Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-12-29

% SS hosts beng MessrS. Iohl
w M MI Parker and John A. Nc
IN1SSSGa 1henny. Snrgcon-General
Rixey Of the United States
navy, and DR. Alexander Lambert were with
me. was especially anxious 70 Kill bear il
these canebrakes after tile fashion Of the old
southern planters, who for 4 century past
have followed tic bear with horse, hound
and horn i'll Louisiana, Mississippi and
Arkansas
Our first camp was on Tensas Bayou,
This is il the heart 81 the great aluvial
bottom-land created during The countless
ages through which the mighty Mississippi
has poured out 81 the heart Of the contin-
ent. II Is in the black belt Of the south, iii
which the negroes outnumbered the whites
four or five To one, tile disproportion III the
region in which | was actually hunting be-
ing far greater.
There il no richer soil in all the earth;
and when, as Will soon be the case, the
chances of disaster from flood arc over. !
believe the whole land will be cultivated
and dcnsely peopled At present tic posi-
bility OF such flood Is a terrible deterrent 10
settlement, for when Tie Father 81 Waters
breaks his boundaries ne turns the country
for breadth Of eighty miles into one broad
river, the plantations throughout all this
vast extent being from five 10 twenty feet
under water. Cotton II Tile staple industry.
corn also being grown. while there are Il
few patches 81 sugar cane The plantations
are for the most part 81 large size and TILED
by negro tenants for the Whit> owners.
Conditions are still ii some respects like
those of tic pioneer DAYS. The maenlfi=
cent forest growth Which covers the land IS
Of little value because OF the difficulty III
getting the trees a. market and the land II
actually Worth more after tile timber has
been removed than before III consequence.
tie larger trees are often killed 6y sir1line.
where the work of felIiag them would entail
dIspfoPortionaie cost ~ labor
The Spectral Fields.
AT dusk. With the sunset g1ir1anerine in
the west. or II tile brilliant moonlight when
the moon Is frll. the cotton fields have a
strange spectral look, with the dead trees
raising aloft their naked branches The cot
ton fields themselves, when the bolls burst
open. seem almost is II Whtelied bN snow.
and the led and White flowers. interspersel
among the bufst-open Hods. make tile whole
field beautiful rambling ei1e-sto4v
houses, surrounded ~ outbniieltnes. have i
#rietllfesqHeness i. their own; their very
looks betoken The lavish Nilole=hearted.
generous hospitality u tie planters Who
dwell therein
Beyond tie end Of cultivation towers lie
great forest Wherever the water stands
IL pools, and b. the edges Of the lakes and
bayoas, tic giant cypress looms aloft. RI
vailed II size ~ some OF the red gums and
White oaks. n stature, III towering nlaies-
~ they are unsurpassed by any trees OF
our eastern forests; lorellier kings OF tile
gfeen-leayed world are not To BE found I'M
III we reach the sequoias and red-Woods OF
the sierras. Among them GROW many
other trees-haezberfy, Iharn. honey. 10.
cust, tupelo, pecan and ash. In tile cypress.
soughs the singular knees of# tic trees stand
two or three feet above the black ooze.
Palmettos grow tltellly in places.
The cane-bral1es stretch along the slipbt
rises OF ground, often extending for miles,
forming one Of the most striking and inter
est1ng features 81 the country They choke
out other growth, the feathery, graceful
canes standing tall, slender, serried, each
but few inches from his brother. and
springing to height Of fifteen or twenty
feet. They look like bamboos; they are
Wellnigh impenetrable for man on horse
back; even OH foot they make difficult
walking unless free use is made of the heavy
bushknife. It is impossible to see through
them for more than fifteen or twenty PAGES,