El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-05-26

have levees Of proper height and
strength around any district we can
put IN pumping plants and lower the
water to six feet or more below the
suface OF the earth by pumping il
into lakes and streams that have
their outlets in the Mexican gulf. At
ter that, such tracts are in the same
position that New Orleans is now Be
fore We installed our present drain
age system, water was found within a
few inches Of the surface anywhere
in the city. Now the earth is dry 10
an excavation of six or more feet.
and We are beginning to build cellars
and Easements.
Moreover. the swampy tracts thus
reclaimed win have wonderful trans
drains into the gulf through a net
work of navigable bayous, rivers and
lakes and We have made navigation
canals 10 connect this network with
the harbor at New Orleans. In this
way every bit of the new farms has
easy access to the city by boat, and
from here by river ana railroad to all
parts OF the world"
ROad Costs $4,000 = Mile.
I do not know how much it has
cost to redeem the big plantation
visited today. The guide who took
me over the property told me that
the taking out of the cypress stumps
and burning them cost from S75 to
500 per acre, and that the most OF
the p miles OF shell road. which runs
here and there through the planta-
ton. cost $4,000 per mile ID build.
y great deal of these swamps contain
cypress trees. and these trees have
the peculiar property of not rOtting
IS long as they are covered with
water 1t is only when the land has
been drained that the stumps will
10 -
time.
In this property the land was
thrown up SO as to form a levee be-
tween il and Lake Pontchsrtrain, and
pumping stations were installed. The
water was then pumped off and great
is such that the water all flows into
these bitches. which are kept clear
by the pumps. The pumps viii raise
500. 000. 600 gallons. of water a day.
and they lift this water from the
annals over the wall into Lake Pont-
chartrain, from whence It runs off
into the Mexican gulf. The drainage
la such that. after big rain, the
pumps begin to draw the water from
the farthest part Of the property
within four minutes after the engines
are started They keep the land dry
not needed for the crops and the
trees.
To give you an idea Of the capac-
ity OF these pumps. the new Catskill
aqueduct. which New York has about
completed for its future water sup
500.0O0.000 gallons a day. and these
plantation pumps could supply more
water than New York is nov using,
with millions of gallons to spare
Precipitation Well Distributed.
for a great part Of the time. They
will have to DO less and less as the
needs OF plant life reduce the volume
OF water. and the cost of pumping
will steadily decrease. The average
annual precipitation Of Louisiana is
less than IS inches and it is we'll
distributed throughout the year. The
advantage Of the pumping arrange
ments is that they can leave just
as much or as little water as Is re-
quired for the various crops.
This whole tract that ! have de-
scribed has been planted TO oranges
II had been divided up into small or
chards. which have been sold to pur-
chasers I'm different parts Of the
union The trees are Of various
ages. from little sprouts recently
planted 10 iusty trees two OF three
years old They seem to grow we'll.
and the prospect is that they will
eventually form one great orange
grove OF T00O acres right here with
in five miles Of the center Of New
Orleans.
Visits Orange Grove.
As went over the farm, I ex-
pressed my doubts as 10 the success
Of orange groves so far north. and
my guide took me TO an adjoining es-
tate, which belongs TO q New Orleans
upon which there is a
grove of several hundred Orange
trees now in bearing. These trees
are still loaded with fruit, notwith-
standing the frost of last spring
ruined the vegetable gardens and
sent the Thermometer TO six degrees
below the freezing point. The
oranges were of the Creole variety,
and were delicious
The reason Of their Eithstanding
the frost is the fact that the trees
which IS not affected by frost. This
variety Of tree will grow in the
north. but il is a native OF the coun-
try about New Orleans Il is decidu
BUS: that is. il sheds its leaves and
remains dormant during the winter.
The sap goes down to the roots and
lakes a rest during the cold months,
coming up again in the spring. II
has been found that certain other
species OF oranges can be hudded
1nto this citrus variety, and that the
new tree will resist the frost.
started by Jesuit Fathers
This seems To prove that oranges
an be grown here. Indeed I am
old that some were planted by the