Lower coast gazette., 1909-03-27
SATURDAY MARCH 9TH, 1909.
Peuinsular PIaquemines; The Lower Coast.

a better appreciation of 'Peninsular Plaquemines'' or THE
Lower Coast, as we generally call it, is manifesting itself. Anyone
looking at a map Of Louisiana Or of Paquemines parish will note
that this parish all lies below the S0th parallel of latitude north OF
the equator and at the Delta reaches the 10Th. We are located
just outside the tropics and possess all the advantages OF Florida
in oIr peninsular formation projecting a hundred miles or more
into the Gulf of Mexico and far superior to Florida, our peninsular
is made up, not of sea sand, but of the aluvium brought down to
as frop the vast plains Of the great valley above us, OF the whole
country from the Allegheny Mountains to the Rockies and from
the watershed just below Lake Superior down 20Oo miles to the
Gulf, The waters of the whole mid continent flow by our doors
and have formed the pennsular that makes our parish, We have
the southern latitude, the resulting semi-tropcal climate, a coplous
rainfall, water in the front Of us and water in the rear of US, all
combining to give us agricultural and horticultural resources that
surpass those of any other State of the Union, Florida and Texas
not excepted. We have enough cold weather to make US need q
fair amount of clothing and reasonably good housing, bQt when as
in 1895 we had a foot of snow, and in 1899 had the coolest weather
experienced in 200 years, Florida Jared far worse than we did,
Our orange trees were killed but 80 were theirs, but in two years
our orange planters were again to the front with a fair crop and
now that industry is more promising than ever,
Oranges however, are not our strong point although we lead
the Gulf States in them. The rice crop has been a favorite crop
here for more than a century, but we don't regard that crop our
ipiece de resistance" Oranges and rice do not enable their
growers to get as much value out Of the land annually as do other
crops. They do not consume all of the time and energy that our
men are capable of, They may utaize our soil and climate twelve
months in the year as the oranges does, or six months as the rice
does, but they don't utaize al. the brain and Drawn of our men for
the whole of the year and the aggressive competition that sur
rounds us demands of us the full exercise of all of our energy and
ability all the time, if we survive in the battle of life and leave our
foot prints on the sands OF time.
The production and manufacture Of sugar cane comes more
nearly to utilizing all Of the resources of climate and soil and Of
human ability and energy than any other crop hereinabove stated.
1t takes All the available ability, energy, time and capital and is
not always successful! then. Our parish would be richer if more
Investigation in its industries prevailed and we believe we have
now reached a degree Of advancement wherefrom divershcation
will gain ground daily. We do not wish to discuss our oyster and
other fishing industries in which we are taking the first place in
the south. That phase of our industrial future deserves special
consideration which will come to it in due course.
Those who have travelled from Los Angeles up to San Francis
co by the coast line will have noticed that the whole country for
seemingly hundreds Of miles is practically one vast fruit orchard
and vegetable and flower garden. The farms are SMALL the cl-
ture intense and the resulting crops are immense. They are fur
ther north than we are, but have the Kuro silva, or Japanese
Gulf stream flowing up their shores and this influences their eli
mate to such an extent as to enable them to grow tropical fruits,
Their splendid crops Of oranges, lemons, grapes, prunes, beans,
peas and flowers have made that section of California rich. It has
been done by intense culture effected with the highest intelligence
and all this with the active cooperation of the railroads.
California could readily export her grain crops, but all her
vast coast fruit crop would swamp the home market at once. In
fact these crops would never have existed but for the early inter
vention Of the railroads in the business and their prompt apprecia-
tin of its needs. The problem to be solved was that of distrbu-
button. There were millions Of people in the United States ready
to consume California fruits if the fruits could be offered to the
consumer at what seemed to him reasonable prices. We need not
liscsss it in detail, but if we recall the figures correctly the Santa
Fa and the Southern Pacific railroads bring east annually some
10000 car loads Of oranges alone. When it comes to the grape
and other fruit crops and the Incidental wines, brandies and can.
ned fruits sent east by rail, we believe we are correct in saying
that these shipments from the Pacific Coast to the Mississippi VAL
ley have been the main support of the railroads, TWAS out there
that the famous phrase tax the stuff all It will bear" originated
among the RAILROAD rate makers, They must have done their work
we'll Of they could never have brought their oranges $500 miles
east by railroad and sold them to us here in the New Orleans mar
ket as they have been doing for many years.
The parish of Plaquemines can beat California, can bea1
Florida, can perpaps beat the rest of the world in industrial sue
cess in producing oranges, figs and many vegetables, but the prob
lem af distribution confronts our growers. The railroads long ag
settled the distribution of bananas and the hundreds Of ship load.
arriving are quickly unoaded, transferred to freight cars anc
started off up the country under ~telegraphic orders and now ba
panas can be bought at retail in Cincinnati or ST. Louis, Louisville
Memphis or Chicago, as cheaply and frequently more cheaply thar
they can be bought in New Orleans. Just how all of this is done
we don't know, but the United Fruit Co, the chief importers, an(
the railroads have the distribution of bananas provided for. Ou
people are now shipping Lower Coast lettuce, probably the mos
popular vegetable going to market. The New Orleans market il
gverstocked and the dealers there are either too timid or too laz,
= TO take hold of the business and develope it. The market garden
es Of New Orleans have lately been shipping for their own &C
COUNT in refrigerator cars to Chicago. They have been compelled
to organize an association to secure this distribution and while
seems to be a success we feel confident that they haven't got tn
pull with the railroads that the Calfornians have. AS will he see,