Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1909-03-25
SHREVEPORT, MISS.
Description of a Beautiful
City.
A VISIT TO THE lOIL WELLS
Capt. John Frater Writes In
teresting Letter to the
News.

News.
1850 Line Ave, Shreveport, La.
March II, 1909.
You may think i havefforgotten you
and gone lback,on my promise to write.
/ have done neither. j have often
and often though Of writing, but have
been very husy-hke tthe "hen with
one chicken. - The first month after
our arrival at Shreveport spent in
riding around with the boys, in bug
gy or auto, with DIR. joe or DR.. Fred,
as the case might be. They would
call ON their patients and i would hold
the buggy or auto down until their
return. BY this means i saw much of
the city. They claim ito have 33 miles
of paved streets, some concrete, some
bitulithic, very hard and smooth.
Payements or sidewalks are all con-
crete. Many of the streets have side
walks that have not got pavement yet.
The city promises good deal OF pave
ment this spring and summer.
This city has been badly set tback the
last two years. In 1907 by the boil
wevil destroying or injuring the cot
ton crop( cotton has been the backbone
of this whole section Of Iouisiana)
and last year by the June flood and
boil wevil. Some planters lost every
thing-not only their crops but stock,
also. What the food left the boil we
vii took. Diversified farming is now
the order of the day. A great tquanti-
ty of corn was grown last year after
the food, planting going on up to the
middle of August and got good re-
suits, helping the farmers out great
deal. This year farming will be very
much mixed, more corn and alfalfa
will be raised than ever and peanuts
or COOLERS 1.-THE Spanish for oil max
ing. ON of the cotton seed oil mills
have I'd themselves TO take all the
pea kedr-it matters not how
MAJ lAkk.e better-and many
farm, Feed with them TO
plan acres, at a good
Sh1{ .leanest city ever
saw. OF any account,
except ID ming, and that is
the Etna Coz Eing $3.50 per ton
delivered hereJS Gas is used for heat
ing, cooking and manufacturing.
Prices are: domestic use, 25c per 1000,
less ten per cent. off for cash on first
Of month; manufacturers, Sc per 900.
This is cubic feet. A great many of
the locomotives burn oil so that there
is very little smoke. Shreveport is not
a level city by any means. 1t is city
Of hills, or as one of my friends says,
''erosions, "-hills and hollows every
where. The hills are graded down
and the hollows filled up to make the
city. There are few level streets and
there has been so many additions and
annexes, and each one laid off to suit
the whims of their owner, or the con-
formation of the land Each addition
being law to itself, the streets don t
always match where them connect, but
the general trend is about the same.
The streets are wide and laid off in the
residence sections about as follows:
Side walk, six feet; esplanade, 0 feet !;
avenue, 40 feet; esplanade, 8 feet; side
walk, 6 feet The houses are generally
30 to 40 feet back from the side walk
which space is usually devoted TO
lawns, evergreens and flowers. There
are some very large and fine houses
and large lots, well laid out and taken
care of In fact, the residence portion
is beautiful.
We had a visit few days ago from
Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Lodge, of So
Pittsburg They were well pleased
with the city, and others whom we
have seen express their surprise at its
cleanliness and beauty
After my first month S leisure, riding
around, looking at lots that were for
sale, for suitable location to build,
we selected this lot ON Line Avenue
so named from being on the Range line
and RAINING from Red River several
miles down towards New Orleans. The
lot is 70x175. About six weeks were
spent on plans and contracting. After
lots of delays we got to housekeeping
the last week in December. House is
~ stories, built bungaloo style, six
rooms and bath room on floor, three
rooms and attic upstairs. The attic
is not finished as we have room enough
without it, and is used for storage
for trunks, etc. DIR. Joe is with us
here. We are three minutes walk
from DR.. Fred s on Herndon Avenue
very convenient IOT DObu IamlneS.
They have an Office over the First Ma
tional Bank about a mile away. DIR.
joe $ Office hours are from 10 to 10;
DIR. Fred's from 3 to 5. They have a
good practice and are a great help to
each other and their patients have the
benefit of two doctors, help to them
also.
After the lot was secured commeuc-
ed on the garden. This had been high
ground and was graded down to feet
above the street, soil all gone, hard
joint red clay-twO kinds Of it. very
hard and far harder. This was what
hfS 10 make a garden of. l plowed
aGd plowed and kept on plowing and
narrowing. and put on stable manure.
the first lot ten double mule team
IOads-they dom speak Of il here as
manure. One Of the the colored men
working for me corrected me in this.
When speaking Of il called il stable
manure. He said there were tive
kinds here. which did / want-stable
fertilizer or dairy fertilizer. l stood
corrected by a darkey. l told him |
would try both and have kept ca until