The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-05-20

OF cotton, sugar cane and rice-the
home of the active white and inactive
black-bordering on the Gulf of Mex
ico-is located New Orleans Apronoun-
ced "Norlens' by the southern people
Here the famous father of waters"
which has its source in Northern Mimi
esota deposits not only its surplus
water, but carries with it more or less
silt or fertile and productive soil mat
ter. Millions and millions of acres
are now submerged, but need only the
work of reclamation to grow and de-
velop bountiiul crops of tropical and
semi-tropical products. The territory
south and west of New Orleans has
been inhabited and improved for many
years. Tributary to the Southern Pa
cific railway are magnificent homes,
beautiful level lands and the country
is dotted with rice mills, sugar cane
mills and cotton gins. Lands vary in
price from $4,000 to 5000 per acre and
the soil which is alluvial, rich in plant
food and well adapted to the growth
of sugar cane, corn, rice and all kinds
of vegetables, figs, oranges and grape
fruit, will grow three crops each year
An enjoyable trip was recently made
to the Southland, leaving st. Paul on
the 10th over the Chicago and North
western and from there south by way
of the Illinois Central and Southern
Pacific. Approaching Chicago and
south of there no frost damage seemed
to have been done to fruit trees and
garden truck. jackson, Mississippi was
the first stop our special train made
the following morning out of Chicago
Here the cOlored race seemed to pre-
dominate, and the buildings of the
city had dingy dilapidated look. The
soil is light and washes badly.
At Crystal Springs, the next watering
place, we saw our first roses in bloom
which reminded one of June time in
Minnesota. Strawberries are ripenine
and fields were red with fruit and
dark with pickers. The negroes there
live in one story bungalows" and
have 10 other ventilation except a
swinging door on the side where a
window would naturally be. At night
all openings are securely locked to
keep out the mosquito and other in
sects. -,ss. ..s--'
Crossing the Ohio river at Cairo, tn,
next large body of water was the
Mississippi near New Orleans. Here
our train was transferred TO- the South
trn Pacific road and taken across q
three track ferry distance of about
one mile. The river at this point has
a swift current and as yet engineers
have been unable to get a solid footing
for bridge across the stream. The
Southern Pacific track on either side
of the river is ballasted with oyster
shells. The road is doing considerable
work on its tracks, the labor bein,
done entirely by negroes, who get $l.2;
a day. The ferry boat is pushed by
two small tugs which cross the rive
and disconnect and again connect III
the train in about forty minutes
Going west from the Mississippi rive
we reached the rice fields and sugal
mills and a population largely mad
up of French. For miles we saw moth
ing but rice and cane fields. AT Race
land junction our train was switched
onto the short line running TO Lock
port. The sight of thousands of acre
of level land, magnificent homes an,
well kept farms reminded us OF TIN
highly improved prairie farms of south
ern Minnesota. Every little villag
here has its large rice mill and prett,
small homes. The small towns loOl
attractive, as every building witnou
! an exception is painted white. Suga
cane is up from eight to fifteen inche
and looks healthy, the fields being en-
| tirely free from weeds. Great care i
given its cultivation and all the field
| were alive with men and teams. Grow
ing cane resembles our corn and j
self seeding for three or four years
The crop averages twenty-five to TWEEN
| ty-seven tons per acre which nets TIN
producer nice sum- Corn is grow
quite extensively and averages fit.
to sixty bushels to the acre.
+ :, b
At Raceland Junction our party wa
given an opportunity to visit suga
cane mill owned by the Godchaux Com
pany of New Orleans who have a lin
| of mills in this section. This compan,
| raises $4,000 tons of cane each yea
and has grinding capacity of 2OO
| tons daily. In many of the larger can
| fields spur tracks are laid and tn
| cane is brought to the mill in small
cars similar to our coal cars. At Lock
port our party stopped for two hour
and were given a ride on the Bayo'
La Fourche-a canal which taps tn
richest country i'll Louisiana. Her
we saw corn five feet high, the oniol
and cabbage crop harvested, and suga
cane and other things well advanced
The New Orleans Delta Drainage Com
panv owns several thousands of acre
of reclaimed land. The fertility O
any delta is determined by the charact
er of the soil which made it. In age
past the Mississippi river and its trib
utaries down and deposited the bes
surface soil from the rich prairie land
! of the twenty states which form tn
great Mississippi valley, pushing bacl
the waters of the Gulf of Mexico an
| building I'M a soil of ideal prOpOrtiOn