St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-05-25

words transcribed in prose or poetry by
Vivian and Ella does not rejoice that they
are native daughters of Louisiana VINO
that has read the sprightly language OF
Pansy and the tender songs of Essle Goes
not feel an honest pride in the fact that
they have abandoned their native homes
and come to dwell with us? Who have
sung more eloquently and grandly the
name and fame of Louisiana than Pearl
| Rivers? Who has not felt that he was
wiser and better man after reading one OF
the quaint, unembelished pastorals OF
Catherine Cole?
The first settlers of this Lafourche coun-
try were homeless wanderers from the OLD
world, bold pioneers whose love OF al
venture carried them down the cur
rent of the Mississippi river, and AGA
dian exiles, who, driven by the tyrant's
expressions from the snow-dipped hills OF
the North, sought refuge in the genlal
climate The parish of Lafourche extends
from the parish of Assumption to the
Gulf coast Bayou Lafourche enters this
parish about eight miles above this city
| whence flowing through and dividing the
parish, it empties itself into the Gulf OF
Mexico. The length of the parish is about
eighty miles with breadth OF from nj
teen 10 twenty-five mllos.
Bayou Lafourche is navigable for large
steamboats, from eight to ten months an
| nually and for small crafts at all times.
| Steamboats, transport the crops grown
upon the soil into the markets OF the
world, and bring back them such mer.
| chandise, machinery, ETC., as the wants OF
| the inhabitants demand, depositing the
same at their doors. Some fifty barges of
stone coal are brought annually from the
mines in Pennsylvania and landed at the
planters wharves, or to be reshipped from
this town by rail into the parishes of Terre-
bonnie and St. Mary for fuel to be con-
sumed in the manufacture of sugar and
for other purposes, From the great west
comes boats freighted with hoop poles,
lime and produce, all of which find
ready market along the bank OF this
| stream.
Bayou des Allemands, being the eastern
boundary of the parish, is fine nayigable
stream, upon which the residents adjacent
export their products to market and re
ceive such merchandise as their necessities
may require, At point near the mouth
of bayou Lafourche canal crosses that
stream, which given in connection with
other canals, lakes and bayous water nav
igable from Houma in the parish of Terre-
bonne and the lower part of this parish to
New Orleans, through which pass boats
carrying the products of the soil, fish and
| oysters to the market.
-Four miles below this town the South,
ern Pacific railroad, entering the eastern
limit of the parish at bayou des Allemands.
crosses the Lafourche. In connection with
this road is branch at Raceland, sixteen
! To
place.
The soil is entirely alluvial and of great
| fertility. When the pioneers first came
here they found the lands densely covered
with timber, the live oak and all other
species of oak, the magnolia, ash, gum
and all varieties of trees indigenous to al
luvial lands grown to immense sizes and
heights upon the highland, while the
swamps were filled with gigantic cypress
whose rough branches festooned with
moss presented grand and noble view to
the stranger.
Sugar cane, rice, potatoes and onions
are the staple products but every species
of vegetables and truck grow in great pro
fusion when properly cultivated.
The records of the parish put the num-
Der of acres in the parish at 80, 900 and
the cultivated land about $4,000. There
are large sections of land in the parish
composed of sea marshes underlying the
psacess of forming into land. These, sufh
Gcfently strong and solid for pastnrage,
will, in generation or two, be ready for
| the plow.
During the last five years the attention
of the police jury and the citizens have
been directed towards the more thorough
drainage Of the lowlands and large areas
have already been reclaimed in whole or
| in part 1t will require but few years
more to recover thousands of acres of
land now designated as swamps for Guilt
walton or pasturage. It is safe to say that
one-third, or over 100, 600 acres of fertile
land can be rendered arabic within the
limits of the parish.
The soil of Lafourche is peculiarly
adapted to the cultivation of sugar cane,
now it's principal product, and under the
influence of the rapid improvement an
nually made in it's manufacture, destined
to become the only product that will be
grown for the markets of the world. The
annual yield of sugar even in this parish
varies materially according to the condi-
ton of the seed that may be planted and
the injuries inflicted by early freeze. Some
$4,000, 900 pounds of sugar are annually
manufactured. How much more may be
grown is an unknown quantity, but the
soil in Lafourche could easily produce
from O,0OO, 600 to 100000, 900 pounds of
sugar.
Rice follows next to sugar, of which
from 10000 to 10000 barrels are grown
annually. Rice is generally irrigated by
water drawn from the bayou, but occasion
ally resort to pumps becomes necessary.
There are grown in each year from So
900 to 100000 barrels of potatoes. This
product is adapted to the soil and farmers
obtain from fifteen to thirty five barrels
for each barrel planted. Onions do well,
and there ere several thousand barrels an
j produce from thirty to sixty bushels per
acre.
ALI that is grown here finds ready sale
in the home market. Peaches, plums,
apricots, pears and all kinds of fruit ex-
cept apples do well, and in the low er por-
ton of the parish the orange grows to
great perfection. In the winter months
hundreds of the citizens find profitable
employment in the hunting of wild ducks in
the bays and bayous for the New Orleans
market.
Trapping of otter, mink and other ami
mails for their furs has been a prof table
industry for many years. The traffic in
this business amounts to some $50, 900 per
annum. Alligators are killed for their
hides which are only merchantable when
five feet long. Not less than $25, 900 per
annum is derived from thus traffic
In the first two decades of this century
| the islands near the mouth of bayou
Lafourche were the chosen home of the ia
NOUS Laftte and his bands of rowing snug