The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-09-13
Morning Star and Catholic Messenger.
NEW ORLEANS. SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 49, 1874.
IMMIGRATION.
EASTERN LOUISIANA.
THIRD ARTICLE.


to immigrants here, will now give your read
ers some idea Of the equal advantages existing
in Eastern Louisiana, that portion com.
prising the parishes of St. Tammany, Tangipa-
hoa, st. Helena and Washington. I might
say, indeed, that the advantages here offered
excel those of tho western part of the State,
for there are certain obstacles, which 1 have
described In my former articles, to be overcome
there that do not exist here. The soil is not
a. fertile, but can easily be made SO tho CHI
mate is as healthy any in the South, and
the means of transportation are multifarious.
The land, generally speaking, is billy and
abounds with the finest of timber. The rivers
nre all navigable and empty into the Lakes
.Pontchartrain and Maurepas, and the mex
haustible supply of game and salt water fish,
present combined attractions to the settler
that are unparalleled anywhere in the country,
and which require but the magic touch of labor
to bring them from their present embryo state
into life and activity.
ST. TAMMANY
lies Immediately back of the city CT New Or
leans, and fronts ON the Lake Pontchartrain
Its position, indeed, is such as to ultimately
make it the vineyard and vegetable garden of
this great metropolis. 1t is entirely free from
overflow and any of the contagious diseases
prevalent elsewhere at certain times in the
year. It's water courses, as have said are all
navigable, some of them really en- ing in
their crystal like meanderings, and no one born
or raised in the piny woods or knowing any
thing about them, can fail to picture to himself
the musical sounds of these transparent aters
rs they glide placidly along through the tall
magnolas, pines, poplars Gins and other ma
jestic trees, commngling with the familiar
notes of the many Birds whose songs are heard
from morn till night. Nature is here in all its
loneliness, the beautiful works of God are
witnessed on every hand, indeed the poet can
here find ample theme for his magic PEN
The principal enterprise now carried on here
is the timber business. There are saw mills
everywhere in the parish, and the timber is of
such fine quality, that the farmer has no more
trouble in dsposing of it than to fell it and
haul it to the mill. The charcoal business is
another principal enterprise, being carried
On by nearly every settler here every day
may be ssrn schooners loaded with this article
coming l.. our basins some of these schoon-
ers, in fy'et depend entirely upon this trade
and are 'ngaged in nothing else. The turpeu
tine andmoss business is also O very profitable
enterprise, all having ready sale in New Or
ieausN where there are several moss manufac
tories and houses engaged in the sale of tur-
pentine. AL the sand and brick used in build
ang and other purposes are also furnished by
she farmers along the different rivers, the
Tchefnncta and Bogue Falaya, from Madison
vile to the Abita Springs, some three or four
miles north of Gown gton, afording the finest
material. The live oak and cypress, so we'll
adapted to the building of schooners yachts,
etc, is also plentiful on these rivers there are,
IN fact, very few tracts of Government land
upon which thousands OF feet of this timber
does not grow. There are or two ship yards
IN this parish doing good business, and those
here in New Orleans are kept busy sometimes
building vessels for the lake trade alone.
The cattle here do well but not so we'll as on
the western prairies of the State the mich
cow, however, does remarkably well, in fact
there is larger quantity of milk and finer
quality of butter obtained here than possibly
any where else in the country-any one avail.
ing himself of the Wednesday or Sunday ex
cursions to Vaudeville, Lewisburg, or Madi-
sonville, can judge of this fact. Butter is
seldom sold in New Orleans for less than fifty
cents per pound, and milk is generally sold at
forty cents gallon, and when it is shown as
has been, that this part of the State is better
adapted for these articles than any where else,
it is we'll worth consideration.
The fruit raised here is also matter worthy
OF consideration The grape, peach, apple, fig,
and orange, do remarkably well the grape
and peach being the most abun dant and better
adapted in this climate and soil. Governor
Bienville, in 172G or thereabouts, first discoy
cred the grape in its wild uncultivated state.
growing in small quantities on the shores of
Lake Pontchartrain and with. his unceasinc
love for the wine, the manufacture of which |
his race now boasts of being the leading ma.
tlon' he promptly forwarded some cuttings of
the vine to France, where it has been propa-
gated by Skilful hands, and, generations after |
wards, is brought back here and planted on its |
native soil to be cultivated and become a most |
valuable product. Knowing this, might it not |
be safely asserted that eventually St. Tam
many will compete with that ryraat rao0la =;