WET LANDS OF SOUTHERN LOUISIANA. 3 



level. In this section, as in the area to the east of the Mississippi River, there 

 is a small percentage of higher land along the rivers and bayous. To the 

 westward of the Atchafalaya River there is a strip of swamp land bordering 

 the coast line which rises gradually from sea level to approximately 10 or 15 

 feet above at a distance of 20 or 30 miles inland. 



The area of the district is about 12,000 square miles, of which about 10 

 per cent is high enough to be drained by gravity, this representing the per- 

 centage of the total area that already is drained and under cultivation. The 

 remainder is so low that artificial means must be used to get an outlet for 

 drainage water. The area shown in figure 1 is about one-fourth that of the 

 entire State,, yet the tract contains nearly two-thirds of the State's swamp 

 land. 



Throughout the entire district are connecting lakes and bayous, many of 

 which are navigable by boats of considerable draft. The total length of 

 such navigable streams is, roughly, 1,600 miles. The main waterway is the 

 Mississippi River. The Atchafalaya River lately has been opened to deep- 

 water navigation through a dredged channel at its mouth, and vessels of a 

 draft of not more than 20 feet can enter it safely. This system of waterways 

 insures excellent water transportation to the entire district, in addition to 

 the facilities afforded by a number of railroads which traverse the district. 



Besides the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, there are several 

 towns in the district, including Morgan City, Houma, Donaldsonville, New 

 Iberia, Lafayette, Crowley, and Lake Charles, the principal railroad center 

 of the western part of the State. 



The very small percentage of this area that is under cultivation is worked 

 very intensively and supports a population exceeding 200 to the square mile 

 over the whole area. While the principal industry of the whole region is 

 agriculture, the wealth derived from other sources, including sea food, lumber, 

 oil, gas, salt, and sulphur, is almost as great. 



CLIMATE. 



Temperature. 



In Bulletin W of the United States Weather Bureau the following statement 

 is made : 



Climatic conditions over southern Louisiana are marine in character ; the 

 proximity of the Gulf of Mexico and the numerous streams and lakes of this 

 region all conspire to modify the temperature conditions and prevent sudden 

 changes therein, and extremely warm weather in summer and severe cold 

 weather in winter seldom occur. 



For further information in -egard to temperature see above-mentioned 

 publication. 



Rainfall. 



The Weather Bureau summary of the climatological data for section 45 says 

 of the yearly rainfall : 



There is a gradual and well-defined decrease in precipitation from the 

 eastern toward the western portion of this section. The average annual pre- 

 cipitation is 55.76 inches, and ranges from 48.36 inches at Lakeside, Cameron 

 Parish, to 63.02 inches at Amite, Tangipahoa Parish. The precipitation is 

 practically all in the form of rain and is well distributed throughout the year. 

 Snow occurs on an average of once in three to five years, and disappears soon 

 after having fallen. Although droughts occur, they are seldom long continued, 



Note. — Acknowledgment is made of the helpful spirit of cooperation displayed by rail- 

 roads, companies installing drainage systems, landowners, and practicing engineers in 

 extending the scope and increasing the accuracy of this work. 



