The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1909-05-26
EVERGLADES
RECLAIMED
florida Spends Nearly a Million to
Increase Value Of Land a
Hundred-fold.


recent years is the reclamation of the
vast Everglades of Florida, which
many people yet believe to be but an
enormous expanse of tangled over.
growth of tropical vegetation, almost
impenetrable and with from two to
ten feet of water over 1t. In fact
they think 1t Is one vast swamp.
The glades were originally q shall
low lake some seventy by one hundred
and fifty miles with a coral rock bot
tom. Being shallow, grass gradually
grew over 1t, tall, rich tropical grass
that waves perpetually in a balmy
breeze. The water moving toward the
coast slowly wrought for itself wind
ing channels through this meadow
which today are lined with the ricn
purple of the floating hyacinth and
peopled with bass. Contrary as it Is
TO existing knowledge, this water Is
quite clear and safe to drink.
An elevation of something over thir.
ty feet above tldewater gives a per.
ceptible and sometimes strong current
to the streams. Thus the Miami,
draining the Everglades on the east,
is short but swift river, and the
Caloosahatchee, the main western
outlet, Is not to be negotiated In the
rainy season except with power boat
which can breast its deep strong
flow.
With drainage, at not much ex.
pense, these lands can be made to
grow the finest vegetables and fruit
crops, as is being practically shown
each season. 1t Is now easy to per-
ceive that In few years, when the
State of Florida completes It's system
of drainage, the land in the vicinity
of Miami and, In fact, the entire sec
tion of Southern Florida, will become
one of the finest, If not the finest,
winter farming section in the whole
country.
In a recent interview Ex-Governor
Napoleon B. Broward, the man who
is termed the father of the Ever
glades, says:
in the State of Florida, in the re-
gion commonly known as the Ever
glades, we have five million acres of
land suitable for most profitable
form of agriculture. but valueless at
the present time because It is covered
by water. 1t may be needless for me
to assert that its richness and fertil
ity have been demonstrated by the
investigations of soil and climatic ex-
perts.
Il can say that at least we have set
tied this point. For, since the year of
1906, when plans to reclaim the land
were undertaken by the state through
trustees of the Internal Improvement
Fund, the project has progressed so
far that all doubt of its ultimate sue.
cess have been removed.
81 have given much study to this
subject When / was nominated for
governor in 1905 | pledged myself to
drain the Everglades. We had two
dredges constructed from designs Of
my own. They began operation in
July, 1906, at the head of what is call
ed the New River, about 20 miles
from the City of Miami. Each dredge
is excavating canal which averages
co feet in width and has depth rang
ing from IL feet to Is feet AS the
channels are dug, the surface water
in the vicinity finds it way into them
and flows seaward, so that already we
have over 1000 acres of what has
been submerged soil reclaimed and
being sold to the settler for cultiva-
tion. Thus, as the drainage proceeds,
the farmer will follow to occupy the
land.
A tax of 5 cents an acre on lands
sold to settlers gives us an income of
about 100000 annually, and will en-
able us to increase our operations, as
the excavation of the canals is being
done with great conomy-about one
seventh of the usual cost OF such
labor.
What has been already done in the
raising of fruit and vegetables on the
area of soil which have been drained
show that such work will be repaid
many fold. Not only is this part of
the state adequate for the production
of every pound of the nations sugar,
but 1t can be covered with fruit orch
ards and vegetable gardens. The
100000 acres to which l have refer
red, however, represent only a small
portion OF the swamp land. granted
to Florida by the United States, on
which millions of people will find
homes and occupations when it is
properly drained.
ut is worth while to make this re-
gion fit for human habitation? If any
one so questions, let him consider for
moment the benefit it will confer,
not only on the south, but upon the
whole country. from merely one
standpoint. There is now imported
into the Uniter States more than
2,400,000 tons Of foreign sugar. for
which we pay, in duty and to the for
eign producer, more than $3.50, 100000
yearly. Our total exports per annum
of the following articles, corn, wheat,
flour, beef and naval stores combined,
amounts to but s144,000,000. In other
words, we are paying for foreign SUI
gar, in American money, more than
the people of foreign countries pay
the people of the United States for all
of the corn, wheat, flour, beef and
naval stores shipped them from the
United States. There are in this sub
merged Florida 100000 acres OF
land suitable for the cultivation of su-
gar cane.
''In proof of the assertion that
Coutl Lvor;do off0rd- the s;fa FOr on