The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-10-07

isiana was done prior to the Civil
War, but at the time OF the war these
attempts We're abandoned and today,
in many parts of Louisiana, the re-
mains of former drainage systems can
be found. Many of these were OF
great Importance and value, but the
drainage bitches have grown up with
weeds and trees and the drainage
machines, the old Dutch wheels, which
were used at that time, have fallen
into decay
AT kenner, the great truck rails
ing district, 10 miles west Of New
Orleans, an extensive drainage sys-
tenn had been completed, containing
upwards CT 500 acres of land, placed
under the highest cultivation and
producing large crops Of sugar, rice,
cotton, oranges and ether fruits and
vegetables of all kinds. The land
was of immense value, but all was
abandoned and given over to the
swamp. Here and there throughout
the country surrounding New Orleans
similar ruins can be found.
The great call for land and the
same conditions that forced the re-
3iamation of the low lands of Holland
and the fens of England are forcing
the reclamation of the great alluvial
district in south Louisiana. Within
the last decade the attention OF the
capitalist and the farmer has turned
70 the great aliuvial deposit of the
lower Gcta The wonderful richness
Of the SOIL the healthful climatic con-
ditions adapted to the growing OF the
greatest variety of crops, the long
growing period, the lei n 4 =
ket, all have contributed to bringing
this area to public attention. TIE
work of reclaiil-ing the lower delta
is well uz:der way and is being pushed
with great vigor, and yet, at present,
the demand is far ahead of the sup
ply. Those at the head of the vari-
Gus reclamation enterprises report
shat they are unable to reclaim the
land fast enough TO meet the de-
mand of the farmers.
Roosevelt Endorsed This Section.
President Roosevelt, in his annual
message to congress December 4,1907,
said: As an incident to creating the
deep waterway down the Mississippi,
sippi along its lover course will
Gus and populous, as it is already one
OF the most fertile farming regions in
the world. The prediction contained
in President Roosevelt's statement is
based on the fact of the great and
enduring fertility Of this region, a fer
tility equal to, if not exceeding, any
other equal area in the world.
The population of the Acadian set
tlement along the Bayou Lafourche
is 1852 to the square mile and is rapid
ly increasing. Along this bayou is a
street G5 miles long and the average
distance between the homes is 200
feet. Reclaimed land here will sup
port a greater population than the
low lands of Holland or the fens of
England
In 1904 President Thomas Jeffer-
son said that New Orleans was des-
tined to become one of the largest
cities in the world. 1t surely occu-
come SO. The development OF the
contiguous marsh area will add inn
mensely to its development and pros
perity, There are in the lower delta
upwards of $500 square miles of re-
claiuablc lands which will with
in a reasonable time be reclaimed.
On the basis Of the present popula-
ton Of the I4afourche country, this
area will have a population of more
than 100000 prosperous, thrifty peo-
pie, and on the basis of the popula-
ton of Holland it will be upward of
5 100000, and the products Of these
lands, annually. will be of greater
value than the total output of gold
in California since its discovery at
Suffers Mill, in 49,