The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-04-25
THE LOUISIANA COUNTRY
Beautiful, Prolific, But AS In All
Sections, Some Drawbacks.

'elay in writing was caused by two
reasons: First, | have been busy part
of the time with my work and the bal
ance of the time fighting mosquitoes;
ami second | had severe attack of the
Louisiana fever. This fever is not
caused by mosquito bites, as it is pre-
valent in many sections where there
are no mosquitoes. 1t is usually caused
by the hot glazing rays of the sun and
other contributing causes. The disease
is readily diagnosed as it attacks every
one alike with feeling of ''let George
90 it." But l was talking about mos
quitoes. Do you know there is some
real pleasure in living among mosqui-
toes? There is if you are properly pre-
pared to enjoy them. To enjoy mos
Quitoes it is necessary TO have a bed
with headboard about eight feet high
with proper attachment for a long wide
veil of fine mesh material sufficiently
large to cover all over the bed sides and
footboard, leaving a cage like space
within the gauzy folds. Then you open
your windows, pull off your hat and
shoes or otherwise undress (vour hat
alone is sufficient if you are ball-head-
ed), and start reading or writing some
thing of interest. When you get mad
enough to swear in seven languages, if
you know so many, then it is time for
you TO retire into the net-hke cage
where the real pleasure awaits YOU
watching the sore disappointment of
these botwinged, spider-legged, demon
eyed. beetle biled, skin puncturing
monsters as they wrIggle, writhe and
pant, like green Lizards in the sandy
desert of torrid zone, all for a closer
communion with you. There is no
doubt as to their creed. They are all
close communicate. Many of the
things you hear about mosquitoes of
this section are untrue. One man told
me that during the cold weather here
last winter the swamps were frozen
over, which is very rare for this section.
While hunting he happened to break
the ice on the swamp and the mosqui-
toes got out and nearly ate him up be-
fore he could get away. Whatever you
may have heard as to the size and num-
Der of mosquitoes | can assure you, af-
ter having lived among them for two
months, that | have never seen any
larger than a Garrett county grass
hopper and never more than a million at
time.
This is a wonderful state. There are
two great canals from Houma to the
Gulf, called Bayou (byu) Terre borne
and Bayou Little Crlliou. Each of
these are water thoroughfares to the
gulf. They traverse the most beauti-
ful section of the southwest, edged
with grassy flower decked banks along
which struggle irregular clumps of pal
metto, willow and dogwood, and be-
yond which stretches on one side fields
Of sugar cane, reaching for miles and
miles. Just now large enoughs to
wave in the breeze these bright
March mornings; and on the other side
long mixed stripes of potatoes, corn;
beans, peas, onions, cabbage and other
garden vegetables, while farther to the
right and near the woodland skirting
the inland lakes are the rice fields, rice
being largely used for food by the peo-
pie of this section.
The people are a people to them
selves. Their customs, food, dress and
mode of living is unlike that of any
place have yet seen. They are most
all of French descent and use the French
language. My dealings with them,
which was extensive, was all done
through an interpreter, which was new
and slow work for me- Their legal
forms are queer and ancient Their
vocation is farming and fishing, each
being extremely profitable. The land
produces three crops year, while the
gulf abounds with oysters, crabs and fish
of many kinds. In this garden spot the
people are in constant danger from the
gulf. Their greatest asset is oft the
source of their destruction. Like
people living near some volcano active
periodically so these people are flooded
and destroyed by periods. The high
wind waves driven on by still higher
and higher waves until the whole land
is engulfed, carrying with it death and
destruction. In 1909, was their last
great flood, which depopulated a large
part of this beautiful country, and dur
ing the storm great fish, a whale, the
size and Kind never before captured,
was washed ashore to die and decay and
was lost to science, except that the ma
jOr part of his bones are now in Houma.
La, owned by Alfred Du Point. the
gulf explorer of Torrebonne. This fish
was eighty-five feet long and some
twenty feet wide; had no teeth but on
either side of his great jaw a pair of
great ivory shears, the upper being a
single blade, with sharp ivory edge,
the lower being a double blade with a