LOUISIANA. 



fiiltivation i!iitil h^vcllod. In this parish 

 Dcciir.s also the famous sulphur mine and 

 pctroleiiui wells, all ihe product of the 

 last Ijeins talicu by the Southern Pacific 

 Kail road. 



Iberia parish presents a variet.v of 

 features. It is largely allovial. belonging 

 to the great Atchafalaya plain. Directly 

 along the banks of the Teche lies a belt 

 of red lands, about 50 yards wide, on 

 .each side, evidently the deposits of Red 

 river, made long ago. This is above 

 ■overflow and yet below the general level 

 of the country. From this belt there is 

 a rise of 2 to G feet to the black prairies, 

 which extend southward to the sea 

 marshes. Grand Marais, a fresh water 

 marsh, one mile wide and ten long, run- 

 ning northwest and southeast, tliree or 

 four miles from the Teche, is a notable 

 feature of this parish. The sugar plan- 

 tations lie mainly along the Teche, 

 though the prairies are now being ditched 

 and brought into cultivation. These prai- 

 rie lands are highly esteemed for their 

 sweet caaes. In the coast marshes of 

 this parish occur three island rising to the 

 height of 160 to ISO feet— the last remains 

 of the former blufl's of the western 

 mouth of the great river— viz: Petite 

 Anse, now callfed Avery's island (2240 

 ocres); Grande Cote, or Week's island 

 (2.300 acres), and Orange island, on the 

 shore of lake Peigneur (2250 acres), now 

 the property of Mr. .Joseph Jefferson, the 

 great comedian. These islands were orig- 

 inally covered with timber and the soil 

 Is of the brown loam character, peculiar 

 to the undisturbed bluff formation. 

 Avery's island is noted for its great beds 

 of pure rock salt, which are now exteu- 

 siA^ely mined. Orange island is chiefly 

 used in the production of oranges. 



St. Martin's parish should more prop- 

 erly be classified as an alluvial parish, 

 since much of the larger portion lies in 

 the great alluvial basin of the Atchafa- 

 laya. 



Between the bayous Teche and Tortue 

 the lai'd is mainly of the brown loam 

 rolling prairie. The band of red alluvium 

 borders the Teche here as in Iberia. On 

 the east it shades off into the alluvial 

 prairie, which extend three to five miles, 

 and then in turn are bordered by arable 

 wooded ridges of brown loam character. 

 Bast of these the land is low and wet 

 to the Atchafalaya. Immediately on the 

 Atchafalaya is a tract of high land called 

 Butte a la Rose. Or. the west side of the 

 Teche the brown loam prairies are about 

 Three miles wide and extend to the allu- 

 vial lands of bayous Vermillion and Tor- 

 tue. The Teche is navigable to St. Mar- 

 tinville. All along this stream sugar plan- 

 tations occur. Mixed farming is also 

 praciiced by the frugal Acadiaus, which 

 mostly populate this parish. 



St. Mary parish Is almost wholly al- 

 luvial, yet the northwestern portion, 

 south of the Teche, including Ihe Cypre- 

 mont prairie and the Islands of Cote 

 Blanche and Belle Isle, are undoubted 

 bluff formation. This is the largest su- 

 gar-producing parish in the state, and 

 the magnificent sugar estates lying on 

 bayou Teche, with their palatial resi- 

 dences surrotinded by regal liveoaks, 

 their neatly kept quarters, an1 the im- 

 mense sugar-houses, present a scene that 

 would justify much time and trouble to 

 witness. By many this is regarded as 

 the loveliest portion of Louisiana, and 

 certainly as fertile as the best. The 

 arable "land on the Teche varies from 



one to five miles. The lands on the east 

 bank are lower, and in the lower portion 

 of the stream liable to overflows when 

 crevasses occur in the Mississippi near 

 the head of the Atchafalaya. Sugar es- 

 tates also exist on Berwick's bay, bayous 

 Boeuf and Atchafalaya. 



Bayou Sale furnishes the finest sugar 

 lands in the state. The characteristic 

 red tint of the Teche lands can be seen 

 as far down as Franklin. Cote Blanche 

 island, with an area of about 2000 acres, 

 lies on Cote Blanche bay, an<l resembles 

 in all its features those "islands described 

 under Iberia parish. So, too, with Belle 

 Isle (area 350 acres), which lies on the 

 western headland of Atchafalaya bay. 

 the most southernmost point of the an- 

 cient bluff formation. 



Cameron parish is mainly sea marsh, 

 with only a small portion of tlie uorlhern 

 part of plains. Along the Calcasieu. Sa- 

 bine and Mermentau rivers oecir I'dges 

 of excellent arable lands, which are thick- 

 ly settled and well cultivated. 



Grand Chenere on the Mermentiu pass, 

 Cameron on the Calcasieu pass. Uock- 

 bury Island, and Grand Lake on tlie 

 Calcasieu lake and Shell Bank on the 

 Sabim are prosperous settlements. Along 

 the coast ridge running from the Mer- 

 mentau across the parish to the Sabioe, 

 are to be found many prosperous farm- 

 ers. Orange culture, with ' fishing and 

 oyesteriug is the chief employment of 

 these coast dwellers. The soils are ex- 

 cellent and the climate delightful, rend- 

 ering a home here pleasant, save for 

 inaccessability. .\long Johnson and 

 Black bayous are also a few settlements. 



GOOD UPLANDS 



constitute the main portion of north- 

 western Louisiana, and include wholly 

 or in part the following parishes: Caddo, 

 Bi)ssier. Webster, Claiborne, Union, Oua- 

 chita, Morehouse, Caldwell, Catahoula, 

 Lincoln, Jnckson, Bienville. Red River, 

 De Soto, Natchitoches and Sabine. East 

 Feliciana, West Feliciana and Bast Baton 

 Rouge, in the eastern part of the state, 

 are partly of this formation. These lands 

 have a forest growth of short-leaf pine, 

 intermixed with oaks and hickory, the 

 latter predominating on the best soils, 

 and their presence may be used as a 

 guide In the purchase of lands. The sur- 

 face soils of this region are supplied 

 mainly by the sands and clays of the 

 "red sandy clay" formation, while the 

 creeks' bottoms are lying in the Arcadia 

 clays, and their soils are derived from 

 them alone, or mixed more or less inti- 

 mately with the sandy clays washed 

 down from the bills. This country is set- 

 tled mainly by small farmers, who, as a 

 rule, are prosperous, happy and content- 

 ed. They practice "mixed" farming and 

 grow cotton or tobacco as money crops 

 only, raising their supplies for stock and 

 families. No portion of the state, by its 

 own unaided efforts, is more rapidly Im- 

 proving. Little or no immigration has 

 yet been secured, yet the evidences of 

 thrift and improvement are vi-sible in 

 most every neighborhood. No part of 

 Louisiana is mof-e inviting to the man of 

 moderate means, accustomed to do his 

 own work, than the good uplands of this 

 state The soil is easily cultivated and 

 susceptible of the highest improvement, 

 responding well and readily to proper 

 fertilizers. The drainage is excellent, the 



