St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-06-08
h da1+a lands riyaling in fertility

the delta of the Nile. =:
These coast oranges bring top price IN
Northern markets, and are r1cher tnan @iA
others in sucrose and saccharine matter. !.
Now. here are some of the advantages OF
Louisiana for this special industry :,
First-Proximity to the Western ana
Northern markets, with rapid and cheap
transportation.
Second-Earlym maturity one month ahead
of Florida and two months in advance OF
California.
Third-Richness of soil Orchards have
been cropped from time immemorlai IN
Plaquemines parish without cultivation OF
application of fertilizers).
Fourth-Early maturity of trees arriving
at bearing age, seedlings at fVe years
budded trees in three years, and absolute
immunity from destructive red and white
scale and other fungoids and parasites
which infest citrus trees in Florida. The
rust mite is successfully treated with
kerosene and soap emulsion.
Fifth-General healthfulness of the eli
mate, rendered mild salubrious and
equable by the proximity of the Cum
preventing vapid evaporation and sudden
radiation of heat.
Can Florida, with her fertilizers at $42
per ton, or California, with her parched
and high priced lands, offer such induce
ments as these to the man of small means,
who contemplates orange raising?
There is no State in the Union where
land to be entered under the Homestead
act is of better quality. There are about
two million acres of these lands scattered
over the entire State, but most are to be
found in the prairies,; good uplands, pine
hills or pine flats. The State owns all
the swamp lands within her borders,
amounting to about six millionSacres.
Most of these swamp lands are low and
not suitable for building sites, but they
are unsurpassed in fertility. In the pral-
RE region they are covered with tine SOD
of perennial grass, and lie contiguous to
the high lands which belong to the United
States. In the wooded section they are
covered with pecan, cypress, oak, plne'
hickory, gum, ash and other timber.
Immigrants can buy land in nearly
every parish in the State in quantities to
suit them. Unimproved lands in the
State are worth from twenty-five cents to
two to fifty dollars, according to location
and Improvements bargains are offered IN
lands all over the State Many sugar and
cotton plantations have sold for one fourth
the cost of improvements. The lands are
Just as good as ever, but the shrinkage i'll
value is due to the scarcity of labor.
The slaves were freed more than twenty
years ago. During the existence of sla-
very the tendency of the Southern mind
was toward an aristocracy, and immlgra-
ton was not wanted. The institution fos-
tered system of large plantations worked
by slaves, discouraged the white laborer
and lowered his social position. Thus 1t
was, the finest of the alluvial lands were
taken up leveed and reclaimed, by plant
ers owning large numbers of slaves, who
could do the heavy work. The pine hills,
flats and prairies were left to the yoe-
many who came into the country. those
pioneers who settled the pine hills pitched
their tents in the thousand creek bottoms
which divide the hills, and with their own
hands worked their way to wealth-thelr
sons and their daughters learned to work,
and when they married, entered lands
either up or down the creek. Many OF
them accumulated gradually the comforts
of home, until competency was reached.
To day these farmers are in more favor
able position than many of the original
owners of the alluvial places, who failed
under the new system of free labor. In
many instances these plantations have
changed hands and are successful. Some
of the best sugar planters in the State are
from the North, and many of the former
overseers of slaves are owners OF the plan
tations, and the sons of the former owners
have in turn become overseers.
There is no State in the Union where
the relations between capital and labor are
more harmonious than in Louisiana and 1t
may be said that there is no country IN
the world where unskilled labor is so well
paid. The slave being free, the planter
no longer fears the advent of more intel
igent laborer or farmer. Formerly he
was regarded as a fire brand, whose con-
tact would influence the passions of the
slaves. Now he is welcomed by all
classes.
In many localities in the highlands,
where the negroes have deserted the cot
ton plantation and tocked to the sugar
plantations on the river, the lands have
been ''turned out" labor is scarce, the
seat up" unproductive capital, offer every
inducement to immigrants. In some cases
they will give away to actual settlers
forty acres of good land, and perfect the
title after two years of actual settlement
and cultivation of ten or fifteen acres.
These lands are held at from two to ten
dollars per acre, and in some instances
will make, with good cultivation, bale
of cotton to the acre.
DEMAND FOR LABOR.
There is continued and increasing
demand for agricultural labor in the
State. In making the crop, seventyfive
cents per day is paid in addition to rations
of pork, meal and -four, house and gar
den and fuel, all of which are furnished
without charge. In harvesting the cot
ton, rice and sugar crops in the fall and
winter, the labor is pleasant and wages
about double.
THE WESTERN WHEAT HARvEsTERs.
The rice harvest, which commences in
August, and the sugar. making, which
usually commences in October, furnish an
excellent opportunity to the harvesters of
the West.