The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-06-02

| ing, tne farmers draw tnelr rice 10
these mills for storage and borrow
enough money on it, if they can, to pay
expenses. A busbel of rice can be rails
ed and sold for less than bnshel Of
wheat as it yields on an average 10
sacks per acre. A sack of rice contains
162 pounds. Rice is now being used for
feed for hogs, horses, chickens, ETC.,
and by new process good -four is be-
ing made from it. This -four makes ex-
cellent griddle cakes gems and mullins.
Since the cultivation of rice began ON
the prairie lands they have risen in
value from 80 cents and 81 per acle to
$40 and S25 for unimproved land, and
$25 to $75 for improved and irrigated
farms. The rolling woodland sells for
from $3 to $40 an acre, according to To-
cation and the value of the timber.
French is the language spoken by the
natives here who are descendants of the
Acadians who were expelled from
Nova Scotia something less than 200
years ago. They are now called Cagins
or Creoles, and are behind the times in
education and other matters.
The principal timber found here is
oak, ash, pine, cypress, magnolia and
pecan. Besides rice, they raise corn,
potatoes, cotton, sugar cane, oats and
all kinds of garden stuff. The farmers
here say that last year is the first they
have made any money in cane for four
years. They only plant it once in three
years asi it comes up of itself the second
and third years
Evangeline is rough place resem-
bling mining town and good wages
are paid here although wages outside of
the oil field are not high in louisiana.
The following prices prevail at pres
ent: Common labor, SO. so per day; man
and team, $500; board, $500 per week;
hired girls, $500 per week butter, 80
cents per ID; eggs, 10 cents per doz;
lard, Is cents per lb; granulated sugar,
8 cents; cheese, 25 cents per lb kero-
sene oil, 20 cents per gal; and most all
groceries and dry goods are a little
higher than in the north There is
great deal of pine here yet and good
lumber sells for $12 to $15 per M.
The land is prairie with plenty of
timber along the rivers. The soil is ali
clay or black loan and there isn't
stone or hill between here and New Or
leans.
There have been about two million
dollars expended here for drilling ma
chinery and rigs and there is now about
seven million barrels of oil stored here
4 in earthen tanks ranging in size from
four to fifteen acres, which are vertiable
lakes of oil and scores of innocent ducks
and geese light on them and swim for
hours little suspecting that they are
doomed and that they are taking their
last swim-for after they light in this
= oil they can not fly again, but walk out
5 over the bank and die or are picked up
$ by curiosity seekers, their flesh being
useless for food.
The oil is worth in the field about 20c
per bbl. and is cheap fuel, almost every
stationary and locomotive engine in
the south is run by it. There are three
saloons here and all sell good deal of
whiskey. Last spring one saloon took
in $500 per day. There have been four
murders in the last two months Most
all southerners. carry guns.
There is only one church here, Con-
gregational, although there are all
kinds Of churches in the south-there
. being two M. E. churches-No and
! South. They having divided years ago
on the question Of slavery.
BARRIERS charge 35c for hair cut and
15c for shave in Louisiana and they do
. not require q BARRIERS license in this
state. Doctors get good pay in the
south, charging $3.50 per visit in the
D towns and one dollar per mile in the
| country.
Truck gardening and diversified farm
ing would pay here better than raising
! rice at present prices. One man sold
3 1890 worth of water melons last year
3 beside other truck. Stock raising would
pay too for the average farmer does
not feed his cattle anything in the win
ter nor give them any shelter But a
little care and feed in the cold weather
would bring good returns, as one man
. near here lost over 100 head last winter,
which was the severest in years.
3 Rice.straw can be had for the asking
r in this locality as hundreds of tons are
3 burned up every fall. 1t is about as
' valuable as wheat straw for feeding.
New potatoes are plentiful on the
: market now and sell for 81 per bu oats
are nearly ready to cut and they ought
!. to be as they were sowed last fall. Corn
s is waist high; black berries are ripe and
a are found in abundance in the woods
r and sell for sc per quart.
4 The north could well pattern after
s the south in the use of the mule as they
i are less liable to disease than horses and
r will do more work on half the feed 1T
o takes to keep the average horse.
Hoping these few items will be of in
, terest to your many readers, remain