The Opelousas courier., 1889-12-07
st. LANDRY Parish.
Its Fertile Soil, Healthful Climate and
Abundant Resources Described
by one of its Citizens. g

DR.. D. w Foster, n Of onr most
esteemed citizens, has written a letter
to the Ruston, tLa) Caligraph, from
| which we make the following extracts !:
In the FIRST place, we have not only a
beautiful country, but a pleasant, and
healthy, ana productive u also. /
will o o be 81 years old, and | have
travelled u good deal in the United
| States and out of them !; and I have
had extensive experience in the prac-
| tice of medicine in various ATTITUDES
and climates, and during most OF the
time | have been connected with plant
ing also, and l onght therefore to be
prepared 10 give an opinion as to the
salnbY;ty and nroductiveness Of this
country, where I have resided mainly
for more than a quarter of o century,
aud I have to say that l don't Know
any other country that combines 30
many natura! advantages in tho way
| of ali tho necessary elements for com
fort aud prosperity az are afforded
There. But to be fully appreciated, u
delightful and desirable country must
| be seen and to be fallen in love with,
| needs but to be seen.
People need not hesitate to come In
any month in the year to our climate,
which I have found really more pleas
ant AS we'll as healthy at all times than
I have experienced il the North, sum
mer IA we'll as winter and as to max
ing crops here, about as good cotton,
potatoes, peas, &c, may be made the
first year Us any, with really less labor
in the cultivation, rs there will be no
crab glass to contend with. The vir
gin soil may be plowed here for these
crops. including cotton, as late as Feb.
ruary or March. It is frequently done
successfully. And az to health, with
prudential care there is no more risk
here than in the North OF West, and !
missed oar refreshing sea breezes while
I was up there. 1t ia a we'll known fact
that there are more sunstrokes-pros.
trations from ileat-up North than
down South.
Aud I would advise all you good PEG
pie up there who may not be satisfied
where they are to come down and see
for themselves. For if I were to flI
your columns describing our country
and It's advantages 'the half would not
be tnld.' But with your permission /
will attempt to give some outlines of
our st. Landry parish.
For convenience of description and
better understanding of its topography,
I will divide the parish into three par.
allel zones running north and south.
The eastern zone is bounded by the
A e.yn,f s, I, ~, ri.,. Al dean yorsraI1o
stream, along the banks Of which are
plantations of wonderful fertility IL
the unrthern portion Of that zone some
of the land ia subject to overflow, but
is denssly covered with valuable tim
ber, aud interseeted with bayous along
whose banks are some high and very
productive lands in cultivation. In
the southern part OF that ams eastern
belt are rich prairies aud bayous with
woodlands. In the middir zone, which
la the most choice portion of the parish,
are gently uudulating praifies covered
with waving grass and grazing herds
of cattle aud horses, dotted with high
land lakelets, and traVarsed by mean-
dering water courses, which ars skirt
ed with narrow woodlands, which
make up enchanting landscapes, which
are constantly famed by fresh sea
breezes from the Gulf of Mexico which
is only about one degree south Of US.
And while these breezes are cool and
refreshing and healthful IN summer,
they are soft and balmy il the winter,
uniformly mild and pleasant all the
time for both man aud beast, The
stock live and feed throughout the year
without attention from their owners
Our soil is a loose vegetable mould
about IL TO is inches deep; then d hard
pan of clay exists which is 80 inpervi-
ous to water that all fertilizers put
upon the land is retained, and the land
can be kept TO fabulous productive.
ness forever. Onr soil here in It's virgin
state will yield from % to 40 bushels
of corn, 40 to go of oats, { to ] bale
(450 lbs of cotton, etc. etc Gardens
Of all kinds of vegetables thrive spring !!
and fall. Such fruits as peaches, pears,
plums, figs. ETC., do well here. All pro-
auctions adapted to southern climate
do we'll here, and of this Is au
excellent stock country. AS fine horses,
cows, hogs, and sheep i be raised
here as anywhere.
The Morgan Railroad from New Or
leans TO Alexandria on Red river runs
through our parish north and south !;
tho Texas Pacific runs across the north.
ern end. and the Southern Pacific near
the southern border, and there is steam.
boat navigation three-fonrths of the
year from Washington to New Orleans.
Land sells according TO location,
quality, etc. unimproved at $3.50 Go
$3.50 improved at SO to S25. Stock
sells. our grass raised horses, from go
to $50 and S75 milk cows and calves
sl2 to SIs and $40.