The Opelousas courier., 1893-02-25

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 of much of the sultri-
ness and Oppressiveness peculiar to eli
mates where the air is more rarlfied
than here, rendering the nights pleas
ant, endurable and %restful, and max
it possible for persons to engage in
outdoor labor, without detriment to
health, during the whole of the heated
term.
The average annual rainfall is about
60 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. It
falls in showers during summer, and
though we sometimes have protracted
spells of showery weather, it hardly
ever falls in such volumes as to, infiict
much injury, aud in winter it seldom
becomes too wet to prevent the prose-
%cution, in some manner, of the ordina-
fy labor demanded on the farm at that
season of the year.
Soil, Etc.
The soil of this section in most in-
stances is extremely fertile, and though
varied in its general appearance, and
character as to constituent elements, it
produces good crops with results gene
rally satisfactory to those engaged in
its cultivation. In the alluvial lands
are to be found several varieties of
soil, the.sandy loan, the clay loan,
consisting of red, black or gray clay
and the mixed soil of sand and clay
loan. All of these soils are extremely
fertile, but the pure clay is not adapt
ed to the production of all kinds Of
crops. 1t is fine for rice, cotton, corn,
COW pea ETC., but will not turn out
the quantity of sugar yielded by the
less tenacious soils.
The soil in u prairies is in some
places a black, sandy soil, and ranges
in color from a black to a greyish soil,
and is generally underlaid by a good
clay subsoil which is very tenacious of
manure, and for this reason is suscep-
tible of wonderful improvement, Along
the eastern belt of this prairie section
the land is extremely fertile and pro-
duces in profusion all the vegetables
and staple crops grown in this latitude.
Ef.,etl,o ~ xranH fha SnIi 10 mot cn farftta
and the principal and most profitable
crops grown is rice, but in the hands
of the intelligent and systematic agri-
cultnrist, who would introduce and
employ the improved methods of agri-
culture and pay some attention to sup
plying the wants of his land, it could
be made extremely productive and
would produce any of the crops grown
by its naturally more favored and con
tiguous sections of country. The Ian /
contains a good and tenacious clay
subsoil, and a judicious use of the cow.
pea, the clover of the South, would
soon enrich this soil, supplying it with
the elements of plant food. and make
it produce far beyond the expectations
of its most sanguine inhabitants.
Our pine lands, covering the western
and northwestern regions of this ter
ritory present about such an appear
ance as the pine forests of other sec
tions of the South. They are gene
rally well timbered and Watered and
possess a variety of hill, bottom or
hammock lands. The upland or hill
lands are not profitable for agriculture,
bnt are good grazing lands and the
time will come when, apart from the
value of the timber they contgn, they
will be made remunerative to their
owners, as furnishing ranges for vast
t1ocks of sheep. The hammock or
bottom lands of this section produce
well, not only vegetables and the sta
pie crops, but ome day, when they
become accessible to lines of transpor-
t~ation, which must in the future ira
verse this country, they must con-
tribute to the worlds supply an inn
mense quota Of fruit of such varietis as
the fig, peach. pear, ounce, several va,
rieties of the apple, plums strawber-
ries and grapes, all of which do well
here under intelligent management.
The prices of these lands are to-day al
most nominal, but we opine that it will
not be far in the distant future when
they will rival those of California as a
grape-producing district.
Products.
The staple field products are cotton,
corn, rice, sugar. cane, oats, and pota-
toes, both Irish and sweet, though 9TH
er things might be proftably raised.
jnte and ramie and barley and tobac-
grow we'll here, as we'll as such va
rieties of the domestic grasses as clo-
yer. red-top, millet alfalfa, lespedeza
Japan clover, and no doubt in the
future will be cultivated to a consider
able extent, when the people of this
country recognize more fully the me-
cessity for diversified agriculture. ALI
of the esculents grow here to perfec-
tion, and could be raised with
profit, if enough people would engage
In trnck farming ~tojustify the railroads
in making special preparations, as is
done on the Illinois Central railroad,
for handling that species of traffic, and
thereby enable them to offer q freight
rate that would stimulate and encour-
age investment in this line of business.
Cotton, sugar-cane and rice are our
most important money producing crops,
bnt they are affected by several draw
viz: The overprodnction Of cot
ton and the low prices consequent
thereon an insnficiency Of sugar re-
80 - 4 $500