St. Landry democrat., 1889-03-23

3
salfa), and all those and others are a sue
cess. Let no one fear about these. Sow
in October from 18th to 30th, and success
will be certain. We ought to commend
our LespedezG strata Japan clover Der
muda grass, and the various paspalum
Carpet grass, as wonderful summe
grasses but space forbids. Suffice it tt
say, that with proper management by com
bining the summer and winter grasses (al
the former we rank as winter grasses, pas
ture of the most luxuriant and nutritious
character can be had the year round. Hay
making from carpet grass has become {
pronounced industry among the imml
grants in Southwest Louisiana. We ex
pect to see Timothy hay exported from
New Orleans to New York by sea, in Large
quantities, within the next ten years, the
product of Louisiana's soil.
We ought not to forget what large
business is horse raising in Southwest
Louisiana, the famous ''Attakapas," living
on grass the year round and with a health
| fulness and bottom having no rival in the
country.
Sheep and hogs do superbly. The reasons
are easily explicable. In grass they have
the most healthful of foods almost the year
round; and, if the cultivated grasses, here
tofore mentioned be seeded, pasture can
be had the year round. In the forests
there is a great variety of "mast." many
varieties of the hickory-nu the pecan,
many varieties of the oak, beech. etc. Then
hogs find great many worms and other
food, and have the exercise of unlimited
range. The breeds that are an undoubted
success, are Poland China, Berkshire, Es-
sex and Jersey Red or Ddroc. Of course the
natives" are included. Some of them
grow to good size, and they are very hardy.
The Guinea, too, may be included.
| Sheep are very healthful, and even in
! the parishes where the country, being gen
orally very level, would seem to be against
them, because, to the superficial observer,
not giving them dry enong h "foot," great
success has attended the industry. The
animal is very fecund in Louisiana, sew
enty-five per cent increase per annum be-
ing an estimate within bounds. Their wool
is even fbred, and is in demand. In much
of the area it is not curry" Owing to
their healthfulness, twins are common, and
sometimes triplets are born. Not being
subject to the many diseases incident to
the transition from green food to dry in
winter, and from dry to green food in
spring, and other complaints of rigorous
climate, but having green food (herbiver-
GUS sustenance) all the year here, they
have almost no diseases "Scab' we be-
lieve is unknown and foot-rot rare. The
only thing that may be accounted an enemy
is the ubiquitous cur, and this will be a
declining impeachment, as the years roll by,
and in parts of the State is an insignificant
obstacle.
Before passing from the topic of live
stock, we ought not to fail to impress the
fact that young mules and horses incur no
set back or ''stunt" here, but grow right
on through winter Another most striking
fact is that both these animals, owing to
the mildness of cur climate, are remarka-
bly, free from troubles of the throat and
lungs. And mules seldom have the "big
jaw"
The most unobservant traveller, in
the richer lands of Louisiana, must
surely have noticed how wonder
fully white clover thrives there. 1t
lasts, much if not all the year, but is at its
best from December to June. In the lati-
tude of New Orleans, it is sometimes in
bloom by the middle of January, and in
our richest lands frequently attains the
height of fifteen to eighteen inches.
Red clover has been tried at many
points in the State. In some parts it is
growing in profusion, for miles along
headrows, and near the tracks of railroads.
Timothy is another grass that has been
more or less sown, and that demonstrates
it's adaptation to our soil and climate.
Kentucky Blue grass is beginning to
make it's way zone knows not how and
scarcely can locality be found where
more or less of it cannot be seen. The
few who, have seeded it, we think, are
satisfied vsth it, and in combination with
Bermuda gr&es, it will, in few years, be
the favorite with the intelligent stock
raiser for perpetual evergreen pasture.
The Bermuda is the most nutritious of all
grasses, is never killed, and rarely in
jured by any drought; will support a
greater number of stock to a given area,
than any grass known; and is good pasture
from May or April according to latitude),
until killing frost. Kentucky Blue grass
comes in when the Bermuda gives way,
and continues until the Bermuda is in
force in spring. They flourish together,
and will last indefinitely ; and thus, on the
same area, the greatest two grasses of the
world flourish on evergreen pasture in
definitely.
Meadow Fescue we have never seer
tried but from the way it holds on il
Audubon park, where it was sown during
the late great Exposition, it would seen
| to be all that could be desired, as a winte
grass 1t is there wonderfully luxuriant
and has been subjected to repeated sum
mer mowings for four or five years.
Of other grasses, we have not so salts
| factory knowledge; but all natural con
ditions are even more favorable here thar
in our sister State of Mississippi, where al
most oil grasses known have been for year.
demonstrated an unquestionable success.
VARIOUS CROPS.
The immigrant ought to be assured tina
he need not quit the crops of his old home
by coming to Louisiana. If he prefers tt
not try rice, sugar cane, cotton or peas, ht
can raise corn, oats, rye, barley, wheat ane
buckwheat. These last three many may
tell him he cannot raise but it is not the
fact.
AS to corn and oats, some prodigious
crops have been raised and at scarcely any
agricultural fair but one or more prizes
are awarded for over one hundred bushels
of corn per acre.
| We desire to emphasize the point thai
our future agriculture will be pro minnt
| in production of sea- island cotton. 1t has
| been successfully raised between New Or
leans and Mobile years ago; and there is
no reason why our gulf front, west of New
Orleans, may not thus be utilized.
SUGAR.
Our sugar industry is promised revo-
luton under the diffusion process, and