El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-12-07
AMERICAS FARM PLAN FOR SOLDIERS rL c,u.u..
WILL BE DONE IN BIG BUSINESS WAY Ss5Se .S Sa
Empire Reclaimed Egypt
Size, and Work Will by Heroes From France
by
Frank G. Carpenter
Copyright. 1918. by
Frank c. carpenter)-

I in the east every one OF which has
more than a million acres Of swamp:
and there are twelve others each OF
which has from a quarter Of a mil
lion to one million acres that can be
easily drained.
The average stay-at-home Of the east
looks upon California as arid rather
than wet Nevertheless that state ha,
soma OF our richest swamp lands. The
Sacramento valley IS several hundred
miles long and its basin has millions
OF acres Of wet lands which the govern
ment geographers have recently mapped.
Drainage is going or there and land
which Few years ago was worth Moth
ing is now being sold as fast as It can
be reclaimed AZ from 500 10 $1,000 an
acre. In the Sacramento river they have
put bikes about an island and pumped
out the water. and that island has now
the largest asparagus farm Of the world
In other places along the river the re-
deemed lands are devoted to celery, and
they are now shipping carloads Of that
and other vegetables from there 10 the
east.
Mississippi Delta.
The delta Of the Mississippi has
swamp lands that are far more valuable
than the irrigated lands OF Mesopotamia
about the Tigris and Euphrates. FOR which
the kaiser planned his railroad from 10
Bagdad The sWamps there include more
than 100000 acres, and they are SO
rich that any 30 acres will make a good
farm When the land Is redeemed It
IS worth 500 or upward per acre. and
reclamation projects have already been
undertaken by private parties here and
there through It Some OF these arc
right on the edge of the cities During
my last visit 10 New Orleans rode in
motor car from the principal hotel
out TO a 1000 acre vegetable and fruit
garden. which had been lifted. as It
were. out OF the bed OF the swamps. The
land is only five miles from the heart OF
the city. and Il IS richer than any part
Of the delta OK the Nile or the Ganges.
saw thousands OF orange trees and
hundreds Of acres OF corn and cotton
growing upon that land. and was told
that the cost OF maintaining the drain
age, after the land had Eeen cleared
and the pumping arrangements installed.
is only 50 to IS cents per acre per annum-
The tract I referred TO IS kept clear by
pumping Its steam pumps are daily lift
ing hundreds OF millions of gallons OF
water from its canals. and throwing II
into the streams which carry it off into
the Mexican gulf
Swamp Lands.
There are extensive swamp lands in
Alabama and Georgia, and the same IS
true OF Arkansas and Mississippi 4 COM
pany has been organized and plans made
10 redeem a half million acres IN the
Tazoo basin There are other schemes
going on in other states. and especially
IN Florida, where millions of acres are
being reclaimed The available lands in
Florida are almost as great as the whole
state OF South Carolina. a state which
Itself has a large area Of swamps IN
North Carolina and Virginia we have wet
iupply- IN North Carolina Lake Malta
nuslSeet has been pumped out and It's
10000 acres Is row cut up into small
arms. The tract is called New Hol- |
and. The settled lands about It arc 80 /
-ieh that farms bring SEQ and upward :
Ter acre.
Farther north in virginia. not far
rom Norfolk, lies about $50. 600 acres
- = f-.-eN
sarden for New York and Boston. II
efer to the great Dismal swamp. the
dges Of which have been already re
leemed. The lake is surrounded By
ands devoted 10 trucking and the soil
inder it Is exceedingly rich. The first
rop usually raised after clearing such
ands IS what is known as stick corn
Tor this no blowing or cultivation IS
eeded- The kernels are planted in holes
n the ground made by a stick and the
orr springs up among the stumps. con-
uering the weeds and yielding large
rops- This Is ohly at first After a
hat OF other farms OF similar soil.
Cut-oyer Lands
Coming TO the cut-over lands which
ompriss the bulk Of the area possible
OF the new proposition. have had a talk
18th Il. T. Cory, who has just returned
rom 4 trip through the greater part OF
he southern states. where he has been In
ssugatlng this subject for secretary Lane
10 tells me that lands OF this character
re 20 be found all along the coasted plain
rom Virginia TO Texas. They Ore the
inds where the timber has been cut off
y the great lumber companies and other
arties from time TO time. The stumps still
and and new trees have grown up among
,em corresponding in size to the time
hich has elapsed since the first clearing
as done. Nj Cory says that there Isl
,mething like 100000. 600 acres Of such
nd in the south. and that e large proper
on OF It has as good soil as the average
IRA Of Indiana At the above estimate
lose cut over lands wCDld make about
me states thu size OF Indiana, or eight
ates the size OF Ohio. kentucky or Vir-i
mia Reduce the estimate by one half
nd the available territory would be big
ar by the size OF Kentucky than the
nited Kingdom OF Great Britain and Ire
nd. which now has something Ike a.
70. 600 people.
A great deal OF this cut over land Is be-
g reclaimed by private parties. and some
it is paying more than its original price
: tho first one or two crops. Mr. Cory
Id me OF a man who bought a cut over
I'm two years ago and paid one tenth
lwn- This year the seller told him he
ould be glad to accept the crop on the
nd FOR the balance hut his offer was not