St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1906-12-01
WHISPERING OF
THE Pine TREES. I"
Unprecedented Prosperity Among Mill Men Of
Northwest ST. Landry.
MR.. WILLIAM CLARK TELLS OF 1T
Time When Farm Product Was the Currency
OF the C0untFy.--Cash Talks In PIney
Moods Now,

The condition in our section {
the parish is generally more pros
porous today than it has ever bee
since ] know the country, and | hay
always lived there remarked Nj
VIM. Clark, a member of the recen
Grand Jury, and one of the prominen
mill men Of Northwest st. Landry.
Mr.. Clark says that the advent Q
the railroads through that sectio
will reYolutionize things, and he ex
poets it to become the garden spot o
the parish. As it is now, he say
that the farmers and mill operator
are enjoying unprecedented prosperity
Il remember the time-and tina
has been within the last ten years
when wagons would drive up to The
saw mills of that section loaded will
corn, hogs, fodder, potatoes, ane
other products, to exchange for lum.
Der. There was no cash. The mills
had to take the exchange or keep the
lumber" said Mr.. Clark. "0f course
we took the products. We couldn't
dispose of this product readily, as may
be imagined, being miles away from
railroads, and therefore could get no
cash for it. The result was that the
mill operators were minus cash as
well as the farmers. Product was
the currency Of the country. We
bought timber and paid hands with
product. When a man applied for
work at the mills, he was told of the
conditions-tha he had to take what
ever product was exchanged for lum-
ber to the mill for his labor. In fact
it was not necessary to tell him of
this he knew it when he applied for
work, and the bargain was entirely
satisfactory to him. On Saturday
evening he knew he was to get his
weeks pay in a shoate, a dozen chicken,
few barrels of corn or meal, some
times home-cured hams, sausage, or
anything the mill owner might have
received during the week and had
stored in the warehouse for pay day.
And very often the mill man had to
go out with his own wagons loaded
with lumber and peddle it through
the country. He would generally get
orders before hand, or knew pretty
well where he could dispose of his
caravan of lumber. He would return
home after a few days out with the
same wagons which had gone out with
lumber laden with products Of the
country squealing pigs, quacking
geese, corn, potatoes, hams, and some
times driving a heifer or COW or sheep
goat, anything. Very seldom a
horse.
Things are different now. They
come right up to the mill, select the
lumber wanted, and pay the cash
right down. They come with their
own wagons. of modern make and
new, with well-conditioned draught |
stock, and the trouble now is to make
lumber fast enough for them. They
all seem, especially this year, to be
making improvements of some kind
either repairing the old homestead,
building a new residence, or erecting
tenant houses.
My mill has been running over
time the entire season, and my neigh
bors all through that section of the
pine woods are in the same fix. We
have orders several weeks ahead, and
could sell several times as much as
we do if the capacity of our mills was
large enough"
Long leaf yellow pine is the timber
of that section Of st. Landry parish,
and the forest is almost inexhaust-
able. Many Of the lands have been
bought up by large mill men, but the
smaller mills have no trouble in get /
ting all the timber necessary for the
use of their mills. With the advent
of the railroads will be opened to the
world this splendid wealth producing
section. Large mills viii be estab-
lished all through that section, and
the prosperity Mr.. Clark speaks of
will be doubled and trepled. Besides
long-leaf yellow pine, there are almost
every other kind Of hard wood and
some cypress.
BY getting their lumber at the mills
the farmers save almost half in price. h
Mr.. Clark informs us that a good
quality Of lumber can be obtained for
ten dollars per thousand feet.