The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-04-03

Marches, 1886.
At Jennings Tie new is in the as
eenaant. One feels out of latitude
, and, but that he knows he i'd in Louis
! lana, might think himself in the North
west. THE atmosphere of hopefuIness
OF sanguineness exhilarates like laugh
ing gas. There are no forebodings of
. failure here. Northern accent greets
, you everywhere. Tree claims and
ihomesteads are the goals of all new
: Corners. The little hotel is crowded
/ with people from all over the West.
Men are rushing out locating land and
come back happy.
The colony is past the critical stage.
It is safe from killing by pessimist,
eroalker, sinister optimism and exag-
Z geration OF bad crops. The GROWERS
have sloughed off or starved out; and,
after many inquiries, find almost uni
versal satisfaction. Here and there q
: lady laments severance from loved ones
at home; but husband and children are
here and contenIed; one, it may be,
cured of catarrah or q lovely, cultured
} daughter relieved of rheumatism that
threatened life and brought agony.
Sometimes the same family owes both
the above blessings to the climate.
But i do not think ] ever saw as little
discomfort in proportion in numbers.
1 have taken nothing for granted, as
sumed nothing pro or con. OF every
one met, the questions are uHow do
lyon like the country with regard to
climate and health? What are you rais-
ing on your farm? How much will
your land produce per acre of corn,
oats, etc.? How many families from
the West are there here? Why don't
You have yonr Northern cultivated
grasses here?" etc. / have spent three
days in travel and inquiry and have in
terviewed many people
1t is within bounds to say that there
are at least 125 Northern and Western
families in what may be called
/ THE JENNINGS SETTLEMENT,
which stretches over several townships.
i have heard the estimate as high as
400. / have never heard IL lower than
lbs but once. Only one puts it so low
as the latter estimate-except as above
related--and that is MIR. S. L. Carey,
who may be said to be the author or
founder of the eolony-always having
1t understood that Hon. w. H Harris
is the discoverer of Mr.. Carey. This
estimate does not include many families
who have come in, in adjoining par
ishes. through tho influence, more or
less remote, Of the work done by the
Jennings people ButI00 or 200 fami-
lies more or less on the scene now is Z,
matter Of little moment. IL is the mo-
nlentnm of the movement, the breadth
of publicity, the attractions Southwest
Louisiana has attained, that give spe-
cia1 Significance 10 the movement tt
is the thorough Yankeeism of its ele-
ment that is its distinctive feature; and
this vitalizes and inyigorates it; makes
its continuance and secretion sure.
/ Without ovsrstatement or n touch of
ihyperhole, Jennings may be called the
chosen goal OF Western immigration to
Louisiana. 1t seems the grand OBJ
| jective point of excursions via New Or
leans from the State of Iowa. 1t is
headquarters for home-seelIers. and,
while numbers go elsewhere, mosteome,
here to look. 1t makes good business
in several towns for hotels, boarding
houses, liverymen, real estate agents
and conyeyanees. In the little town
of Rayne there nre at least three real
estate agents.
THE NEW coAfEBs
are feeling their way. Most of them
are raising rice aud are well satisfied
None of them pnt their profits at less
than $40 per acre indeed, none so low.
But that onght to satisfy any one; and
the immigrants are happy and grateful
at having such liberal gifts of land
from the State, that will pay them so
well.
A goodly number are sowing oats and
planting corn, and will grow into it
more and more.
Tits quite certain that fruit raising
will become prominent There are d
number Of small peach orchards plant
ed; and the soil, in places, suits the
fruit well. This was q revelation, and
the day will come when sending early
fruits to the towns and cities of North-A
ern Texas, Western Missouri, Eastern
Kansas and Nebraska viii afford busi-
ness to railroads now built and TO be
bnilt, and will pay well a goodly pnm-
Der of horticultufist
At q later day, the canning establish !
meats and the fruit and vegetable dry
ing factories will come in vogue.
Ieonfess TO q strong sense Of disap-
p0intment at not seeing o more marked |
departure from Southern style of agri-
culture; expecting to find many fields |
seeded to or set in clover, orchard |
grass, timothy, Kentucky blue grass,
red top, ETC., / find none. Asking for
the explanations, ! found two given.
First, one or more very influential mem
mistrust both the soil and climate for
these grasses. Badly managed ex-
periments have failed, and deduction
unfair to climate and soil and utterly
false has been made from the failure.
In the next place, the Surprising reply
has come tony query for cultivated
grasses, "WhY, what do we want toi
waste time and money and run risk I'M
sowing timothy, clover. etc, when we
have . grass already planted BY nature
30 much superior. i. I'll, Gozon--carpat
other grasses?" Here is afine illnstra-
tlon Of human natnFel Doubtless these
happy denizens from the bleak climesl
of Iowa, Minnesota, Dakota and else
where. once fouted the native grasses
of Louisiana and tannted the State that
she could mot raisesthe glorious grasses
OF their former homes Now they move
kere, and HI
oUT-0AIIRE THE cAsTRN
e. there not an oil Latin pilrase which,
Analicized, means sswho cross the sea
change their minds2s Now, We want
10 rescue these people from their incon-
sistencg, and restore Them to theirspre-
We desire TO tone down
their enpsrabunaaGt enthusiasm .Glo-1
ger timothy. Blue Grass, etc !, are good !
here wv cannet resi- on orr lapKale;
nllE @ rAaNSfs etig asefi0ils crnHn must
Sill hANA soane flowers sqith whiah ID.
paTEF us Mentefp e5e| ff0nl western /,
eqii hfltnss aeAnitsas SCR sl,si isis.s,a.
ppz tilh A0uih eau afA0fi1 W foroe flia,
Legitimate alIuSemQnia 81 Tie Wofstcd
attFnaslape nnh banakad itiunEhs an
llls SOL ana climate 81 tlleir Old bones
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