The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-10-31
{ New Orleans Times.1

the Scarcity Oh 16DOT ana Tue U180 I8to
of taxation has forced some of the large
farmers to sell small lots, thereby Sc
curing to the small farmer q home
and in every instance it is an evidence
that were these large plantations divi-
ded into smaller ones, the country
would improve. The labor question
has been q great drawback to the allu
vial lands of this section. There is not
a sufficient number Of colored laborers
and owing to the arrangement of the
buildings you cannot secure good white
labor on them the cabins are all to-
gether, and white men will not live on
places where they have to carry their
families into negro quarters, having no
associates, churches or schools, unless
they mix with the negroes.
ity Of those who owned large places
lost sight of the importance of raising
as much of their provisions at home as
possible; the high price of cotton
allured them, and the result in many
instances was bankruptcy and ruin.
This first experience, however, has
been overcome in the last few years,
and now it Is a rare occurrence that
you hear of a planter buying any corn,
always raising it at home. 1t Is an
ascertained fact that q hand can culti-
vate we'll five or six acres in corn, and
as much land in cotton as he could If
he had no corn planted hence the
corn is clear profit, SO far as the labor
is concerned. A great many of these
planters are now raising their own
meat, which, immediately after the
war, was almost an imPossibility, on
account of the system of government
under which we were living, to con-
vict, upon positive evidence, these
petty thieves. There Is now q large
quantity of fine lands for sale in the
parishes of Natchit0ches and Grant,
which, on account of the scarcity of
labor, are lying idle, which are capable
of producing from one to one and a
half bales of cotton, and from 25 to SO
bushels of corn per acre. These lands
can be had on most reasonable terms
at from $5 to $25 per acre, owing
to the location and Improvements.
The best lands can be rented at $5
per acre. The a11uvial land of Avoy-
elles, Rapides, Grant, Winn, Match
itoches, Red River, De Soto, Boesier
and Caddo, offer the best inducements
to class of good farm laborers than
any country in the world.
We now take the red hill lands,
lying in Bossier, Claiborne, Webster,
Bienville, Union, jackson and Winn.
This soil produces an average of 800 to
1000 pounds of seed cotton to the acre,
and from Is to 25 bushels of corn.
Wheat and oats are raised very ex-
tensively in those sections. There Is
another industry which has been started
very recently-that of making wine.
There are quite q number of fine vine |
yards in this section. The lands have
been owned and cultivated by small
f,~ Se, hlo fact that
they are the most independent men in
this State. They raise everything
possible for their own consumption, in
Guiding sheep, and their mutton and
wool buy their coffee and sugar. They
raise corn, wheat, potatoes, sugar cane
enough to make their syrup, tobacco,
fruit of every description and of the
finest quality, hogs of the most i'm
proved breeds, mules, horses and cat
tie. A greater portion of the hill par
ishes will this year make large sur
plus Of meat for sale, and these men
rarely ever buy meat; they have fine
schools, churches, and show every evil
dence of prosperity. The natural
buckeye and ash. The lands are roll
ing and we'll watered by beautiful
running creeks and brooks. There are
some larger streams that with some
expense are susceptible Of being made
navigable; some of them are already
navigable short distance. These
streams, the Bayou d'Arbonne, Saline,
Black, Castor, Desdimonia and Loggy,
abound in fish of the finest species. In
Webster, Bienville and Winn, are
large sssalt licks," from which great
deal of salt was made during the war.
There is an abundance of minerals in
this section. A large vein of coal has
been discovered in the parish of Winn,
the extent Of which has never been
ascertained, but that which has been
examined proves to be the best anthra-
cite. There is also what is known as
the Lime Hills, in Winn parish, only
a short distance from the parish seat,
Winfield, containing the finest lime
rock in the world, and in quantity
sufficient to supply the United States.
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