Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1880-09-11
Space: ! : 80 !
WEST FELgCsnNA.

~ SS fes.sJsEN MA.
West Felicana isbounded FOR its entire
width on the north by the line of lema,-
kution. sometimes called EllicOtts line,
which was run ont by the commissioners
of Spain and the United States strictly
along the thirty fist pa:alel of latitude
n. The E,yon Tunica, the mouth of
which is so exactly on the thirty-tirst par
allcl that it was selected as he startling
point OF that historical line, flows through
Il small extent of its northern bo;der. 1t
is bounded on the east by the county OF
Wilkinson, Miss: on the south hy
stream which is Gign;iied on the old
Spanish maps with the sounding nome
ncla.urc Rio Fcliciana, but which hos
been ,.ismantlcd by the mohcrns into
plain, Unromantic Thonirson's Creek.
This creek has t..rec pion2s. which reach
ont over much southeastern portion OF
the parish, which, after having marked
their course by deep cuts through the
hills and by long mcanlerinG deposits of
sand us white rs snow, and resembling
srowdrifIs, eventually cAect 4 junction
just inside the line of the parish of East
Ft;iciauu. Its western bOunhrv is the
Mississippi river, the waters Of which kiss
Tic soil of West Teiicialla from tie mou h
Of Bayou Tunica all the way down, for
f;c,y miles, to The mouth of old Rio Fell
cianu. With the iuuhncss of Il Spaniard
io- grunyiilogucnce s,i.l cling to the old
style.
This parish is the smallest in territory
within its bouudiits 4 sul CRITICAL area of
2O7 300 acres. which is very uneven and
rolling. everywhere intcisccted by hills
and valleys and running streams, and
which is again subdividcd into forests
covering 900 acres, and cleared lands
amou:. ting to about 10000 acres, Of
which perhaps, about orc-lalt is cultivat-
ed tie past year. No part Of Louisiana IS
favored with Il more complete system of
natural drainage, and away up among
the Tul.ica hills there are landscapes as
bold and i'm posing iu their wild grandeur
as the average Of Switzerland scenery
These Tunica hills, besides their 1oman-
tic beauty, possess quality of soil rs at
tractive to the eye of 4 practical farmer
(thcy being knobs founded upon an in
cxhaustible limcst one base) as the beau
tiful landscapes are to the eye OF the
transient Skctclcr; but even here the
natural capacity of the soil, which is
fully equal to one and Il half hoGhe"ds OF
surar, to one and a half bales OF cotton
and to forty barrels of corn to the acre, IS
partially obscurcd by ncgi' gent or by in
adequate cultivation. q heard OF no
experiment in rice culture among the
hills). Notwithstanding tho admitted
adaptabiity of the Tunica hills to the
cultivation of the cid style standards OF
cane, cotton and corn, the Immigrant,
when he comes: may-and think he will
--endeavor to apply tho virtues CT the
limestone to orchards end vineyards, If
thereby a moro profitable industry can
be evoked. Sad. indeed, are the eviden-
ces OF premature decay not only up
among the sparscly populated Tunica
hills sad, too, are the symptoms OF de-
cav amor he parks, dwellings ana gar
dens. and all the relics Of Architectural
taste and luxury which once adorned
every ueighborbood IN the parish; very,
very sad is the forloln and castawaT
complexion of the old abandoned fields.
Amid all these symptoms of premature
decay my first impression is hat the par
ish of West Feliciana "is old in youth; Is
w!thcrcd in her prime,' but when con-
slider the condition Of the crops on the
small cultivation from thes same un-
promising "old fields" l am glad to adj
nit the conviction that the decay OF the
soil exis's more in the apparent abandon
mcut of the old fields THAI in fact; III
that sign build sanGuine hope OF the
cultivation of West Feliciana to her prls-
tine wealth and prosperity when the time
| sb all come, and como it will, and soon
| when she shall be blessed with an aIo
ouate labor supply. Then, too, indulge
fhe hone that the conditions which have
| contributed to cast so sombre hue ove1
the fortunes of her once prosperous com