The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1886-04-24

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How Those Already I'm Opera
tiOn Are Conducted.
Special Correspondence of The Times
Democrat.
LAKE CHARLES, April 0, 1886.
On Wednesday morning, in stout
two-seated buggy, and behind two lit
tie, wiry Attakapas ponies, ! left fol
a ramble on the prairies, with Prof
Knapp as company and guide. Oul
journey was almost due east, and with
the railroad almost always in sight
As we drove along over the road moi
bad, but by no means as good as il
might be, it furnished Prof. Knapp
the occasion to tell one plan of their
company to be to build this summer a
fine highway along their whole line
from east to west, within sight Of the
railroad, and on the township line, a
distance l fear to name, but certainly
forty miles or more. This will be built
by road building machine yet to be
purchased. This road is to be the
primal thoroughfare for the coming
immigrants, and is an illustration Of
the thorough work the company will
do, and of how the public is benefited
by their operations; for here will be
built a long public road of first-class
character, at private cost. And a good
Southern road is as rare sight as that
rdra aVis, sable swan.
Spinning along we soon came to an
exceptional bridge, that impressed me
with its stability and the utter ab-
sence of the make-shift and temporary
character of the average bridge. The
explanation was easy. That bridge
was on the road to the company's
land, and the company had large
hand in constructing and paying for it.
A little further and we come to
A HANDSOME TRACT
Prof. Knapp and his daughter had Sc
cured. Here was the preliminary work
incident to homesteading-the plowed
land and the little house. The site for
the building was admirably chosen
the very apex of an area of beautiful
confguration-a landscape for miles,
the contour of a sphere. With par
donable pride the professor showed
me the advantages Of his location, and
deferred to my judgment as to the To-
cation for an orchard he intended
planting of peach, pear, apple and
other fruits. This elected from me
the suggestion that the company ought
to have nursery, from which to sell
fruit trees to the future immigrants,
SO as to save costs of transportation;
to furnish varieties adapted to eli
mates, and trees uninfested with the
eggs Of insect--pests common TO old
fruit raising areas. This suggestion
met with the approval and will be a
feature of the company's operations,
and the tree agent will flag superfu- |
Gus" in the future in that region.
A few miles more and we come to |
ONE OF THE Hoa RANCHES.
Here there is comfortable house,
with dozen or more employees, a sta
Bile and sheds for their short horn
bulls which are acclimating. At pres
ent this place, in the hurry of prepara-
Lion, is answering the double purpose
Of headquarters for hogs and bulls, but
this is only temporary. Ultimately
aud soon these features viii be disso-
ciated and this will be hog ranch.
Here there are 100 or more razor-back,
scrub or native sows, and the first
step in Improvement will be TO cross
lhese with four thoroughbred Poland
China boars. On this ranch there
ire forty acres under superb fence
strong cypress posts and four boards
# cypress. To these will be added a
potion wire to make the fence pig
light, and top wire to turn cattle,
At this ranch there will be planted
'orty acres in sweet potatoes as food, |
n part, for hogs, horses and cattle,
rhe ground is being Plowed for this
low and the fence being set.
But this is the small end Of the hog
On the lower hog ranch
here are eight or ten hog pastures and
large hog house. There are 1900
cres inclosed in hog-tight fence;
ixty thoroughbred Poland China
ows, and two thoroughbred bears Of
anne breed, and quite anumber Of
0ung pigs at same breed | inquired
II was not the design TO SOW the cnl-
waited grasses, red clover, etc, on
Ihieh TO assist in feeding these hogs,
nd found out it was.
Prof. Knapp tolls me that he pro-
oses to have the help Of these hogs
/ subduing the land, and will turn
lem loose on the native grasses in |
srtain fenced lots to root and break
p the native sod and measurably dis
ense with the plew.
When | discovered that
THEIR soHEMR ~ Hod RAISING
vas "a broad, I said; ''Why, viii not
his eyentuate ip poFk-packInga" Mr. |
said II would, and they will
sither build an loo factory On their
and or get i supply from the iee fac
lary al Lake Charles. OF course, too,
New Orleans win ere lcng be receiv
ng suppliea Of tipe live hogs from the
Watkins enterprise, and the demand
ior the Western perkeF will be pro
anfo diminished. Thus will The West
.rn supply be- iFenehed upon more and
nore-as long predicted by the writer
-until We ef The South shall probably
. sanalng liYe haga 10 81, Lonis and
lhiaago. may be making lard foE sale
here; uafsaifissg packing all OUT own