La Junta tribune., 1910-06-11

PAaN-o Nh's' NA''A'S 'eAA H'~sS-4@'
speak nor understand English. |
stopped at several places TO inquire
the way and found could not un.
derstand them nor they me. But the
public school Is now being establish
I ed everywhere and Americans are
settling up the country so that. ere
long. their old manners. customs and
speech will pass away. They are a
polite and courteous people.
The country along the bayou was
originally all timber. but In this part
OF Louisiana there was. back OF this
strip OF timber. prairie land This
prairie. like the timber adjoining. is
swamp and has been une1plored
and unknown. as It was practically
impossible by man or beast. II is
the prairie land that is being re-
claimed by drainage and Is proving 10
be so fertile. Southern Louisiana is
intersected with bayous. the banks OF
which are higher than the country
away from the bayous. so that even
the water In the bayous Is often high
er than this swampy country. These
prairie lands are Level. In draining
these lands great canals are dug. by
means OF boat dredges. 10 carry the
water to the bayous. and smaller
canals are made throughout the tract
at from 200 10 400 feet apart, lcyees
are built around the tract and the
water Is pumped off the land into
the large canals. being collected by
means OF the small lateral canals.
Here We have the reverse OF re-
regions. We build canals and spend
hundreds of thousands of dollars to
bring water on our lands. while In
Louisiana, canals are built and mil
lions OF dollars will be spent TO take
the water OFF the lands Much OF
these lands can be drained by gravity
canals and without pumping. In
these pumping propositions after the
land has been drained and the water
first pumped off. there will be no
water to pump off, save the excess
rain. TOR no water flows on the land.
It now looks like It will be much
simpler and more feasible proposition
than at first was considered Tn.
rainfall II very heavy at times in
souther rn Louisiana. as much a. from
sixty TO seventy inches being the
annual average and sometimes more.
Much OF this water VIII be required
for growing crops, hence. It viii be
only the excess that will have TO be
drained OFF
There are two tracts near Raceland
now reclaimed. one OF about soo acre
and one OF about 900 acres saw
the pumping plant for the tract ON
which Is the Hill farm. II y an i'm.
mcnse steam plant.of abou, 400 horse
power. with two great centrifugal
pumps II Is fine plant The water
Is to be raised but from seven to
nine feet. to pump Il into the main
canal This canal n about sixty feet
Wide and eight feet deep. There are
canals about ten feet MID. around the
tract and similar canals through the
tract. ut some considerable distance
apart. aud smaller lateral canals
draining into the main canals.
The soil b peculiar. The prairies
are covered with rank grass OF var
Ious kinds and luxuriant vegetation.
much OF II as hiyh as a mans head
l undertook to 20 into one OF these
prairies that had not been drained
struggled and pushed aud worried
and forced my way for three quarters
OF AN hour. the vegetation 10 high
that ! could not see far. In many
places. and the ground No sott could
only walk with great difficulty. and
when | MAS tir.d and worn out
gave II up. Tn. top six inches are
almost nothing bu, dense mass of
roofs ana Nber. Below thh extend
Ing from thre. feet down to. In some
cases six feet, and possibly much
deeper. ther. Ia = mass Of roots and
fiber. with which Is mixed rich.
4 partly .rotted. pcat-like soil. the en-
tire mass sof, and piiabic As a sponge.
When on. waiks over II. his feet
sink six or eight inches. that Is. the
he Jumps up and down tho ground
will shake for a rod or NOR. about
} him. hence. this is called "tumblinx 4
prairie" and often. by the natives.
floating prairie" This soil Ia rich In
nitrogen and produces the most won.
derfui plant growth. corn from fifteen