St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1910-04-30
bLe last IeW years our freI

learning, are today the equals D
those of any other State in the land
Our protection leyee system and drain
age projects have reclaimed thousand,
Of acres Of fertile and valuable land,
that were once worthless. Our IA
tional government, assuming charg,
of the great Panama canal and as
surfing the people of its ultimate com
pletion, has caused so, 900 peopl,
to sit up and take notice Of Louisiana
because Of the fact that as a result
Of its construction, our beautiful
southern metropolis, New Orleans
will become the greatest seaport il
the world. The great railway sys.
TENS having already realized this fact
are rapidly constructing and acquir.
ing lines entering that city. One Of
the first to get in line was the great
Frisco system, n of the largest in
the country. 1t extends from the
Alaskas to the Gulf and from The
Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains,
serving some tw~enty-six different
States. This magnificent trunk line
extends over a great portion of our
State, traversing the parish of st.
Landry from east to west and offer
ing our people rapid transportation
for farm products to the markets Of
the country. The Rock Island com
ing down through Alexandra con-
meets with the Frisco at Eunice, ira
versing the western portion of st.
Landry. A branch of the Frisco ex-
tends southwark to New Iberia; and
at present another branch is in CON
temptation, extending from the City
of O~pelousas in a northessteriy DE-
r%ection into AvoYelles parish. Con-
ditions point to 0pelousas being made
the division point Of the Frisco rail-
road between Houston and New Or
leans, and the establishment there of
the systems division repair shops.
Another most valuable railroad to
orr parish, is the 0pelousas, Gulf &
Northeastern, operated in connection
with the Gould system. This road
enters our parish from the east, ira
versing a rich hardwood timber belt,
as well as u high prairie lands,
which latter are adapted to the Gull
ture of rice, corn, cotton, sugar cane,
and almost every known variety Of
vegetables. In addition St. Landry
has the great. irrigation canal, known
as the ''ScheIl Canal, which is now in
course of construction and nearing
It's gigantic pumping
plant is already erected, and the
company guarantees without doubt to
irrigate 5000 acres of land this sea-
son. This mammouth canal when
will be $50 feet wide and
80 miles long, with additional laterals
200 feet wide. The company finds it
possible to get an inexhaustible supply
IF fresh water, which can be raised
With n lift and distributed over
practically all Of Southwest Louis
ana, a territory comprising $4,000
'cres of cultivable land. The water
will be taken from the Bayou Courta-
'leau, an arm Of the Mississippi River.
When completed it will constitute the
argest irrigation project in the
iouth.
Together with these improved con-
.itions, there is another link in the
hahn Of affairs, which is much talked
{ today, and which although for the :
I d
inc being having a depressing effect .
n our agricultural classes. is in my J,
umble opinion a blessing in Disguise :
nd that is the invasion Of the boil +,
teevil. the greatest cotton destroyer
nown. In other words, these little
lsects constitute a Salvation army"
.bich charging the farmer behind his :
ngle crop entertainments, has forced
i'm to flee to the feldsof diversified
on. Prior to their appearance there :
ere as many as 10000 bales Of cot
n bought from wagons on the !
reefs Of Opelousas, and 5000 bales /
tipped from the parish Of St. Landry !
one year. This will convey some /,
ca Of the vast amount Of fertile and a
soil lying adjacent to Opel a
lsas in St. Landry parish, the most +,