The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-10-13
LOUISIANA LETTER.

LOUISIANA LETTER.
EDS TIFFIN TRIBUNE:-The many
readers Of your excellent sheet hav,
been treated to Substantial feasts il
the events startling and wonderful
transacted by your worthy towns
people while participating in tho
! pleasures Of sojOurns at the Islands
Niagara, the State Fair, etc. And
now, perhaps, by way of desserts a waii
from the 'sunny South may moi
prove Objectionable, inasmueh as ]
shall offer only few items, gathered
among persons and things within the
immediate surroundings Of my home
on the east bank of the Bayou Teehei
Louisiana. This Bayou, unlike Oul
northern rivers and streams, is sup
piled by, and subject to, the tides Oi
the Cult Stream, consequently ebbe
and flows instead Of runs. Either
bank is beautifully fringed with live
oak, gum, and magnolia trees, whose
bending branches kiss the waters as
they flow. Reclining under one OF
these beautiful magnolias, on the
soft, green grass which resembles q
well-kept city lawn, so clear from the
debris common to our woodlands
north, you would be tempted to be
lieve you were la5oring under some
ehimerical delusiOn when you saw a
fine side-wheel Mississippi steamer
come putting up the narrow canal, the
wheel-hOuse swept by the overhang-
ing bOughs Of the trees skirting either
shore. You might not call this natu-
raj canal beautiful, but it is certainly
wonderful. 1t abOunds in fine fish,
and, at this season of the year, you
can occasionally hear the below of
an alligator, harmless, if you have
had the preeautiOn to leave your fa-
verite dog at home, and are not dis
posed to caress them too tenderly in
close proximity to their nest, in
which case, no doubt, their acts might
be strongly suggestive of a parents
duty to protect their young. From
the middle of April until the last of
August, the magnolia trees are white
with blossoms, and the air is as fra
grant as a breath from a hot-house
filled with the choicest plants. The
grass beneath the trees, dotted with
the waxen petals, showing that not
only the "roses fade, leaf byleaf," but
the beauty of these forest trees as well.
One rarely sees a more lovely land
scape. Nature appears to have striv-
en- to Outdo herself in fashioning the
gorgeous beauties ofthe sunny dime,
The land gradually sloping toward the
Bayou; the low prairie grass, fresh
and green the entire year, dotted by
natural basins of water, provisions by
our prOvidenl Creator for the supply
of the thousands of cattle that feed
upon the living pastures; the shady
groves Of live oak, peaean and magnO-
liza; the air, heavy with the breath of
blossoms, and stirred with the thrill
ing chorus of ten thousand birds; the
tranquil air, soft and subdued like our
Indian summer, with a sky as cloud
less as the heart in its childhood, are
among the charms which conspire to
make this an Eden in scenic beauty
which beggars description. Much has
been written on the subject of Ameri-
can forests. There is more to be said
in detail, especially of the forests of
this section of the South. The mag
n3lia alone would draw many admir-
ers Of the floral beauties to your city,
but we could swell the rare collection
with the "Pride of Japan" or China
tI ee, laden with profusiOn Of tiny
purple blossoms in huge clusters, the
delicate, crimson flower which covers,
as with a mantle of rose, the "Cape
!" and blooms continually from
June to October. But these and other !
beauties we must reserve to tempt our
friends to visit this most lovely of
countries.
1t may be but just to describe, as
best may, the magnolia, as it is one
of the most attractive of our forest |
trees. They are tall, SYM
metrieally shaped, resembling in
height and structure our northern |
hickory, bearing deep green, highly |
glazed leaves, which appear in the
wet with dew, as if the var
nish brush of nature had but just left /
them for the rising sun to dry. Large /
white blossoms but partially open at 4
nine O'Clock, and waxen buds, so
choice of their rare compilations and |
remain hugged in the soft,
Ieather-colored envelope till the Ian
guild day with its sun-glare has near
" gone, and then peers out to enjoy
.he soft hazy moOlight-fitting deco
ratiOns for our Night Queen.
Hanging on the limbs and boughs
If all the trees and shrubs is the
Spanish moss in great abundance.
and cured, it is used for
making cushions, mattresses, &c, &c.
It is not purely parasite in nature,
hough somewhat of that class. I'm
ike the mistletOe, it does not grow
,ut OF, and obtain its nourishment
rom, the branch, but only claims its
uppOrt, while it breathes i'm the
impure vapOrs otherwise poison
,us to animal life, hence it may
,e said to be purely an atmospheric
liant. The mistletoe lives on the
eaI "squat'er sovereignty" plan, but
lnder the Homestead Act" this
moss decorates, festOons and beauti-
les its claim and then with true
American tenaeity cliRgs to it. Its
ong switches Of gray, sOmbre hair
would lead one TO believe that Dame
Nature had grown disgusted with her
leavy locks and cast them off.
The live oak is a beautiful tree,
mali, glossy leaves and bending
,Oughs furnishing dense shade for
many yards under its ample limbs.
It's knees, or curved roots are used by
hip builders, providing the heavy,
old timber. To the numerous read
rs Of your columns, would say, in
he true spirit of the darkey ballad,
come 10 the old gum tree" and as
Iou approach, mark the strangely
beautiful appearance Of the leaves,
.aeh one presenting an angle to the
.ye, each one star shaped; they ap-
year like a mass of moving green