TRAVEL IN EUROPE 289 



My visit to Petit Ance Avery Island Salt 

 Island had nothing to do with agriculture at the 

 time but it did result in the introduction of the 

 Holstein-Friesian cattle into that wet prairie 

 country which is near the Gulf of Mexico. Salt 

 Island had once been heavily wooded and was an 

 island only at unusually high tide. It owed its 

 name to a curious circumstance. The owner of 

 the Island upon joining the Confederate Army 

 left a boy of twelve at home in charge. When 

 salt became very scarce the lad conceived the idea 

 of boiling the water which trickled from the deer- 

 lick or spring hole to get salt. At first a single 

 sugar kettle was used, afterward, when it proved 

 a success, several others were put in place and a 

 considerable quantity of salt was obtained. The 

 slightly salty water was thus soon exhausted and 

 the father returning home just then, set workmen 

 to digging a shallow well. When a depth of about 

 twelve feet was reached they struck rock and Mr. 

 Avery asking that a piece of the rock be thrown 

 up to him, instinctively tasted it, to discover that 

 it was pure rock salt ! The surface dirt was then 

 scraped away and the salt was mined in the crudest 

 manner. Then General Butler, having heard of 

 the mine, sent a gunboat into Vermillion Bay, 

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