66 -BULLETIN 652, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



calculated. If such records are kept on each district they will show whether 

 the pumping plant is being operated properly, and they will enable future 

 drainage improvements to be designed much more intelligently than heretofore. 



UTILIZATION OF LAND. 



In general, the water is lowered as rapidly as possible on these marshlands 

 when they are first reclaimed. The lateral ditches are then cut and complete 

 drainage of the soil obtained. Owing to the soft, spongy nature of the soil, 

 it can not be cultivated immediately after drainage with ordinary farm ani- 

 mals and machinery. The work of reducing the soil to suitable condition for 

 ordinary cultural methods belongs properly to the work of reclamation. As 

 already mentioned under the detailed descriptions of the typical districts, the 

 first cultivation of the land must be done with special machinery. After the 

 bind is cleared of grass the extra large disk plow has been found the best means 

 of plowing it. These plows must be mounted on wheels of considerably more 

 than the usual width. The tractor which draws these plows is the principal 

 factor in doing the work successfully. Plate I. figure 1. shows a type of tractor 

 which has been very successful. It is the type which was used almost exclu- 

 sively on the plowing of the New Orleans Lakeshore Land Co. tract. As shown 

 by the picture, the apron wheels are wide and exert only a small unit pressure 

 on the soil, at the same time affording a very large tractive area for pulling. 

 The body of the tractor is set well above the surface of the ground. This is an 

 essential feature, for when the apron wheels sink into the ground, if the 

 clearance of the body of the tractor is small the framework will rest on the 

 ground, and further progress will be checked. Following the first plowing it is 

 customary to pulverize the ground thoroughly with a double-disk harrow drawn 

 by the same type of tractor. With ordinary weather conditions it is usually 

 possible to place ordinary farm animals on such soils two or three months after 

 they have received the above-described treatment. Where the land is especially 

 soft it probably will be necessary to equip the feet of the animals with " bog 

 shoes." 



The first plowing of the land should not be attempted until it is fairly well 

 drained. Lands that are especially soft may have to be drained for several 

 months before they can be plowed, although much will depend on the time of 

 year and the amount and distribution of the rainfall. • As much progress is 

 made in cultivating these raw lands in one dry year as in two wet years. The 

 transforming' of the dry. raw land to a cultivated field has been one of the 

 most unsatisfactory and expensive operations in the reclamation of these lands. 

 This has been due principally to the use of improper machinery and the 

 attempt to plow the land before it was sufficiently drained. However, methods 

 have advanced so far. and the special machinery necessary for the work has 

 been so well worked out. that it is possible to make this transformation with 

 reasonable expense. 



Usually the first crop planted is corn. Frequently this is planted by corn 

 planters drawn by the above-described tractors. In the average district it is 

 possible to cultivate the first crop by ordinary methods. Following the first 

 crop of corn a wide variety of crops have been grown successfully. The heavy 

 percentage of vegetable material makes it easy to maintain a mulch of dry 

 soil on the surface, and by proper management of the pumping plant the stage 

 of water in the canals and ditches can be so controlled that the water is not 

 reduced too great a distance below the surface. 



