The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1880-09-10

can endure. beyond q 0O0OCs
And know what Imr1Oout.
-New York Sun.
THE GRAY MOSS TRADE.
From the Morgan City Review.l
This region abounds in swamp lands'
wherein large numbers OF the cypress,
gum and live oak trees grow. The
Spanish moss, a growth upon these
trees, hangs In hundreds of pounds
weight upon them. Erom each tree
snecial species of moss springs. On the
oak grows heavy redish moss, strong
and durable, but short In length onI
the cypress grows q light and long /
mos. which is esteemed highly'in the
MARKET: the gum tree produces q very
excellent quality of moss, which by
some is considered Superlor to the
cypress or live oak moss. ThosWamP- |
ers find moss growth on many other
trees besides the three mentioned
above. but 1t sis neither Rs abundant
nor marlketab16 as that produced BY the
oak, gum or cypHss.
able in st. Mary parish for many years,
now and then falling off, on account OF
the pre- occupation of the swampers In
pettinp out log timber and cutting rail-
road tics, but when other means OF
livelihood fail these hardy fellows, they
Mpitch in" and go to collecting the
rotted moss from off the swamp ground
where the wind has blown it from the
overladen trees above, and the high
water has come up and rotted 1t, and
recedine left it to dry. This industry
in st. Mary parish is not yet fully de-
yeloped. Thousands of bales lie deep
in the thick timber around Grand
Lake and other localities near. When
YOU ask a swamper why he doesn't
penetrate there and rake up the thick
moss carpet that for years has been
rotted and dried alternately-for moss
will stand years of exposure without
Observation-Disclosures gives you the least
bit of satisfaction by stating that,
ssthere's plenty good moss there, but
its too far away"
Some swampers follow this business
regularly, living among those g.ea'
tsWeeping Ophelias," having theii
moss presses and racks at hand ana
keeping a steady flow of the article
into the market. Many young men
expecting a t.mine of wealth. in it
have been disappointed by their enter
prlses this is partially owing to the
fact that they did not thoroughly un
derstand what they were ABOUT. u
man who buys one hundred pounds Q
green moss at quarter cont per pound
after he rots it and sells the product To-
three cents per pound, gains only hv'
cents to pay for his trouble, etc., be
cause one hundred pounds of greer
moss will weigh only ten pounds whel
cured.
In 1874, after the great overflow
swampers and many ssIiall farmers
(who had lost their crops) went Int
the moss business for living, ana II
that season some twenty thousan
bales of moss from this parish wa
thrown upon the market. In thi
year, an extraordinary one, the swan
trees were literally stripped Of mos
and the ground for a mile into tn
timber was raked clean ofsits dusk
carpet. For two or three years afte
1874 when the small farmer had raj
returned to planting and the swampt
to work for the lumber men, the mos
business waned, and they say, in fac
that In 1874 the numerous pickers &C
ually Aeeced the trees of their ric
burden. Moss grows rapidly, whe
not thfnned too much. To entirel
strip . tree is to deter the moss tn,
much In yield for the next pickin,
without utilizing the crop.
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