The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-10-02
SOUTH AND WEST.
Some Ideas Suggested by Trip
to Minnesota.
THE SOUTH AND WEST
COMPARED.
Advantages Of the Former as a
Cattle and Fruit Country
Lack of Forests i'm the West.
Special Correspondence Times-Democrat.

Special Correspondence Times-Democrat.
New ORLEANS, Sept. 0, 1886.
As often as we have reflected and
commented upon the expensiveness
and cost of winter climate to the
West and North, we we're never so
much impressed with it as upon our
late trip through Illinois, Iowa, Min
nesota and Dakota.
In Illinois and Iowa there has been
severe drouth. Its duration in Iowa
we did not learn, but in Illinois it
had prevailed lin the western part)
since May until week ago. The pas
lures had, in many instances, nothing
of food in them, and saw almost
none that furnished good grazing. For
months hay and cut green corn have
been a necessity to cattle. 1t is now
too late to hope for fall pastures, as
frost and ice have appeared to check
the growth of grasses. SO that there
may fairly be said to be nine months
of feed nesosary to cattle, outside the
fields, in this part of Illinois and much
of Iowa this year. Already one can
see where the straw stacks in the
fields have been attacked by the cattle.
In many instances the supply of hay
will have been greatly depleted by the
usual time that it is commenced to be
fed. This means scant rations and
poor condition for the cattle all winter,
or very liberal expenditure of money
to keep them up. And cattle will en-
ter the winter in poor condition.
In those parts Of Illinois and Iowa
where we were beef and butter are the
products. The land is too high-prieed
for aught else. Reflection will enable
one to see how this drouth will disable
the Western farmer.
1t does little good for them to have
made a good hay crop (better that
than not, of course) for they will have
eaten much of it by winter. Far bet
ter to have had greatly less hay and to
have had four months of good pasture,
and cattle entering winter in good CON
dition.
In what contrast to these Western
fields stood those of the South, car
peted with rank and nutritious Japan
clover (lespedeza) and Bermuda grass.
And even our crab grass pastures in
our oat-stubbles far surpassed the best
of Western pastures. And then, when
we reflected how our Southern fields
are green much of the winter, with
blue grass, clovers, etc., we feel more
impressedly the value of our cline.
Another thing that struck us was
THE lNFERIoRIrY OF THE SOD
in parts of our travel, particularly in
Minnesota. The carpet grass (gazon),
lespedeza and the Bermuda of our
poorest pine woods, is much superior
to the pastures of the much-belauded
Red River valley of the North, Acre
per acre the pasture capacity of the
former is twice that of the latter, and
the poorest sod of our Southwestern
Louisiana prairies is better still. We
have no fear that we are exaggerating
when we say that well-set acre of
Bermuda grass in any rich soil of Ala
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas
or Texas will support as many head
of stock as any six acres of the Red
River Valley of the North will in its
native grasses.
And as to cultivated grasses, they
will not do there. We remembered
to have looked for them with great
watchfulness. On our visit to one
farm we were tskn over it with the
view of impressing us with the Tesour-
ces of the soil and climate. This, of
course, was not avowed, but the inter
nal evidence and the invitations to in
vestigations, and the leisure accorded
for it, all showed that the farm was a
stopping place tor impressing excur-
sionists and capitalists.
A failure of any crop under such
circumstances is almost conclusive
argument against it. Given average
seasons and natural conditions, this is
certainly true, especially when a par
ade is made of the existing state of
affairs. Well, we saw this farm, The
sod was very inferior. The grasses
we're sparse and coarse. The cultiva-
ted grasses had not made and we're not
making their way, We saw a little
spot ofclover on the lawn, 1t was low
in growth, ragged in the sod and look
ed like the remnant Of field or mar
row catch, Timothy was so poor that
we found no seed head two inches
long, and by its leaf we could not dis
tinguish it, we taking il for poor
specimen of nimble will, until we saw
the seed stem, and this never three
feet long, We saw orchard grass, and
but for the seedbearer-the head
would never have known it, The fine
rank tuft Of LEAKAGE shown with us
there disappears, aud IT bears few
narrow, short leaves and few spind
ling seed stems aud head almost
past recognition, Indeed these grasse
have spent their utmost effort IN tn,
instinct Of nature TO reproduce them
selves and have no food left to bea
heFbage after producing seed,
Blue grass makes no mat. II
growth is scattered, seapt, thin, no
compact and dense as with US,
Red top does better, and seems bes
but even it is nothing compared TO u
We do not know better how
show that il is
NOT A GRASS COUNTRY
than to say thai the blue grass join
Il n