The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-03-09

SOUTHERN WET LANDS.
Importance and Feasibility of Their
Reclamation.

To me, the reclamation Of the low
lands of the South is today more i'm
portant, more feasible, more sensible
and more in accord with the teach
ings of political economy than the ir-
rigation projects in which the Gov
eminent is so extensively interested.
Reclaming the Southern swamp
land goes merrily on, increasing in
momentum and popularity each year.
In accord with enabling acts of the
Legislatures of the States in which
the swamp lands are located, it be-
comes feasible and practicable for
incorporated companies to take hold
of the work upon a good substantial
foOting, backed and sustained by wise
legal
Within the past go days two such
movements have been inaugarated in
Norfolk county. Virginia. These, how
ever embrace only limited areas, af-
-fecting something like 10000 acres di-
rectlySor Indirectly, in each of the two
propositions. One Of the bodies Of
swamp land involved runs to within
less than two miles, in air lines, OF
the corporate limits OF the city of
Norfolk. 1t is what is termed as
ePocoson" land. This is the old In
dian name for such tracts. A pecu-
liarity Of such tracts is this: While
in general features, these tracts re-
semble swamps, and are swampg,
they IRE really higher than most OF
the surrounding lands. They seem to
hold the water like a sponge rather
than IS a basin. Take the tract near
to Norfolk, for example. The writer
knows from personal observation that
there are at least tour outlets from
this "Pocoson" through which the
suplus water finds it's way to differ
ent tfdewater streams, or salt arms
Of the q The swamps have been
naturally built UP or file dup by the
annual liberal deposit OF leaves and de-
caying grasses, reeds and other vege-
tation, until the surface of the land
has been elevated to such an extent
that the water runs out of the swamps
instead of into them.
Under the authority OF the Legisla-
.ture Of North Carolina a company is
about to begin the work Of reclaim
ing 100, 900 acres of land around and
Including Lake Mattamuskeet. When
this movement is accomplished it will
put upon the market 100, 900 acres of
the best corn lands in the United
States. The lake embraced in this
tract is shallow, not more than one to
two feet in depth. Unlike other lake
beds, the bed Of this lake was formed
by fire. Careful surveying shows
that this lake, like Lake Drummond,
in the great Dismal Swamp of Vir-
ginia, is really higher than the adj
jacent: lands ages ago, yet within limit
of Indian tradition. In a seaso of
unprecedented drouth fires ragged with
unusual force over a long period of
time. For"13 moons, zone full year ira
dition says, the fires burned, and the
ground was burned up, being Of a
peatynature, and the bed OF the lake
was formed, and returning rains grad
ualy filled it up. The lakes in such
cases and in such swamps being found
at the highest points, rather sustains
the correctness of the traditions.
The fact, however. remains that
nearly every swamp can be drained
thoroughly by gravity. 1t is only a
matter of SO many cubic yards of dirt
dug out of bitches. The modern
dredge digs the ditch economically and
rapidly. Forty years was required,
with shovel and wheelborrow, to dig
the Dismal Swamp canal. George
Washington was the civil engineer
who laid down the lines. A modern
dredge would remove as many cubic
yards of dirt in less than one year.
The modern dredge has practically re-
leased from the bondage OF water
several million acres of the most pro-
ductive land in the United States.
State enactments have rendered it
practicable and safe for capital to
grasp the opportunity. and capital is
grasping it. The cwamp lands of the
South, reclaimed and planted to corn,
would make the South a seller in
stead of a. buyer of corn, and make a
veritable Egypt of the section. espic-
ally the seaboard section south Of
Mason and Dixon's line. The fact
that these great bodies of very rich
and productive lands can be redeem