RECLAMATION OF TIDE LANDS. 



. By J. O. Wright, Supervising Drainage Engineer, 

 Irrigation and Drainage Investigations, Office of Experiment Stations. 



During the past thiee or four years there has been a rapid and con- 

 tinuous increase of interest in the reclamation of the tide marsh lands 

 along the Atlantic coast, and enough has been done to encourage the 

 belief that it will be possible under proper methods to reclaim a great 

 portion of this now almost worthless land and make it valuable for 

 agricultural purposes. All the lands along the coast which are cov- 

 ered or practically covered wdth salt water at high tide are classed as 

 salt marsh. The}- extend from the eastern point of Maine to the 

 peninsula of Florida, being broken in places and with irregular 

 boundaries, and vary in width from a few hundred feet to several miles. 



CHARACTER OF SOIL. 



The soil of these marshes is composed of sediment or silt, mingled 

 with the remains of animal and vegetable life. There is a variety of 

 opmions as to the- fertility of this soil, but the chemical analyses of 

 numerous samples, together with the crops produced where tracts 

 have been reclaimed, show that they are extremely productive, and 

 with proper treatment, including the leaching out of the excess of salt, 

 can be made a valuable addition to our agricultural possessions. The 

 soil varies in depth from a few inches to 10 or 15 feet, and usually rests 

 on a bed of sand or clay. In some places, however, the vegetable 

 matter so predominates that the soil is so light that when saturated 

 with water it has a tendency to float. Such lands are called "floating 

 marshes." They are difficult to reclaim, and are not so valuable as 

 others for agriculture, but even these when drained become more 

 firm and make good pasture and meadow. The value of these 

 marshes depends largely upon their elevation above sea level. Large 

 tracts below sea level have been reclaimed by means of costly dikes 

 and expensive machinery for pumping the water, as in the Nether- 

 lands, but land always submerged is not strictly tide marsh, and will 

 not be considered in this discussion. 



The fluctuation of the tide along the coast varies from 2 to 1 1 feet, 

 the average being about 4 feet. Where the fluctuation is above this 

 average, drainage without resort to pumping is usually feasible. 

 Dikes serve to keep out the sea at high tide and automatic gates 

 permit the escape of the water through the dikes at low tide. 



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