germany AM
Belgium have teen cultivated for man.
years. In England the fens to the e.
tent of probably more than 100000
acres have been diked and detached
and are now in a state of matches
, fertility New York Journal