The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1884-09-06
How to Prosper and be Happy.

This beautiful country is running
down fast-the seasons are becoming
less favorable the crops less renumer-
atiye, and the people are becoming less,
and less like what they ought to be.
Let us try to find out what is the mat
ter !; go to work in earnest to rectify
everything, as far as may be in our pow
er, assured that God will then do all
the balance needed to make us pros
porous, and happy people. For he
will always help those that help them
selves in right way
Scientific men think water influences
the clouds. Mr.. Lesseps believes
that the great Sahara could be convert
ed into fertile plain by cutting canal
las he did across the isthmus of Suez
for ships to pass) for the sea to flow
into the basin of the desert, which is
lower than the level of the sea. He
feels confident that, then there would
be sufficient rain fall to promote vege-
tation, and eventually form the now
arid and barren sands into large and
rich oases for the habitation and sup
port of man; instead of being, as it now
is, a large waste upon the earth, and a
troublesome obstruction to travel, and
commerce.
Now, it is fact within the Iecollec-
tion of inhabitants yet living here, that
there formerly existed numerous basins
and ponds all through this country,
which held water throughout the year,
and that there was seldom such droughts
as now so frequently cut the crops very
short and dry up the grass upon the
prairies, and distress the stock for water
in the summer and for grass in the win
ter. And consequently farming and
stock raising are both becoming far
less profitable now than they were
/. formerly.
Then let us go to work, and excavate
the basins and ponds down to about
their original depths, so that they will
retain plenty of water all the year
around, to keep the atmosphere all the
time loaded with the moisture of eva
poration. and to influence the clouds
to furnish sufficient rains for all pur-
poses needed. And, by all means, let
all of the rich alluvial deposits, dug up
and hauled out of the basins and ponds,
be spreads back upon the higher lands,
from which they had been washed off,
and impoverished them. ihe fertility
of the fields will be increased by tlese1
means, far more than enough to amply
pay for the labor required. For, recol-
iect thatsfor ages, the annual crops of
luxurious grass and weeds, and the fer
tile droppings of the large herds of cat
tie and horses, and the productive pro-
perties of plowed lands have all been
dissolVing and washing off, and accu-
mnlating in these basins and ponds,
until they have become rich beds of
valuable fertilizing materials. There
is no necessity of importing, at great
cost, guano from the islands of the sea,
since nature has been outstanding her
resources, by long and rapidly collect
ing and storing away in the numerous
basins and ponds scattered all over our
prairies such rich alluvial deposits, for
keeping up the remunerative produc-
tiveness of the soil And a better sys-
tenn of agriculture must be practiced
or crop-failures and hard times will
continue to discourage and demoralize
the people.
Having fertilized the land, let every
farmer start the ploW early. And dis
carding the oldskimming process, break
up the ground deep; and always rebed
before planting. That second plowing
before planting will save more work
afterwards, than will pay we'll for it,
and always produce more uniform and
better crops. And then cultivate deep
also, at the first plowing after planting
of the crop at the second ploWing, let
the last two burrows run in the middle
be very deep also, to afford plenty of
loose soil for the roots of the plants to
permeate from row to row and imbibe
the moisture, and thus appropriate the
nntritive properties of the soil. For
recollect that, unless tho ground be
pulverized deep, itcannot contain much
moisture and plants cannot grow
without moisture to dissolve and hold
in. solution the nutrient properties, 80
that the roots may absorb them. And
after the second plowing run occasional
ly a good furroW to enable the ground to
absorb moisture from the atmosphere.
But besides all the excavating, fertiliz-
ing, and ploBing, there is something
else to be done before We can become
q prosperous and happy people. AS the
people are becoming poorer they are
losing their pride of character, and
laudable aspiration to better themselves.
Where is now the sterling integrity,
that once characterized the old Creoles
of this Attakapas country When all
most every mans word was worth a
thousand times more than the bonds of
most of the people are now and when
almost every man had far more self
respect and independent livelihood,
than have now the large and increasing
plumbers that loaf idly, dehauch dis
gracefully, prevaricate unscrnpnlously
aud defraud shamelessly, as though it
was not disrenutable to live thus. They
try to eke out some sort OF d scant liv
ing, in ways aud by means their fathers
would have scorned. There are plenty
of living witnesses to testify to the cor
rectness Of this statement. Will not
these erring sons of honorable ancestors
cease from their ruinous folly, and
wake up from their thriftless idleness,
and 70 to work in real earnest toreforn
themselves, and help bring up the popu-
lation Of this beautiful country to q high
standard Of integrity, prosperity and
happiness The wise man said
righteousness exaltetll % nation but
sin Is q reproach to any people, and
history attests the truth of it. Then
let each one of us strive honorably to
make something good Of himself and
for himself and at the same time do