The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-08-11
THE PELICAN STATE.
Her Exhibit at the Coming Institute
Fair.
A Climate Uaequdlied for AJficM
fnre.
inducements offered to Northern Set
tiers.

III 4O.VOU NVu6bC JuIsCS. NC "lSSlSSiI>
pi river. which is navigabIe as far as
the falls Of st. Anthony-a distance If
1000 miles-traver,es the state of Lon
isiana for 800 miles, dep">ltilg along
the entire length of its course the rich
ness which its mighty waters have an-
cumnlated. Many ether n~avigahle
streams-the Red. the Nermilion. the
Macon. the Ouaehita, etc.-serve 10 the
state for ~innn,nerabie waterways and
make internal communication by water
easy and inexpensive. Along the shore
of the gulf of Mexico the coast OF Lnui>i
ana stretches for 1856 miles. and 10 the
ocean are borne the products Of "A
great states OF this natron. The state
contains about d. 900 900 acres of land
and 1850 900 acres OF inland water sur
face. About one half of the entire
area Is level-the remainder being IN
terspe,sed with hills. Bat. hiilvor 9th
erwise. no more fertile land exists on
the face OF creation. The traveller
along the line of the Mississippi Goes
not obtain ii tair impression of the natu
raj beauty Of the scenery. The high
lands touch its course only at four
points, and the general idea of;he coun
try. as conceived from tha deck of Il
Mississippi steamboat. is that it is Il
low and fat country. with deadly mo
rasse<. which it will be long before the
hand Of civilization can adapt to the
uses OF man. But, liz sober trutl. be-
You'd the limits Of thu bottom lands no
part If the United States can snrpass
the natural beauty of the greater part
of Louisiana which lies beyond. Her
sluggish streams are confined to her al
iuvial lands, less than one-sixth of her
area, while i'll other places are to be
found limpid streams. which, in their
rush to the sea. constitute that water
power which the manufacturer seeks.
but which he has not yet utilized. And
to an altitude I 500 feet above the
level of the SEN. innumerable hills rear
their heads over u wide extent Of ierritO
~.
The MINERAL WEALTH
of the state has not yet been de velop-
ed. Petroleum, coal, sulphur, soda,
iron, gypsum ard lime exist in certain
localities, in underlined quantities, as
also ochre and mari. But rock salt is
found IN surprising abundance.
Avery's island. near New Iberia. GOV
ers a quarry of rock salt pure and white
rs marble-and this is almost absolute
~ pure. The mining Of this salt is in
successful operation aud the deposit
appears to be ipexhaustinle. But. up
on the whole, there has been, as vet,
only a partial geological survey. and
jts mineral resources are not yet accu
rately determined.
Though the mineral wealth has not
yet been counted. the value Of the land
to the stock raiser and the farmer can
be seen at a glance. All along the
Mississippi the ~alluvial lands present a
fertile soil. black as night with vege
table mould and of unknown depth.
These lands are the richest in the world.
Fields cultivated for 100 years. like
some in North Carolina. are still fertile
without manure. There is scarcely
any barren land in the state. Reclaim
ed coast marshes even yield as much as
IS bushels of rice an acre, and there is
the year the climate permits work in
the fields. SunstrOke is almost IN.
known, and ice aud frost seldom or
never occur No protracted droughts
here as 10 Kansas and other more north
ern prairie regions, parch the fields and
ruin the farmers hopes. Vegetables
can be grown every month in the year.
Sometimes two crops Of corn, sorghum, !
rice and jute may be grown, aid three
cuttings of tobacco may be made-and
cattle, sheep and horses, with little
trouble or expense. are raised without
winter feeding or barn shelter.
The population Of the state was ra-
ted in 1880 at ass, Os3 whites aud 49, /
200 eolOred persons ; and it may safely
be said that no state in the Union pre- !
serves the relations between labor and
capital in more Harmonious condition. J
and there is no state where unskiIled
labor is 80 highly paid. But, in spite Of
these favorable conditions. labor,
whether skilled or un.killed, is, in
many localities, scarce. and the people
welcome the emigrant as a benefactor. |
It would seem as though no man need
be poor in a land of SO magnificent re-
sources and where land is cheap, if on |
y he were willing to work and possess
ses . desire to improve his condition. |
kntmigrants can bog land lin any part
Of the state in quantities to suit them
the price ranging, for uni,nproved
lands. FROM IS cents to SO, and for i'm
proved lands, FROM % to $50, accord
ing. Of course, to location and improve
ments.
BARGAINS IN LAND
are offered all over the state, and many
sugar and cotton planters have sold,
tor one fourth Of the cost Of the i'm |