ITi AUVANTAGEM ITS CONDITIONS I ITS HKO^plv 



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Extent of Th^se Formations. 



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Beginning iu the southern part oi the 

 Btdte one tinds the coast marshes, con- 

 Kisiiug of the blue clay of the Champlaiu 

 perio<l, upL.ii which the mud and chiy, 

 brought in by niodcru Hoods and tides, 

 have been dopotfited. They are now iu 

 the process of fui'uiation and are over- 

 tlowed daily by the tides. Near the 

 bayous and rivers the aUuvium brought 

 down by the floods has been piled upou 

 this clay, elevating the adjacent sur- 

 faces above the level of the marshes 

 and maliiug arable land. By leveeing 

 4igaiii«t high waters theise lauds have 

 become the permanent abode of a pros- 

 porous population (jngaged in cultivating 

 the soil. Througliout liiis territory (.sea 

 luart^hes) liveoaU ridges are found, which 

 were reserved uulil recently from sale 

 or pre-emption. The timber from these 

 ridges was formeily used by the guv- 

 ernmeut in baihiiug its ships. In modern 

 times iron ships have sujip. anted wooileu 

 ones, and accordingly tliese ridges are 

 now subject to t.'ie same laws as apply 

 to other public lands. Much of these coa.-;t 

 mai-shes that are now covered with 

 reeds and grasses are susceptible of re- 

 clamation. Uikcc! similar to those cbu- 

 structed iu Holland for the reclamation 

 of the laud from the Zuyder Zee could 

 he built here and thousands of acres of 

 extremely ferli.e lands could )je placed 

 under cultivation. This, to a limited ex- 

 tent, has already been accomplished in 

 Bouthwest Ijouisiana. (See Mr. Watkins' 

 letter further oii.) Recent contracts, 

 involving the modest sum of $;:!5.Ut»l),(K)U, 

 have been made for further laud re- 

 clamation in Hnllaud. Similar feums spent 

 here would reclaim much larger and more 

 fertile areas. 



BLUI'^F LANDS. 



Above this blue clay occur the cah-.n- 

 reous silts and brown loams, brought 

 down by stie.uns wliich antedi.te those 

 which exist at the present time. After 

 the deposition of this clay in a sluggisli, 

 shallow sea. running v\e.l rp to Cairo, 

 111., a gradual elevation took place, and 

 tliis bottom became tlie outlet for the 

 great volume of water falling betW(e:i 

 the Appalachian and Itocky mountaias. 

 This ancidit, enorinens river oxteudecl 

 from the present bayou Macon on the 

 west to Vicksburg on the east. It had, 

 lilie our present Missiscsippi, its high 

 Wfters and overflows. The current was, 

 however, not so great, and hence irs 

 deposits were of a silty or loimiing char- 

 acter. The.se deuosits continued until both 

 sides of this great stream were wtiUeil 

 iu by high bljffs ten to Oftcen miles 



wide. From Vicksburg, Miss., to Eatoo 

 Kouge, La., on tue eastern b.mks, thtsse 

 bluffs are continuous. At the .aiier piace 

 tht\v swerve to tlie left and aie soon 

 lo«t against the older turmatmus. tin ilie 

 we.stern side these blulft^ have been par- 

 tially destroyed, but enough remains Xx> 

 trcce the exact pusiaon in former times. 

 Upon the western haiilcs of bayou Macon 

 may now be plainly discerned the bluff" 

 formation constituting what are known 

 as bayou Macon hi.;s. Thifie bluff's fol- 

 low this streajn tlirongli West Carroll, 

 ICichland and I<'raiiklin. Tliey cmistitute 

 a largo part of Sicily i.,uuul. Xi t'he 

 scblhem extremity of this isl.iud their 

 continuity has been broken by the waters 

 of the Ouachita and Bieuf rivers. l<'rom 

 Harriesonburg, in Catahuula purii-h, taey 

 nu.y be traced by oceasioii.il antcrops 

 through IJapiiies, Avoyelles, St. Landry, 

 Lalayette. Iberia and St. Maiy pai'ishes. 

 The live islands jutting oui nf the sea 

 marshes are of this formation aiid give 

 nruiii-lakabie eviuence that the western 

 mouth of this great inlaiiil stream wna 

 le-cV Belle iisland. The lulls of Ui)jl()us;!s, 

 Grjaide Coteau. Carencro and <'oie (leLe 

 are remains of these bluff's. 'I'lie western 

 banks of this ancient st;eam liave been 

 almost destrnyed by water. Between the 

 Ouachita and bayou Macon they have 

 been spread out over nea.rly tlie entire 

 country, forming some of the best ku]d.s 

 of the state. Jeffersim and .Mei' Ilonge 

 prairies of Morehouse, Ilolloway of 

 llapides and Marksvillo of Avoyelles have 

 all originat 'd from dhsiniegrated 

 materials of this ancient ridge. 

 But the largest results from this 

 disintegration is to be found in 

 the parishes of west Louisiana. 

 They extend from Franklin, St. .Mary 

 paririli, on the east to the Texas line on 

 the west, and from the coast uiar.shes of 

 the soutli to near the extreme northern 

 limit of St. Landry paiish. This entire 

 prairie has been reclaimed from the salt 

 marshct^ liy the deposition of the ma- 

 terial derived from the wej^tern bluffs 

 of this ancient stream. The area of tills 

 bluff formation is therefore quite large 

 in this state. 



STRATIFIED DRIFT. 



Nortli of the pine flats and par- 

 ticipating iM the genera! south- 

 ward dip of the forma 'ions of 

 the state, occur, at or near the surface, 

 beds of sjiud or gravel of the startifle(l 

 drift. This formation is foniid on the 

 tops of the liills of the St.-ite as well as 

 lielow tlie blue clay of the .Mississippi 

 river. It is the presence of these sands 

 or gravels whicli cause so much trouble 

 with caving banks along this streanu 

 The channel of the river has cut its 



