42 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Sri:CIMEN OF FOUKED-LEAF WIHTK OAK LOGS OF THE LOWEK JllSSISSIPri VAELEY 



made it a popular item in all lumber consuming centers. The passing 

 of the northern pine and the necessity for the substitution of some 

 wood which would combine a sufiSeient supply with suitable charac- 

 teristics have increased the market for cypress lumber remarkably 

 within a comparatively recent period, and there is every promise that 

 this growth of utilization flill continue for an indefinite time until, 

 like the pine, it gives way to some other more plentiful species. 



AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES. 



It is an axiom tlint it requires good soil to produce good timber. 

 The country about Memphis, in fact the entire lower Mississippi 

 valley, is the richest agricultural land in the United States, and 

 rivals the best there is in the world. The very richness of the soil 

 has contributed to the rapid denudation of the timber areas of the 

 Mississijipi valley, for with the timber removed the property pos- 

 sesses greater value for agricultural purposes. As a matter of fact, 

 hundreds of thousands of acres of forests in this region have been 

 wantonly destroyed simply to reclaim the lands for agriculture. 



A considerable portion of this area is overflow land, which seems 

 destined to become the most noted agricultural district in the world. 

 Engineers employed by the United States and by private individuals 

 are now working on plans involvin'g the drainage of a large portion 

 of this area, which w-ill bring about conditions that suggest Holland, 

 except that the soil in the reclaimed area is much richer than an.y 

 to be found near the Zuyder Zee. 



Millions of dollars are to be spent in the drainage of this land 

 during the next few years, and when this result is accomplished the 



land Mill lie \v(irth four or five times the cost of the reclamation 

 nork. 



Drainage and agricultural engineers, who have spent their lives 

 in reclamation projects, have spent years in the study of this gigantic 

 undertaking, and already considerable areas have been drained and 

 are now planted to cotton, corn, rice and miscellaneous crops. An 

 expert on agricultural possibilities has this to say on the subject: 



"Considering the fertility of swamp lands and the excellent cli- 

 mate of the southern Mississippi valley for crop growth, there is no 

 jiart of the United States that offers better opportunities in the 

 way of swamp reclamation. There are still a few tracts that can be 

 purchased at reasonable prices, where the reclamation work will not 

 be attended with unusual diflSculties. The demand for fertile agri- 

 cultural lands in the United States is so strong that there is a good 

 profit in reclamation of the swamp lands of this section. 



"The swamp lands are of two kinds: timber swamp and pruiric. 

 The timber swamp is covered with a growth of cypress, gum and 

 many other species of trees, while the prairie is treeless, but sup- 

 ports water-loving grasses and plants. The swampy condition of these 

 lands is due to two causes, either the overflow of the streams or 

 because, on account of poor drainage, the heavy rainfalls are unable 

 to flow off. The reclamation of these lands requires the building 

 of drains to carry off the excess rainfall, the building of levees to 

 keep out the floods and' the installation of pumps to lift the water 

 where the land lies below the level of the channel. The reelamaHon 

 of timber swamps is the more costly on account of the additional 

 expense of clearing. 



