GEOGRAPHY 255 



reed or tule which is about as large as your finger and grows 

 to the height of twelve or fifteen feet. 



The sediment or alluvium which was brought down by the 

 rivers settled to the roots of these tules forming a very im- 

 portant peat land. 



As this soil in the tule lands is peat it is the richest and 

 most productive soil in the world. When this peat land is 

 reclaimed a dredger is taken to throw levees up around the 

 different claims leaving the water inside these levees. After 

 the levees are thrown up men set fire to the tules and burn 

 them. If they pumped the water off this land before burn- 

 ing the tules this peat or tule roots would catch fire burning 

 a great deal of land. 



When the tules are burned pumps are used to pump the 

 water from in these levees. Then a ditcher is brought down 

 which cuts a straight irrigation ditch through the different 

 claims. After this work is through with the cultivating 

 begins. The men plough this rich soil then they plant sui- 

 table vegetables to the soil. Some of these vegetables are 

 onions, potatoes, beans, asparagus, and grains. When one 

 crop is raised of one product there is a different product 

 planted so as not to tire the soil. 



SEVENTH YEAR GRADE 



The work of the seventh year includes the following 

 topics: about nine weeks on physical and general geog- 

 raphy; four or five weeks on South Amer- 

 Course of r . - , ^ . 



study ica ; from eight to ten weeks on Europe ; five 



or six weeks on Asia ; two to four weeks on 

 Africa; three to four weeks on Australia and the Pacific 

 islands. 



