The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-07-02
LNMIGRATION TOPICS, CROP NOTES
A correspondent Of the Boston Pilot, I'M
der date of New Orlesne, June 9th, writes

CHEAP HOMES IN LOUISIANA.
! The parish of st. Landry contains over
900 900 acres of United States lands-mostly
excellent prairie lands, which can now be
entered by actual settlers under the "Home-
stead Act" This chance to secure cheap
homes will probably not exist very long, as
| as this morDing's telegram reports the pas
| sage by the House of Representatives of q
bill to throw these lands into the market
for public sale. The bill will doubtless
pass the Senate and become law before
| the end of the session.
| Can nothing be done towards cOloniziDg
some of your overcrowded city population
in this fertile region A reference to the
pleasure of sending you on the 9TH of
March. will indicate the nature of the lands
| in st Landry. For further description, see
Col. Dement'S " Louisiana as 1t Is."
The necessity Of relieving your over
crowded cities of some of it's working popu-
| lation seems to be admitted by all, and yet
nothing of q practical character has been
done by individuals or associations 30 far,
| beyond the Minnesota movement of Bishop
Ireland.
Common sense patriotism should consist
| in taking care of our people; an enlight-
The Scotch, the Hebrew, and other races
show their nationality by encouraging, aid
ing and upholding one another whilst the
Irish Catholic population display theirs in
grand parsdes on st. Patrick's Day. The
sad results of this neglect Of duty to the
struggling people of our race is clearly
shown in the prison statistics, published in
the newspapers from time to tiTe. 1t is
poor satisfaction to the unfortunates
chained in your prisons to be-tOld that
Malachi wore a collar of gold"
There must be some anon get your people
whose ideas of patriotism are not of the
sunburst blaIneying order, and it is to be
hoped that something will be done towards
placing Industrious and sober working men
out on the land where they can soon secure
independence and comfort.
LoUIsIANIAN.
SOUTHERN LANDS RESTORED TO MARKET.
IN. o. Times June ssth
The dispatches of June Goth briefly an
nouced that the President hac signed the
bill restoring to market the public lands
in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkan-
sac and Florida. This short notice an
nounces fact that is pregnant with mean
ing and potent for good.
This bill, it is understood, opens up, in
Louisiana alone, over 2 600, 900 of acres of
fine healthy uplands, which had been with
drawn from sale because they had been
contingently donated to railroads which
have allowed the grants to lapse.
The New Orleans, Opelousas aud Great
Western Railroad had grant of alternate
sections in q strip of fifteen miles in width
on each side, making 7l9, 00U acres, nearly
all of which were located beyond Opelousas
and Pine Prairie, and carefully surveyed
and mapped.
The opelousas road forfeited it's charter
and this grant fell through, but the lands
have been nevertheless wILhheid from mar
ket until now. The region from Opelou-
sas to Pine Prairie and from Pine Prairie
to Thompson's Ferry on the Sabine lies in
the parishes of st. Landry and Vernon, and
along line of % miles.
A strip thirty miles wide through this
fine upland region crosses all the head
waters of the Calcasieu river and the Lana
COCO.
1t is the most beautiful and healthfnl up
land region 10 Louisiana. 1t is covered
| with long leafed pine suitable for turpen-
tine, with strips of hard woods of many
kinds in the creek bottoms. The whole
country is traversed by multitude of small
streams fed by springs, with sites for hum
dreds of mills.
Springs abound, and among them are
hundreds of mineral springs. This large
tract will now be opened to those settlers
from Tennessee, Alabama, the Carolinas
| and Georgia, such as have heretofore sought
bones in Texas. II is altogether most
desirable section and will Boon attract emf
grants by thousands.
There were large tracts lying in the
more northern portion of this State which
have been long withdrawn from market for
| the benefit of prospective railroads; they
are not as OGBlEbOI6 16uUop hO"ON0Gp 40
those granted to the OpelOueas road and
now in market.
! CROP NOTES.
| III. o. Home Journal, June e4.l
With scarce an exception our Exchanges
during the past fortnight give favorable ac-
counts of crops throughout the Southern
States-the recent fine weather has been of
great benefit, and in the overfiowed lands
| as the waters have receded, rePlanting has
been vigorously prosecuted, and so far
with very promising results: The cotton
in nearly every section is
smaII. 6ut healthy and clean, farmers hav-
ing fought "weeds" with Pertinacity and
success.
In Northwestern Louisiana, farmers have
paid more than usual attention to oats, and
the " Red Rust proof" sown in many quar-
ters promises abundant returns-other
varieties do not seem to have done as we'll.
The cane crop throughout the State ie
| h., H,I,1 Gvnlo k~oV hahn 40