Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-07-15
TILEDRAINACE
WILL RECLAIM
'SALTED Land
Large Project on Old
Rice Lands Started;
Will Plant Acreage
To Citrus Fruit

Reclamation Of the old rice lands,
"salted" nearly twenty years ago, and
which have remained wholly unpro-
ductive since that time, has been
started on a large scale on the old
Blair tract near Olmito where "A tile
drainage system is being installed
on a 40-acre tract owned by II. D..
Cathcart Of Des Moines, Iowa.
Mr.. Cathcart owns over q thous-
and acres OF the old rice lands which
have not produced a cent of evenue
~ twenty years, and plans the
eventual reclamation Of the entire
acreage.
According TO present plans the 20
acres now being tiled, all OF which is
almost barren, growing nothing but
a few salt weed and small hulsache
brush, will be planted TO citrus fruit
in a few months. IN the course or a
few years the entire acreage Of barren
lands, "salted" when the rising water
table forced the abandonment Of rice
growing, will be made highly produc-
tive. owners assert. The acreage on
which work is underway lies about
half a mile east Of the highway, adj
joining the J .C. Bennett lands near
Olmito. The Bennett lands, once
"Salted." ard which were tile drained
several years ago are producing
large crops, one II the most thrifty
young orchards in the lever Valley
being located on acreage owned BY
a.. III. Harper, purchased from j IL.
Bennett after the tile system was
installed.
Over 10000 Feet Of Tile
Over 10000 feet Of clay tile viii
be laid on the system designed TO
drain the 40-acre tract belonging to
Cathcart. The lines are spaced 200
feet apart, each line being 1900 feet
in length. The tract is 600 by 5000
feet in size. Two outlets will be run
TO the drain ditch, and the tile are
laid at a depth of 6 TO Z feet. Sizes
used are 5-lnch for the lines, and 6
and S-inch for the connections with
the outlets.
Two distinct systems are being in
stalled to drain the 40 acres, each
having its outlet to the drain ditch,
which nne with the Cameron
county drain system. The average
drop is one foot In 1000, assuring
rapid discharge. the mains or outfall
lines having a drop Of two feet in
1000 feet,
Plans for the system were drawn
and the work Is being done by u. T..
Miller Of San Benito, drainage en-
gineer, who has handled a number of
large thing contracts in the lower
part OF the Valley. Clay tile, anu
featured by the Valley Clay Products
Company of B; evansville, is being
used. Owing 70 the nature Of the
soil and the depth at which the tile
is being placed, Mr.. Miller has found
hand labor more economical than
machine. and the entire system is be-
ing installed in hand-dug bitches.
Will Leach Soil
Two or there weeks will be re-
CURED to complete the tile system,
and as soon as the bitches are filled,
borders will be erected around the
tract and the teaching process start
ed. The land will not De plowed be-
fore teaching, experience having
proved that the salt can most easily
be removed from the upper stratas
when they are left undisturte ed. The
entire acreage will be flooded from
the canals Of the Los Fresnos district
and will remain under water until the
flow from the outfall "comes sweet"
At present the water discharged from
the tile is as salt as that Of the Gulf
Of Mexico.
Several weeks and possibly two or
three months will be required to
leach the salt from the land, accord
ing to the estimate of drainage ex-
perts, whereas two or three years
would be required to attain the same
results II dependence was placed
CONTINUED on page two)