New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-20
The Environs of N ew Orleans.
NuaBaR roRTY-F1vE.

In our iast number we mentioned incidentally
the plantation Of St. Gene, upon the Bayou Gen
lilly, little beyond the present crossing of the
Peachartrsin railroad, towards the lake and the
above named little water course, which latter,
however, at the presentday particularly, is hardly
to be distinguished, being nearly filed up, anu
checked as it were by the growth of swamp reeds
and rushes and other aquatic plants. This country
seat, one of the finest and most extensive upon
the coast ian expression used as we take IT, gen
orally, for settlement was owned for long nun
| Der of years by Henri de st. Gene, MAJOR com.
manding as second, the famous BATTALION Oh
| Orleans Volunteers under the General jean bap-
4 tiste Plauche both most honorably made men
ton of in the official dispatches OF General Jack
/ son to the War Department of Washington, in the
memorable campaign of 1914 and 1916. If we are
not mistaken. the late Major ST. Gene had en-
deayored ugon this plantation to cultivate the
/ surar-cane, in which he may have succeeded to
| some extent, having quite considerable force of
1 labor hands at his disposition when we saw this
farm in years after the war. At any rate, the
1 inunda.ien of crevasses could little affect the
crops on this locality, for the ground is particu
larly high in that vicinity, and mainly so on the
left bank of the bayou on which are situated the
former sugarhouse if not latterly removed or de-
molished. r,.,. sr r.. s.a r-tz
Fer some years we have notvisited the premises,
which have of course changed hands since the
demise of the former owner and his spouse, in
France, to which country the major had removed
and left the estate in charge of an agent gene
raj superintendent, the last of whom was Mr..
Auvignac Dorvile. After the demise of Major
de st. Gene, the estate passed into the hands Of
the late John McDonogh, and in this manner be-
came one of the vast domains of the city of New
Orleans. Whether subsequently, by sale or divis-
ion, the lands apPertaning to the ssion were
transferred entire the present possessors, is more
| than we can tell-we are however inclined to the
belief that these tracts have been divided and are
| at present owned by different parties. The two
last years, we have observed, by several visits be-
| yond the premises, that cotton had been planted
some of which seemed to have yielded tolerable
crop on other sections of the plantation the plant
/ appeared, however, to have suffered either from
drought or the want of cleaning of the weeds
for the stalks showed rather diminutive size.
We can take the results of agricultural enter
prise in the vicinity of our metropolis from this
particular farm--for the reason that, to oul
knowledge, no more favorable soil and loca
ton can be found, than this particular spot
That position has always enjoyed the reputation
of possessing remarkable salubrity, on account
of its comparatively high position. But what
made the estate particularly valuable to the former
owners, were the several resources which they
offered, on account of being equally proper for
garden and vegetable purposes, as well ass'fol
dairy products and staple crop revenues. Indeed
these several resources for number of years
afforded to the owners, living in princely afuence
in France, most ample revenues and returns
These were the daily receipts from the milk of the
kline, and in spring and summer, during the super
abundance of this product, fresh butter and cream
cheese would be added thereto, which always
| found the readiest sale in the city markets, and
besides family customers were regularly supplied
with these products of the dairy. Then there
were the sale of fresh fodder, the young corn
hay, green oats, ETC., which formed an other item
OF almost daily income. Next, the proceeds OF
the market sales Of the garden vegetables, corn
pumpkins, beans, peas, carrots, spinage, etc. etc.
of which there was continual succession through.
| out all the months of the year. When the winter
vegetables had passed away, then would come on
those of the spring, after which the ripe summer
fruits musk and watermelons etc.. ETC., furnished
some splendid results Again, the autumn and fall
seasons brought in, as it were an ever continuing
stream Of daily market receipts.
Whilst besides these many articles of almost
daily cash collection, there was the income from
number of fine fruit trees, such as figs, oranges,
peaches, pecans, ETC., ete.--all these resources
Independent from the annual staple crop, either
cotton or sugar; though We incline to the belief
that in the latter years the former staple crops
were entirely abandoned and given up, it being
found more profitable to apply the labor hands to
the cultivation of garden and field products of
daily market consumption. From these details
our readers can form an idea what great re-
sources can be obtained from "a well-established
country farm in the immediate vcinityo our city.
This position, moreover, it is well known to the
residents of our city, formed the ground basis for
the comfortable existence of a number Of the an.
cient creole population, who, by the constant su-
perintendence of their landed estates, managed to
defray the expenses of education for their chill
dren, even in foreign countries, besides living in
an honorable way among the elite of Orleans so.
ciety. These families, having been suddenly de-
prived of their man-stay by the forced emancipa.
ton of their labor hands, now find themselves in
very great although the real estate is still
in their possession---for supply of the proper
surrogate Ol lnt ldTiHtT, LldHudi serplCe. IHey
themselves will certainly do what they can to
keep at least portisn Of their agricultural re-
sources alive and capable of yielding some return
but the main object is, to obtain the aid for such
country people, farm hands already broke or
trained to the business Of land or garden cul.
5tufe. 49, 5sS4Jg4 ssss-gfs a s3}lritEf s54g ,r
+ That this latter object is not unattainabe, will
appear evident from the circumstance that there
never has been lack of supply of labor, free
white ones, with the German farmers around our
city, who have carried on, ever since we have
been in the country, the supply Of kitchen vegeta-
bles and other market green's, which may be seen
in the halls and stalls Of the public marts. Now,
if the German gardeners have been able to pro-
cure their labor hands from among their country
people, why should not creole families, if they
offer them the same orr the like advantages, be
enabled to obtain the services Of the German i'm
migrant labor hands! For our part we cannot
perceive any difficulty in this matter it all de.
ponds upon fair understanding between the par
tiesand a practical observance of the mutual en-
gagements and obligations.
Upon this subject we must, however, observe
that the greatest indueement for the enlisting of
white agricultural laborers is to be found in the
domestic treatment Of these people, This was
one Of the principal causes why their own coun-
111,,