The Natchitoches enterprise., 1913-06-05
The Awakening of North
Louisiana.

from the Arkansas line on the
north to the Red on the south,
with an obseryant eye, can fail to
note premonitory signs of an
awakening of this long-neglected
section. lie may not see many OF
the best fields, nor many of the
new fields, but he sees the won
derful growth of the towns, the
increase in new buildings, the
change from frame to brick struc-
lures, new banks. new churches
and better school houses, all of
which are unerring signs that the
country is prospecting The towns
invariably and intalllbIy reflect
the financial and industrial condi-
tions of the country. If the for.
mer are prosperous it is certain
that the latter is.
Any intelligent observer of pres.
ent conditions in agriculture and
the production of food products
cannot fail to see that the rapid
increase of population which nee
essitates such large increase of
those things which people eat, and
the immense immigration to Am
erica from foreign countries, and
the trend of immigration from the
colder sections of the United States
to the more genial climate of the
South, will not much longer per-
NIT this matchless scope of unde-
veloped country to remain unoc-
cupied and unproductive. Not
only the opportunity for profita-
BILE investment will bring it into
the market, but the absolute me-
cessity for its development to meet
conditions which must inevitably
increase In insistent intensity make
its subsection to the purposes of
agricultural at an early day as GER
tain as the coming of the season.
Nature has provided everything
in North Louisiana that the far
mer needs. The soil in tie river
bottoms-especialiy east of the
Onchita rivers far above the
the average in fertility, while the
hill sections" are at least of aver
age fertility; the rainfall is, year
In and Year out, ample; the sup
ply of timber is practically mex
haustible, and the water supply
is abundant and unfailing. Quite
naturally, some of the land IS poor,
but the sciene applied to agricul-
ture has reached that stage where
practically no lard is too poor to
be productive. Nine cases out of
ten the land in North Louisiana IS
better normally than is the land
on which tn, crops of many other
Southern States are raised. Be-
sides, MOST Of it is new land, vir-
gin soil, WHICH .can be conserved
and preserved and not be permit
ted to be worn out and exhausted
as has been much of the land in
the Southern States. In certain
ty of crors and the variety of
crops it is unequaled on the earth.
Thousands of farmers have paid
S25 to $50 an acre for land in Sec
tions where it is too cold to farm
for six months of the year, and
where only wheat and oats can be
raised as money-producting crops. |
In North Louisiana there are
raised profitably corn, cotton, sug-
ar cane, oats, peas, peanuts, Irish |
and sweet potatoes pumpkins,
peaches, tomatoes, strawberries,
and every variety of garden pro-
ducts. Bermuda grass, alfalfa and
lespedeza grow luxuriantly. and
furnish, with but little trouble,
splendid pasture nine months in
the year, and there are not thirty
DAYS in any year in which the
weather is cold enough to stop
farm work. Cattle live on the
open range all winter. and while
so feeding is necessary it
to nothing compared with
the problem of housing and feed
ing for months in more northerly
climates.
1t is the best country on earth
for the man with small means.
He can buy a home on almost UNI
limited time, and have the advan-
tage of schools and churches and
of every other convenience and
necessity of latter. day civilization.
Such q country cannot remain
thinly settled; seekers after homes
will find it.-Monroe Star.