nitrogen, and beneath this are various types, designated by the United States 

 Bureau of Soils as Sharkey clay, Galveston clay, Yazoo loam and Yazoo clay, 

 all blending imperceptibly into one another. It is without doubt the very richest 

 area of agricultural land on the American continent, and will produce in abun- 

 dance every known crop grown in this latitude. As indicative of the fertility 

 of the soil comprising this area, the following is quoted from the report of Pro- 

 fessor Firman E. Bear, Ph. D., a member of the faculty of the College of Agricul- 

 ture, Ohio State University, and Honorary Associate in Soil Fertility, who 

 recently made an analysis of the soil: 



"There is enough nitrogen present in the first eight inches of this re- 

 claimed marsh land to supply nitrogen for 1,000 fifty-bushel crops of 

 corn. I have never analyzed a soil with so high a percentage of nitrogen." 



Water 



While heretofore the native settlers throughout the Delta Area have de- 

 pended upon rain water for drinking purposes, it has recently been ascertained 

 that an abundance of excellent water can be obtained from artesian wells at 

 a depth of from 200 to 300 feet. Wells have been struck on a number of the 

 reclaimed tracts throughout the marsh area sufficient to demonstrate that a 

 good supply of water can be obtained on any farm for about $200. However, 

 there is such an abundance of rainfall so equally distributed throughout the 

 year that an ordinary cypress tank of 2,000 gallon capacity will supply ample 

 water for all domestic purposes. 



Crops 



For hundreds of years the staple crop grown on the higher portion capable 

 of cultivation has been sugar-cane, so that this region has for many years been 

 known as the "sugar bowl of the nation ; " but the land is so rich and the climate 

 so mild that almost any crop can be produced in abundance. Sugar-cane, corn, 

 rice and vegetable truck are now the principal crops that are raised in the Allu- 

 vial Delta Region. 



The reclaimed lands in the vicinity of New Orleans, because of their prox- 

 imity to markets, are peculiarly adapted to the production of truck crops, such 

 as onions, cucumbers', eggplant, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, turnips, 

 parsnips and lettuce for the Northern markets, yielding large returns to the grower. 



The staple crops that are being depended upon, however, are sugar-cane 

 and corn. The new virgin soil of the reclaimed area will produce large yields 



Louisiana's Cane Fielcteare the Nation's Sugar Bowl 

 *6 



