Foto

the dried pond of Marseillette (Languedoc > Aude).

In the heart of the Minervois territory, on the north bank of th Canal du Midi stands the dried pond of Marseillette.

On the Tertiary time, the sea was there. When it pulled-back, some ponds were formed. The one of Marseillette was large (2000 ha) and it could still stand without the human action.
But, since the XVIth century, it seemed necessary to dry it because of the mosquitos and the diseases (cholera, malaria, fever...).
There were some plans under kings Henri IV and Louis XIII but they could'nt end.
In 1808, a rich Irish lady, Lady Lawless could finance the whole drying of the pond and started to cultivate cereals and vegetables.
But in 1851 it was necessary to flood the land with fresh water since the salt under the ground burnt the cereals. A canal was dug to transport the water of the river Aude.

Then, since the XIXth, on the pond's place we have fields, crossed by irrigation canals.
The main culture was the rice. It was abandoned a time and comes back now. But we can mostly found vineyards and orchards (apples...).

As for the vineyards on the picture, fields are often flooded. The farmers get involved in a reasonable farming, using less fertilizers and giving priority to direct sale (instead of supermarkets)...