St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1890-03-29
Shell Banks In Southwest Louisiana

On several points around our beautiful
lake and on the banks of the Calcasieu
river between this point and the Gulf, are
a number of shell banks. Some of these
are very extensive and as yet have been
put to no use except in few instances in
our city they have been used in making
sidewalks. Many suggestions have been
made by thousands of visitors who have
looked upon them and admired their
beauty. Why not shell your streets and
have beautiful shell drives all around
your city when there are such vast noun
tains of shells right in your city limits
This question has been asked, and varied
have been the answers from. citizens and
city.authorities.
We have always had an idea that these
shell banks, while beautiful to look upon,
would some day be the foundation for a
great industry.
Two years ago q visitor to this section
saw. as he believed, paying industry
could besestablished by putting up machin-
cry that would grind the shells, and then
ship them to all parts of the South as a
fruit fertilizer. This was perhaps not q
bad idea, but the gentleman did not go
into the enterprise, It may be well that
he did not, at hat time, but there is now
great change taking place. The entire
country is aroused on the subject of fruit
growing, and not only the immigrants,
but all the old citizens are putting large
acreage to fruits. Special pains, too, are
being taken, and in some instances the
shells unbroken have been placed around
the trees. The ground shell would doubt
less be good for fruit trees, but there is
another industry connected with the
shells which we think of far more profit
to the manufacturer and the farmer.
1t is the burning of these shells into
lime and using the lime on the land. It is
not generally known that our coast lands
here need lime. Several years ago gar
dener on the Teche asked sugar planter
for some loose lime in his warehouse to
put on his garden. The sugar planter
told him he was perfectly welcome to the
lime, but shamed the gardener for having
no better sense than to use it. Says ne to
the gardener, Don't you know that our
lands already have SO much lime in them
that they eat up 'nigger's foot'a" This
ended the conversation. The gardener
took about bushel of the lime and used
it on a part of his garden and when his
vegetables began to grow, he showed the
sugar planter over his garden one day, and
coming to that portion where he had used
the lime, the sugar planted remarked :
"And these are your pet squares, | pre-
sumo, where you placed all your fertili-
zers.'' mo-" says the gardener 1.-The
garden was fertilized all over alike, except
that on these squares scattered the lime
you gave me-"
The lands on our coast country and
prairies are rich, but in some places they
are acid. They need corrective, some
thing to free the soil, and that something
is lime.
Prof. Hilgard, one OF the highest
authorities, says that ssmost of the soil of
these coast marshes need lime, and that
the numerous shell banks and reefs and
mounds of shells, millions of tons of them
on the islands of the bays and lakes and at
the mouths of numerous bayous, may be
used on these soils when they are re-
claimed and brought under cultivation. !"
He thinks the marls, when burnt would be
far more preferable to Northern lime for
the improvement of lands. In speaking
of the Marl beds ON Pearl river in Missis-