St. Landry democrat., 1889-04-13
LOUISIANA.
FOUR YEARS AGO AND NOW.
THE sOIL-PRoDUCTs-CL
MENTS-ETC.

THE soIL-PRoDUCTs-cL
MENTS-ETC.
The following extracts are taken fro1
the Louisiana immigration Bulletin, edite
by T. W. Poole, Commissioner of Immi
grafton for the State of Louisiana:
The Louisiana of to-day is very differ
ent State from Louisiana of four, or eve
two years ago, with respect to immigra
ton. Within the former period an are
in her southwestern border, belt fit,
been utterly TRANSPORTED by such a notabl
most distinctively Anglo Saxon migration
ment of jamestown Va, in the early his
tory of our civilization of this continen.
The character or quality of this imlnigra
ton is, beyond praise, viewed as mass
1t blends instantly in fratefhal conference
with our people in enduring homogeneity
Its people are abiding, intelligent
thrifty, industrious, in large proportion
well to- do Tin not few cases wealthy J, an6
thoroughly in accord with the spirit Of
American liberty. In almost every in.
stance they pay cash for the land they
purchase In the cases where the earlier
settlers of more moderate means have pur.
chased or taken homesteads, the great in
crease in value of their holdings has
placed them with few exceptions, in po-
sition of competency, so that, as body.
they constitute such an aggregation of
landowners, free from indebtedness that
no part of the United States furnishes a
parallel to.
Only few years ago was felt the first
impress of this progress that has now so
deeply and durably engraven its fair fea-
lures upon Louisiana.
PERSONS AND PAPERS.
Mr.. s. L. Carey, formerly of Man
chester, Iowa, was induced to To-
cate in Calcasieu parish through the i'm
portunA} Of Commissioner Harris. With
patience, sagacity, industry and man
agement truly remarkable, this pioneer
set to work to populate the area then un-
known to the foot of the western immi-
grant. He secured some land, ed
on his kindred to settle from the West !;
laid off the town of Jennings, and soon
had nucleus of western men. And Mr..
A. D. McFarlain, native, rs AGO. worker
and joint-owner of this ttwn..:eA little
later, Mr.. J. B. Watkins securedaaasn i'm
mense AREA million and half i Lfs;es or
more, and soon laid the foundation of
those prodigious and expensive plans of
development, and immigration propaganda
which soon afterwards characterized his
efforts, and which are still in force.
Early in the year 1886, the Times Demo-
crat, one of the leading papers of the
South, journal of great authority, of
New Orleans, Louisiana, secured the
services of Col. NJ B. Hillyard. This
gentleman travelled over much of South
west Louisiana, and wrote many letters
about that area.
His letters were widely republished in
the West, and were reproduced in num-
Der of journals in England. These letters
contributed much to the development of
Southwest Louisiana, as is generally con-
coded by the people of this State, and the
country at large.
Shortly after Col Hillyard's work in the
Times Democrat, Mr.. J. B. Watkins began
to print The american at Lake Charles,
La, and to commence that large and lib
eral system of development of his lands,
and advertising them. The whole adjacent
country felt the influence of these costly
endeavors, and Lake Charles felt, particu-
larly, the work, which is written in pro-
gress of larger character than any town in
Southwest Louisiana, or, perhaps, the
State. AS an assistant in this work, he
had Professor s. A. Knapp, formerly pres
dent of the Iowa Agricultural College, who
by tongue and pen and many phases of
public action and marked Identification
with Industrial affairs, has, in brief So
journ in Louisiana, made reputation here
second only to that of the great distinction
he achieved in Iowa. The other great
assistant of Mr.. Watkins was Professor A.
Thomson, formerly of Iowa, and brother
in-law of this gentleman Ia civil engineer)
has had the practical oversight and execu-
ton of many schemes of Mr.. Wa Tins and
his own, and some in connection with Pro-
fessor Knapp in their own interests.
A steady and liberal co-worker in
the development of Southwest Louisiana
has been the Southern Pacific Railroad.
The country SO greatly developed, of
which we have been speaking, is situated
on their line. They have devised schemes
to foster immigration, having as Northern
agent Mr.. s. L. Cary and
besides special rates for immigrants at all
times, run for the winter and late autumn
and early spring, semi monthly excursions
IN conjunction with the Illinois Central
Railroad, at very low rates, with Mr.. Cary
accompanying them as guide.
The earlier work of commencing Lou
isiana to the public had great help from a
pamphlet from the pen of Col. Danl. Den
net aforesaid, entitled "Louisiana AS 1t Is"
This work was issued about the year 1875,
and was chiefly devoted to the ''Attakapas"
parishes of Southwest Louisiana. 1t is e
noble work, and rather con 0nsore, by one
conversant with the topic. No
greater praises can be accorded it, than to
say that the United States Government has
adopted much of it's subject matter in
pamphlet issued by the United States De-
partment of Agriculture, entitled ''The
Soils and Products of Southwestern Louis
lana" In this pamphlet, Col Dennet's
work is thus alluded to: ssThe most accu-
rate information in reference to the loca-
ton and distances of the towns, rivers,
Dement'S description of Southwestern
Louisiana.
VEGETABLES.
And as to vegetables and melons, where
can those raised here be surpassed3
The nut bearing trees are worthy of a
chapter.
The flowers are beyond our pen, and
"beggar praise"
LIVE STOCK AND GRASSES.
The topics of live stock and grasses de-
serve far more consideration than we can
accord them. Some of the most distin-
guished thoroughbred horses the world
has ever known, have been born and raised
within the borders of this state.
Mule raising, which has been only the
vogue of late, has received great impetus
within q few years, and this business has