The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1888-08-11
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.


virtue of a unified constitution of
faculties and the general means Of the
education of his faculties originally
the same everywhere. Language. the
principal means of intelligent COM
munication, draws men together. and
common interests cement the relation
ship so necessary to the stability of
government from the family roof-tree
to the integral and general ligaments
that bind a nation in unity. liberty
and common prosperity. We must
acknowledge that the elements of
sociality are not so favorable as in the
North We do not wish to be UNDER
stood that socinlity is not feature
OF Southern life, only that its fire.
quent repetition. more particularly in
the country. is measure prevented by
isolation; nor do we insinuate that a
general hospit atty is not general and
sincere. The most important reasons
for this are found in the fact that large
tracts of land are owned by single IN
dividuals which makes the isolation of
the whites inimical to that everyday
socially existing in the North. Those
accustomed 10 daily intercourse with
their neighbors feel there is some
thing lacking in the social atmosphere.
This condition will be gradually
amended as large plantations become
divided up. as natural influx from
the North will pretty surely accom-
plish. The negroes in the country in
many places are greatly i'm excess
of the whites and their general lasi-
ness and improvidence. con Joined with
their proclivities for yellow-legged
chickens, are somewhat annoying.
The negro problem is as yet unsolved;
but a surplus of white farmers accus-
toned to personal attention to their
farms. will compel them to be honest
and industrious or get out The COM
parative desolation of the country,
quite a large portion of once-tilled
land has gone back 10 its wild state;
the fences and orchards mainly de-
stroyed and the buildings. for lack of
attention, are greatly dilapidated. All
this requires much labor of brains and
hands. but can, and will, be re medied
in time. The land in many places
since the war has been allowed to
wash SO that great gullies. exist, which
must be filled up or many farms will
be cut up into all imaginable shapes,
spelling the looks and wasting land.
As the negroes are a majority in
many places. and whites and blacks
form separate classes of society which
socially do notintermingle, the schools
for white children in the country are
comparatively few. which is a rather
serious difficulty to those accustomed
to school near at hand in every neigh
borhood. There are good many black
schools in the country which speaks
favorably of the interest taken in ed
ucalion. A more dense population Of
whites will remedy this to-be-regretted
state of affairs Owing to the waste
fulness of the negroes and the in at
teniion Of land owners. the timber has
been shamefully destroyed. yet there
is much excellent timber in the
country. To persons brought up
in the woods. rs it were. such de-
vastation of timber would not
present much attraction. Numerous
trees from ten to thirty feet high have
sprung up during the last twenty
years, and if properly cared for. will
replace much that is gone. in the near
future.
The use of the rude Implements of
husbandry and the deepsseated super
stition of the. necessity of '.bedding
up tor cotton. corn. potatoes etc.
is TO be overcome by positive demon
strations by the use of the improyed
implements which experience has
proven the best adapteds to farm
work. The necessity Of thing the
land to avoid the evil eff cts of con-
tinued rain on the growth of the crops
will be apparent to all correct observ-
era In nearly all this section of coun-
try the original soil is undertake by
a ten acious clay mixed with mArl and
magnetism limestone which makes the
water slow to get out of the roots of
plants SINCE thing has become gem
eral at the North. The testimony of its
good effects on lands not considered
wet has been general and positive.
1t seems from tho testimony Of experts
it actually makes the earth more por-
GUS, thus admitting excessive rains TO
get away from the fibrous roots of
plants before they are water-rotted.
True, thing is somewhat expensive.
but we are assured that at most, two
years more than pays all the expense.
and tile-drains put in under little
civil engineering will last for many
years The South once thoroughly
drained. we shall expect the bottom
lands on rivers. now rife with
fevar and aUue will honoyna voefIv