St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-05-08
An Eowan's View of St. Landry.
OPELoUsAs. La, April 5th, Is
Marion Linn Co. Iowa, Pilot.

Mr.. Editor, and old friends in Marion
Perhaps you may begin to think thai
have forgotten my promise to write
occasionally, giving the results OF my
experience and observations, in this fal
down, southwestern portion of oul
country. Not by any means. Strange
as 1t may seem, have been waiting to
tind something bad, or Objectionable
about it. 1t Is now six months to-day
since left Iowa. Nearly six months
We have spent in St. Landry parish, La,
and must say, So far as climate is
concerned, it more than meets our most
sangulne expectations. So far, no bad,
continuous storms, as We expected to
have in winter, but almost continuous
sunshine and partly cloudy weather,
with the thermometer ranging from 40
ta 10 degrees above zero. Even the five
extreme cold days. that everybody
speaks OF now as the coldest known in
this section for the last forty years, the
thermometer marked an average, by
actual test at my house, 81 1-3 degrees
above zero, and the lowest 13 degrees
above. Can't we stand all such winter
weather as that ? guese we can. In
fact, we can hardly realize that we have
passed the winter season.
But the green pastures, the growing
etables in bloom, the already assured
crops of peaches, pears, figs, apricots,
ounces, nectarines, grapes, ETC., which
lave cast their blossoms, and are swel-
ling their incipient fruits. admonish us
6 lat spring is here and rapidly ad-
vancing with its life giving influences.
In the reading of my weekly papers,
| notice long articles extolliing the ad-
Vantages of Northwestern Iowa, Dako-
ia, Nebraska, Kansas, end other wes-
tern and northwestern sections, while
none of those places can begin to COM
pare with the record above given, and
doubtif California can, or even has
excelled the record OF the past six
months. We do not know what is in
store for us the coming six months, but
we expect hot weather that will make
MS wilt like broken cabbage leaf, and
seek some friendly shade from the
scOrching sun. If it don't come, SO
much the better. But We can say now,
let all who want to spend a winter away
from the stinging cold and driving
billiards. of the north, and enjoy almost
without break an Iowa October indian
summer from November till April, re-
solve to spend that much of the next
fall and winter in Opelousas, st. Lam
dry parish, La. | will guarantee all
4FSuCu a UtdILy NClCOu1C, anu all tlt Id
cilities for studying the merits of the
country they can reasonably, ask. But
says one, what about the land +? We
hear it is fat as pancake. Not roll
ing enough for decent drainage. Land
50 fat as that is no good in Iowa, and /
rather guess the rule will hold good in
Louisiana. / suspect.-H0ld on my
friend. One year ago thought just as
you think, and came to the same con-
-clusion as our friend Taylor, with like
observation few months ago. Says
and says he, il this country was little
more rolling it would be just about per-
feet. have devoted good deal of
time in study and investigation OF this
matter, and have come to the cOnclu-
sion that the Good Lord knew what lie |
was about and fixed this thing just |
about right. In the first place had these |
prairies been high and rolling instead |
of this beautiful unbroken expanse of |
to-day, we should have had success
sion of ravines, gullies, and washouts,
similar to those now seen in Tenn,
Miss, and Alabama.
With the system Of culture, practiced
here for the past twenty-five years,
nothing could have saved the land
from the evils of a general washout.
Again this section is safe for all time
from the devastating influences OF ex-
cessiye rains in all the hill countries. 1t
won't take great stretch OF memory
to recall single storms that have cost
Linn $25, 900 in bridges and culverts
alone. Such misfortune cannot we'll
nccur here, for when the gullies and
BayOus are full and overflow, then in
snch vast expanse OF level land and
the general descent of the country SO
gradual that no rushing to rrents form
and no bridges need be washed away.
A general overflow may he very un-
pleasant and surely must be while it
lasts, but as is only for a few hours and
no serious consequences result the IN I
is reduced to the minimum. I
Again this level condition has resulted I
in a continual increasing fertility OF the
soil. / can take you to plantations that
have been cultivated nearly hundred !
years in sugar, corn and cotton, and
the culture given, are still
producing fair crops, and no fertilizer J
Used. Ii is asserted by the observing t
men of the parish, that the ground is &
growing higher aud higher every year, |
ind the uncultIvated portion richer. {
There are no boggy or miry places. The
most fOrbidding parts and rushy pOr-
ions may be passed over with little in
and perfect safety. The
oil cuitivates very easily. No stene or
,ravel and just silica enough in its COM
,Ositi0n to scOur the tools without ex-I J
easive wear. We have been breaking
aore or less, almost every week since !,
ast January, and shall continue to do n
Q until we turn over 200 acres. Occa- 2
ionally the ground gets little dry for t
asy work. but as q rule the late fall, Y
Einters and early spring are well adap- i
0d IN Far,t, xvn,E all binds NnfjpA n