The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-16

In the other parts OF this basin the forest
growth includes o great variety OF trees,
principally magnolia, elm, hickory, ash, iron
wood. oaks linn, walnuts and gums. There
are paratively no settlements In this
basin, and lands can be had at very low fig
ures.
GENERAL FEATURES AND RESOURCES
The various divisions of the parish, as seen,
will permit it's designation as O parish OF
blur SOIL elevated above tide water at from
10 TO $50 feet, whose surface is broken,
often considerably elevated, its soil diveTsi-
fled in quality, very fertile near the streams,
and rich In forest growth
Besides the specimens Of the forest already
mentioned in relation to particular tracts or
basins, the laurel magnolia abounds in the
Baton Rouge basin, where also the black
sugar tree (acer nigrum) Is frequently met
with.
Among the native Wits the most abundant
species growing in the parish are the yttIs
ueTusCOsG, or muscadine, an Indication that
the soil is naturally adapted for the culture Of
on the Amite, Comite and Thompson's
creek the banks are literally covered with the
ATtnud0 Gignntea, and the following list en-
braces ali the varieties OF East Baton Rouge's
nomenclature, to wit: The nyssa aquatica,
nyssa sylvatica, eupressus distieha, Gu
pressus thyoides, pinus australis pinus
tBda. Among the oaks, Astounding especially
In the vicinity OF water courses, are the guer-
Gus tinetsria, guereus Yirens, guercus fall
cata, guercus lyrata, guercus aquatiea,
guereus alba, guercus phellos, guercus .ru-
bra.
The following are abundant also: Ulmus
aquatiea, ulmus Americana, chincapin for
castanea pumila), lex opaca, diospiros, Vir-
giniana, salix nigra, iuglans nigra, juglans
amara, juglans porcina, iuglans lacniosa,
iuglans myrstieRformis, iuglans tomentosa,
fraxinus tomentosa, fraxinus Americana.
Celtis crasslfolia, magnolia grandifiora, lau-
rus sassafras, Taurus carOliniensis, .platanus
occidentalis, sweet gum Tor liquid AMBER,
tilia pubescens, acer rubrum, morus rubra,
carpinus ostrya, Carpinvs Americana, andrO-
media aeemosa, and the chamocrOps Louisia-
niensis, or LOuisisidnG palmetto, which is the
unmistakable mark of annual Overfiows II our
loWlandS.
FLOWERS, PLANTS. etc.
The flowers native to this parish and grow
ing wild In Its forests and table lands are the
amaranth {spinosus), the pink (syphonychia),
five varieties Of euphorbi@. the gentan (ochro-
lenea), three varieties OF the l0belia, four va
rietles of primrose, the polygonum -four va
madden, roses eight varietiesl, the clematite,
the Smilax, the Vervain (officinalis), the cas-
STA, the mimosa, the helianthus, kunia, eupa-
forum, ambrosia, Spilanthes, eregeron, soli-
dago and the aster and other composites.
GRASSES.
The natural growing grasses embrace over
thirty varieties determined: the rusheS and
sedges some thirty varieties, and the ferns
over twenty.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SOILS.
The fresh alluvial deposits In the various
basins of the parish, considered In their gen.
erality, bear predOminantly the character of
a yellowish red loan, and the table land soils
usually black calcareous. The fertility OF
these soils is due to their rich provision in
gypsum, but while some tracts contain good
deal of lime, q great many, too, are poor in
sulphates
AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES, ETC.
Wheat has been but Is no longer extensively
cultivated In the parish, on account Of the
cotton feveT; so with oats, rye, barley rice and
indeed all cereals Little clover Is cultivated
for hay the peavine being preferred as O re-
constituent of soils and source of fodder.
Few countries in the world would more than
this admit Of O greater variety of meadow
grasses.
All the esculent roots of North America do
well here.
The fruit trees thriving well in this parish
are: the fig, large purple, yellow or white; the
peach, pear, plum, ounce and cherry.
The main staples are sugar, cotton, tobacco,
corn and rice, Of which the soil Of the parish
Is capable of producing unlimited quantities.
The facilities for stock raising here are I'M
equalled anywhere else; the grass supply
never ends, and the watering facilities are
perfect,
CLIMATE.
The climate of East Baton Rouge is superior
to that of Florida and similar to that of Italy.
The mean temperature Is about 60 degrees;
the mercury rarely rises above so degrees In
summer and seldom falls below 80 degrees in
winter. In our sister States farmers labor
half the year to raise provender for their
stock during the other half; but in this as In
many other parishes of Louisiana the verdure
of fields and forests is endless, and stock is
pastured the year tround and is always
thriving.
The Baton Rouge farmer can plow SOW and
plant in every winter month, and continue his
field work without any interruption on &C
count of season.
The summers heat Is tempered by the cool
ing southwest or southeastern breezeS that
are continual, while the short winter Is very
mild and spring-like, except when cooled by.
the north winds, which constitute our cold
weather.
1t is conceded that on the score of health the
parish is unrivaled, being a favOrite resort for
valetudinarians from all parts of the State;
and the annual death rate is only Is to 1000
among persons above 40, while children or
adults are seldom recorded in the proportion.
RAINFALL.
Owing to the very large timbered area in
this parish the rains are frequent and album
dant, while the dewS are very heavy.
The mean annual rainfall for the past ten
years has been fifty-nine inches; the seasons
of rain being the same as in other parts Of the
State.
TIMBER.
The preceding lists and nOmenclatures of
the forest growth in this parish have shown
it's immense resources in almost every useful
stock Of timber growing in the South.
WATER.
Few parishes are better provided with
rivers bayOus and small streams and springs
than this one.
Water can be had almost anywhere In the
highlands by digging fifteen to thirty feet;
but the rain water collected in Underground
csterns is the one preferred for home use.
CONCLUSION.
Our task now ends, and the reader may
safely engage, with this description, upon any
excursion to the parish of East Baton Rouge,
when he will surely find that not an item is
given here but what has been seen, examined
and precisely verified according to positive
data and reality. Hence. let the tide Of immi-
grafton set in and our people will hail its ad-