The Opelousas courier., 1893-01-07

beauty, and while the natural arrange.
ments of the scenes presented here is
not such as to inspire the mental con-
ditions of sublimity which one would
experience on being thrown in contact
with lofty mountains, deep canyons,
rushing cataracts, frightful precipices
or the vast expanse of ocean as it I'M
folds itself before u eyes and leads
us to the recognition of that intinitude
of power which awes the mind with its
terrific grandeur. and reminds us that
despite our great knowledge in the
arts and sciences, we a with our IL
mite faculties, take in but a moiety of
the mysteries of creation, and render
subject to our domination SO small a
share of the rude forces of nature as to
impress US with the impotency of our
strength. Yet there is another class
of mental conditions which arise from
the contemplation of natural objects.
1t is one that imparts serenity to the
soul and pleasant %contentment to the
mind. 1t is the offspring of a sense
of repose, or rest in nature, and pro-
duces a feeling correspondent to the
absence of domestic troubles, or cares,
in a well regulated and prosperous
family. 1t tends to smooth down the
rugged spots in our natures and gives
to u feelings that p~lacidity and calm
ness which are inspired by our sur
%roundiDgs when nature is in a state of
repose, and the earth presents none of
her rugged and Scared places, the CT
catrices of ancient catastrophies to OBJ
trude upon our vision or ruf1e the
smooth current of our sensibilities.
Such are the impressions produced on
the mind by the natural phenomena of
orr country as contrasted with the
effects of the scenery of some other
places. Ours is serene, beautiful and
pleasing. Theirs is awful, sublime,
grand and oftimes terror-inspirlng.
Climate.
But there is another consideration
which weighs heavily in favor of South
western Louisiana as a dwelling place,
and that is the superior advantages
of its soil and climate. Here n is
not troubled of heat and cold, as in 9TH
er more northern and pent in districts.
The gentle breezes from our Mexican
Gulf are not obstructed by the inter
position of mountain ranges and i'm
mense and impenetrable forests, aor
are the suns ray leneGted by the rocks
or .:5untain sides and made converg-
ent on the valleys beneath, but health
ful and invigorating fresh breezes pro-
coed directly up the plains unopposed
in their march inland, dispensing CON
fort and vigor to those who are so for
tnnate as to have cast their lots in this
favored cline. The thermometer in
winter has an average %1uctnation here
of from 40 to 20 degrees of course it
is sometimes below 40; it even goes
beyond the freezing point; but this is
the case for only a few days during
the winter, and the rest of this term
may be said to be free of frost, and
life is pleasant outdoors, in fair wealth
err, all the winter through. In summer
the mercury ranges from so to 96 de-
grees, registering the latter Temporal
ture but seldom. Such chronicles of
sunstroke and death as are being de-
tailed by the papers published in New
York. Chicago, Philadelphia, Louis
vile, st. Louis and other Northern
populous centres are things which
never occur, even in New Orleans-that
city which in the popular belief of the
Northern people, is the abode of pesti-
lence and disease. On account of
the rapid evaporation on the Gulf of
Mexico, the temperature of the atmos-
phere is lowered and driven inland by
atmospheric currents, thereby relieving
the heated term ofmuch of the sultri-
ness and oppressiveness peculiar to eli
mates where the air is moreo rarified
than here, rendering the nights pleas
ant, endurable and r%estful, and MAX
1t possible for persons to engage in
outdoor labor, without detriment to
during the whole of the heated
The average annual rainfall is about
inches in this section, and of quite
even distribution, bestowing upon us
immunity from the excessive droughts
Of Western Texas and portions of the
arid districts of the northwest. 1t
falls in showers during summer, and
we sometimes have protracted
'pells of showery weather, it hardly
,ver falls in such volumes as to infict
much injury, aud in winter it seldom
becomes too wet to prevent the prose-
in some manner, of the ordina-
y labor demanded on the farm at that
ieason of the year.
Soil, Etc.
The soil of this section in most in
tances is extremely fertile, and though
7aried in it's general appearance, and
character as to constituent elements, it
PRODUCES good crops with results gene
ally satisfactory to those engaged in
is cultivation. In the ~alluvial lands
re to be found several varieties of
oil, the sandy loan, the clay loan,
onsisting of red, black or gray clay
nd the mixed soil of sand and clay
All of these soils are extremely
but the pure clay is not adapt
d to the production of all kinds of
rops. 1t is fine for rice, cotton, corn, Z
peas, etc, but will not turn out
he quantity of sugar yielded by the
ess tenacious soils.
The soil in our prairies is in some {
,laces a black, sandy soil, and ranges I
D color from a black to a greyish soil, {
nd is generally underlaid by a good {
lay subsoil which is very tenacious of
lanure, and for this reason is suscep-
ible of wonderful Improvement. Along
be eastern belt of this prairie section 9
be land is extremely fertile and pro- t
uces in ~profusion all the vegetables
nd staple crops grown in this latitude.
'urther west the soil is not so fertile &