The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1885-12-19
VERMlLION PARISH.

SN't NSSNo
bacco, sorghum, grass, corn, oats,
sweet potatoes, Irish pototoes, peas,
etc. All these grow well, and be-
sides these many other crops will no
doubt Go we'll, when once tried.
These crops are easily cultivated and
yield a fair return. and profit to the
farmer for his care and toll. Sugar
cane will yield, on new land, from
one and a half to two and a half
and even three hogsheads Of sugar
per acre, according to the season.
This sugar will bring in the market
from $40 to $50 per hogshead, ac-
cording to price and quality ; be-
sides the sugar there will be about
four barrels of molasses, worth from
SIS to $50 per barrel. made on the
same acre. Twenty dollars per
hogshead will be about the cost of
making up, shipping and selling the
crop. Cotton is more of an uncer-
tain crop here. and varies from one
half a bale to n bale per acre,
worth from $40 to $50 per bale, &C.
cording to the market fluctuations.
Rice is profitable. The crop is
easily raised, and produces from IF
teen to twenty barrels per acre, in
the rough, and worth about $3.50
per barrel, besides the straw which
makes excellent forage for cattle in
winter. Broom corn is a profitable
crop, and grows finely here. A man
who understood the business would
do we'll to raise broom corr and
make it up into brooms.
Tobacco does we'll here, and the
fine Cuba or Havana may be pro-
duced in this parish, by renewing
the Havana seed each year. One
great disideratum Of this region, Is
the want of a more tender and nu-
tritious grass, like the red clover Of
the Northern and Middle States.
Our native grasses are as good as
the South affords, but for 6ne stock
aud dairy purposes, they r not
what is required. The white clover
has been tried and grows well here.
All the other crops mentioned above
do we'll and are grown proitably
here.
Among the fruits that flourish
here may be mentioned the peach,
pear, plum and a few varities of
apples. Of sub-tropical fruits. the
orange, fig, banana and pomegran-
ate do we'll. The mespiIus and the
almond also do well. All the varie-
ties of grapes flourish. Strawber.
ries, blackberries, dewberries are
Enc. The walnut, hickory nuts.
pecan, almond, hazlenut, chestnut
and c%hinquapin also grow to perfec.
ton. The cultivation of any of
these fruits and nuts, on a large
scale could not fail to be profitable.
We car see no reason why, with
proper skill, all the finer qualities
Of grapes could not be grown here
to perfection, and wines made from
them of as fine a quality as those of
Italy, Greece or Spain. The South
ern grape contains more sugar aud
makes a stronger VINE than the
Northern grape.
Daring might be made a very
pleasant aud profitable business, in
the neighborhood of all the princi-
pal towns. With good cows and
meadows, with an abundance of tur-
nips and sugar cane, to feed on dur
ing the fall and winter, together
with the high price of butter at
home, a handsome profit would be
the result.
Hedges are the proper thing for a
prairie country, and many farmers
in this parish are planting hedges of
the osage-orange, chickasaw rose
and pyracanthus, all of which Go
we'll \ good Usage orange hedge
will, after a few years, furnish the
70 rmor . wit1, nm obnnI.o &c G..