The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-30

has valley several hundred miles
long. and in that basin there are some
millions of acres which the govern
ment geoSraphers have just finished
mapping. Great drainage works are
going on there, and these include some
of the biggest swamp reclamation
schemes of the Union. "A few years ago
that land was worth nothing. AS fast
as 1t is reclaimed IL Will sell for from
800 TO $1,000 an acre, and some of 1t
is already covered with farms where
asparagus, celery. tomatoes and pota-
toes are raised for shipment TO San
Francisco and other parts of tile West.
In the Sacramento River they have put
dikes about an island and pumped out
the water and that island has the
largest asparagus farm of the world.
They have made great drains which
have redeemed lands now devoted TO
celery. and vegetables are raised which
are shipped from there to the East
Some millions OF dollars have already
been expended upon that work. and now
that the surveys have ben completed
the drainage projects will increase
maniford. i'a Ell
In talking with the geographers as
| to the Sacramento Valley one of them
told me that the trouble there was that
man had taken possession of the coun
try about thousand years too soon.
For ages past, nature has been bring
ing down the earth washings from the
mountains, but she has not. by about
one thousand years, finished her job.
The silt has lodged along the banks
of the Rivers and built up the land there
leaving troughs on each side which the
floods have turned into swamps. These
can be recla lined but channels must be
on |, l,,.. 49,
streams will not overflow Some of
he islands which have been redeemed
at the mouth OF the Sacramento will
have 10 he taken away and channel
sufficiently large for the river created.
An Empire on the Mississippi.
About the same might be said OF the
| Lower Mississippi Valley. 1t is still
earth in the making. The Gulf of Next
co. so the scientists tell me, once ex-
tended more than six hundred miles
farther north, and all the land of the
/ dclin is made up of the rich earth wash
! lngs brought down by the great river.
| They have built up the he'd Of the Gulf
| and forced the sea back Moreover,
the streams have dropped their de-
POSTS close to their banks. and have
! thus gradually built troughs on each
| side Of them, 1t is In these vast troughs
ti'ht we now find the swamps. The Mis-
!. slssippi carries more stuff into them at
every flood. II comes down loaded with
| the richest materials of the uplands
| ana the mountains and drops great
/ pari Of IL there. From the State OF
! Missouri alone ii is estima ed enough
| soil 10 make shaft one mile square
and higher than that Of Washing on
Aohument is annually dropped into the
1 mississippi. Within this same period
/ the Missouri carries down pile Of
/ cnuai area which is 100 feet high. and
! this i mixed with billions Of ltons OF
ana. Illinois and Iowa.
rms work mas been going OF.
throughout the ages. and the earth
washings are now Increased by bad
cui'ivation. They are carrying away
! the hest elements of our sou. and much
| o. these arc stored up In the swarnps
indeed, the swanps contain the riches,
] lef'liizinE materials on earth They
are iul of the stuff for which our farm.
1! ers siyr their hard dollars 10 tho chem.
ieai companies. They are loaded with