THE SOUTHERN CYPRESS. 53 
In the Mississippi Valley, with an overflow area of 50 to 75 miles in 
width affording millions of acres of very productive soil, this situa- 
tion is especially emphasized. By comparison, timber growing as 
an investment has little to offer. it must not be forgotten, however, 
that a sharp distinction should be drawn between open lands and 
those covered with a forest of large trees. The perfection of dredg- 
ing by modern machinery and the possibilities in the control of 
waters as demonstrated in the Panama Canal and other engineering 
works, are convincing evidences of the probability of success in the 
reclaiming of overflow and swamp soils, and have at times led to 
excessive speculation over tracts promising ready drainage. 
In the flush of logging virgin stands of cypress, very little serious 
consideration has commonly been given to the question of the future 
use for which the land is best adapted. The largest cypress manu- 
facturers’ association in Louisiana has, however, given definite con- 
sideration and study to this problem along with the advance of lum- 
bering. Tentatively, their noke is to dlearn cut cypress lands, having 
in view their an sale early drainage and value for qantas il 
development, in spite of the high expense of removing the stumps 
and clearing the lands for cultivation. Consideration of the combined 
‘expense of draining and clearing the land, and the distance to markets, 
will serve to indicate whether or not the investment is a paying one. 
Ti is important in this connection to distinguish clearly between 
the rich, deep alluvial lands which he in continuous bodies of extensive 
area and the numerous small, more or less isolated cypress tracts 
where drainage features are very different. As a result of large 
profits realized in the past from draining the open savannas or 
grassy swamp lands, there is undoubtedly a strong tendency toward 
a too optimistic view of the early reclamation of deep cypress swamp 
lands. A large number of operators, convinced that reclamation is 
certain to be profitable, have decided in favor of taking every cypress 
tree of possible commercial value and leaving none for future returns. 
In reclaiming swamps which are the result of river inundation, the 
first step of importance is to reduce the amount of overflow. This 
suggests measures for protecting watersheds against floods, both in 
the interest of the swamp-drainage system and the preservation of 
our navigable-stream channels. The long period of time necessary 
must not be overlooked, since pians for permanent reclamation call 
for an orderly progression of the work in accordance with the need 
for the land, market conditions, and transportation facilities. The 
information available regarding the rate of growth of second-growth 
cypress trees and stands and the effect of drainage upon growth (see 
pp. 39 to 46) will be helpful to the owner of cypress ibe in arriving 
broadly at conclusions regarding its comparative future value for 
agriculture and timber production. 
