Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-05-17
Yours respectfully,
J. II. BLooDGooD

Lexington, Co., South Carolina.
The information desired by Mr..
Bloodgood is of the kind the TIMES
takes special pleasure in furnish
ing. There is only one earthly
drawback to the alluvial section of
Louisiana, and that Is overflow.
1t is a settled fact that the levces
will be built but when. In getting
information on that point it is en-
inently advisable to deal exclusive
ly with facts, and there is where
the TIMES is specially strong.
u The Mississippi River Commits
siou have announced their inten-
ton of building solid line of levee
from Red River to Helena, which
if done, will protect North Louis
lana from overflow. The Commits
sion are united in the belief that
levees are essential to the improve
ment of the great. river, and the
river problem isnow a simple mat
ter of dollars and cents. If the
croakers are to be believed, earth
works will not hold the river, if
facts arc to- bc' considered, earth
works VIII. hDif the river: The
f'rMEs- prefers 'faets:t to croakets.
There wiifbe6fe' and,ahalf million
dollars to be tised onithe ii;iyef from
Cairo down, besides that; one; MIL
lion dollars was appropriated by
Congress- sonic weeks ago, and the
two sums together make very re-
spectacle amount, there Will be
plenty of time between now and
the close of the year, to see what
is done towards making the solid
front from Red River to Helena,
Ark. =:
Assuming that the proposed work
is done, there is no finer country
on this green earth than the Tensas
basin, bar nothing. 1t will pro-
duce anything grown in this lati-
tudc except Small grain for the
making of which it is not adapted,
oats however, can be proftably
grown. 1t is the natural home of
cotton, two bales to the acre being
not unusual, over ninety bushels of
corn to the acre have been made
there and as high as forty five have
been made there after an overflow.
All kinds OF vegetables do well, as
do fruits, grasses grow luxuriantly,
the hot winds of summer are cool
cd by passing through the heavily
tinbered swamps wherein are num-
erous lakes well stocked with fish,
game is OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, tur-
keys, deer and bear, can be found
with little eXortion, while in winter
the lakes, ponds and bayous are
literally filed with all kinds of
ducks, III shortthere is no more de-
sirable country anywhere. The
ground is easily handled, is not af-
fected by drought and yields boun-
tiful returns for the labor expended
on it. ''''
There remains the one question
of health, it is a common though
mistaken idea that the dwellers in
the swamps are set of
chill-shakeri, fevcr-worn yellow
skinned wretches. No greater fall
lacy was ever entertained; that
chills and fever are common is true
enough, but aside from that there
is no sickness to speak of, chills
and fever are common enough all
over the south az far as the TINES
has been able to learn, and this
part of the country is not at all pre-
eminent in that respect. tits not by
any means absolutely certain that
every one is bound to have chills,
there are people in these parts who
have never had a chill, and the gen.
eral health Of this country is above
the average, besides, the building
of the levees will prevent overflow,
which is fruitful source of malaria
and there will in all probability be
less chills and fever than before.
There Is no country without its
drawbacks, chills and fever, and