The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-02
Scott County which Is not drained well.
free from overflow. and as rich as the best
soil Ia Northeast Missouri or Egyptian I'LL

Scott County which is not drained WELL
free from overflow. and as rich as the best
soil Ia Northeast Missouri or Egyptian I'LL
Scott County, possessed one advantage on
being the first to complete the drainage sys-
tenn. The titles were in hrst-class condition.
and the population was. perhaps, as aggres-
sive as any in the Southeast. No wonder
fortunes have been made; Values are bound
swamp land do not have to be. cultivated
and kept free from other vegetation.
stone ; Land pe Company n explained why the
people have grown prosperous. In 1907, we
planted several acres in onions on the new
land, he said We received o 0nes da so dHT
ment On another. piece OF land. 90 acres.
s Ms sod at 81 cents o. Sushe had
bs cultivated only twice. We raise eight
tons Of alfalfa to the acre and sell 1t for
that year"
IRRIGATION SCHEME.
Two years ago. Mr.. Gooden tried an ex-
pertinent on the first ditch which was dug
that has proved very successful. As in
other portions Of the country. July and
August are the dry months. He built a
tarpa alin dam. which held the water in the
ditch. and because of the sandy subsoil
could irrigate about 600 or 200 acres. He
holds that that land Is worth 500 an acre.
The tarpaulin dam has been replaced with
a substantial stone affair with system Of
locks and only cyclone can prevent the
The ie- dams M will probably be extended. Tor.
though the dry season does not always
come. the dams are an insurance that can
not be ignored by large corporation look
ing for sure things.
This corporation tried one plan Of culti-
walton when 1t first drained some Of its
in draining. Nevertheless crop of corn
and onions was planted. So wet was the
land that about forty. OF the horses which
wooden shoes or fiat boards about foot
square. The horses soon took to the idea.
and the sight of them spraddling out over
the ground in order to keep from interior
ing was a neishborhcod attraction. The
second years crop was tended without this
extraordinary precaution against sinking
Senator Marshall is best known through
out the State as the Swamp Angel" He
has been chairman of the Committee on
took his seat. eight years ago. and any
thing pertaining to that subject is passed
dpcs 10 bs making the ne Of DIS
puted land titles in the southeast easier and
safer to the investor.
He has made a fortune in Scott County,
where the lands are drained. He has had
the good sense to go over the neighboring
county Of Stoddard. where the land has not
that he owns 5000 acres there. Only about
nineteen miles Of drainage bitches have
been dug there.
BRIGHT PROSPECT.
"I am not go years DID," said Senator
Marshall, yet will live to see the time
when the land down here is worth 500 and
$50 an acre. We have the best railroad
connections. 1t will only be question of
two or three years when the railroads will
be running night express trains to st. Louis
with our garden products. We raise tho
best water and musk melons in the world
on the sandy soil. We beat the st. Louis
latitude about three or four weeks. Nothing
on earth can keep this country from grow
ing" q
Those who have seen the development of
Scott County are having no hesitancy in
buying land there and further south. Stod-
dard County land Ii selling uncleared for
or better railroad connections than that of
Scott County. Corn brings Sc cents bushel
for shipping south. while cotton is better by
cents than in the average markets. When
the drainage System Is completed In Stod-
dard and Dunklin counties. the Scott Coun-
ty story will be repeated
I'VE do not want a boom In our county"
said S. B.. Jeffers. one OF the best-known
real estate agents in Dexter. I'VE have
tho land cleared, drained and otherwise,
but ne are using good sense In attending to