The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1911-07-13
THE .JEFFERSONIAN
THE VALUE OF SWAMP MUCK
WHAT RECLAIMED LAND
CAN DO.

chicago, lll.-W. II. Park, vice.
president of the Illinois Central Rail-
way Company and member of the
board of control of the 10th National
Irrigation Congress, which meets
here this year, is directing the atten-
ton of men interested in the congress
to what he declares is the best con-
crete example he has yet found of the
agricultural value of the soil deposits
in the areas Of swamp and overlooked
lands, of which there are practically
S0,000,000 acres capable of reclama-
ton.
The railway officials case in point
has to do with the South Carolina
boy, Jerry Moore, 10 years old, who
last fall harvested 22S bushels of
corn from one acre of ground, es-
tablishing a record for the year that
made him the champion corn grower
of the world.
''This is a record" Mr.. Park said,
that will do more for agriculture
than any other one accomplishment
of similar nature during the last de-
cade. But how did this boy obtain
his enormous yield? Simply by go
ing into the sWamps near his farm
and taking 200 Wagonloads Of the
rich swamp dirt, which he scattered
over his field the first winter. This
he did that winter merely as a means
of fertilizing his land. The second
winter he made up his mind to go
after the corn raising record, for
which a good prize had been offered,
so he took 800 Wagonloads of swamp
dirt the second winter and put it on
his field. Following that, in the
spring, he put fOrty-five WagOnloads
of manure on the field, then double
ploWed the field to a depth Of four
teen inches. All that remained after
that was for the corn to grow up,
ripen and mark a new record for
acre production.
"The simple method followed by
young Moore makes easily apparent
the crop growing possibilities of our
swamp soils and, what is far more
important, the reclamation possibili-
ties Of our swamp and overflowed
localities. There is room in these
swamp areas for thousands of farm
homes, as reclaimed swamp land,
somewhat like irrigated land, is
capable of such production that a
small acreage is sufficient for one
farm home. We estimate that the
population OF this nation Will be
$50, 100000 people by 1850, and
believe myself that it will be more
than that. For this reason we can
see the necessity of furthering
swamp land reclamation, as we'll as
all other methods Of peopling the
localities where fertile lands are
producing; for these homes will
all be needed in years to come. The
National Irrigation Congress, long of
great influence in the West, now has
launched a far-reaching movement
by it's resolutions passed at recent
sessions looking towards definite
help for the states containing large
areas of swamp lands and by so do
ing it further establishes itself as a
body of national Importance, it al
ready having won that place through
it's efforts and results for the West"
Young Moore, who was sent to
Washington, where he met President
Taft and other government dignita-
ries, after he had been awarded the
corn growing prize, has prepared
what government experts who visited
his farm declared was the best seed
bed they had ever seen for his next
years crop. On this field he is to
attempt a greater harvest next year
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