14 GUIDEBOOK OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES 
tons of cane a season, draws part of its supply from more distant 
sources, some of it brought down the near-by Bayou Lafourche in 
barges. An interesting industrial development in the sugar industry 
in Louisiana is the utilization of the cane residue (bagasse) after the 
sugar-bearing juice has been pressed out. This material compressed 
into bales is shipped from many refineries to a large factory at Gretna, 
across the river from New Orleans, where it is pressed into sheets of 
building board known as celotex. In some of the cane fields at Race- 
land experiments are in progress to ascertain the results of using 
Chilean nitrates as fertilizer. Bowie siding is in the midst of cane 
fields, and there is a sugar refinery not far south of it. 
The abrupt change in agricultural conditions at Raceland is due to 
the presence of a ridge of alluvium built up by sediments spread by 
the overflow of Bayou Lafourche. Alluvial uplands of this character 
are of great economic importance in many parts of the great valley of 
the Mississippi, for although not wide they have rich soils and are 
sufficiently high to afford good drainage, roadways, and places for 
settlement. On them are the principal farm lands in this part of 
Louisiana. ‘The mound of Bayou Lafourche extends from the Missis- 
sippi River at Donaldsonville nearly to the Gulf of Mexico, a length 
of more than 100 miles. Its height for most of the distance is only 
about 15 feet, and its width is from 3 to 4 miles. 
Bayou Lafourche is the narrow stream crossed by the railroad just 
beyond Lafourche station. Originally this bayou was an outlet for 
part of the flow of the Mississippi River and was ex- 
Lafourche. tensively utilized by freight boats, but to avoid the 
rer ey floods that occasionally came down the bayou, the 
Orleans 53 miles. Connection at Donaldsonville was dammed off in 1903, 
and the navigability of Bayou Lafourche was greatly 
reduced. However, it is still used for traffic into the Mississippi 
River, with which it is connected by locks, and part of its lower 
course will be followed by the Intracoastal Waterway now projected 
a the lowlands, some distance south of the Southern Pacific 
es. 
Three miles northwest of Lafourche Crossing, but not visible from 
the railroad, is the town of Thibodaux (population 4,400), an old 
village of French origin, with important agricultural and commercial 
interests. 
An alluvial ridge extends southward along Bayou Terrebonne 
through Schriever, and another, extending along Black Bayou, is 
followed by a branch railroad to Houma. At this 
ee old town there is a large sugar refinery and an exten- 
rv} va ba Ad . 
PaRLSEC eeerenierag sive business in oysters and other gulf products. 
New Orleans 56 miles. Much sugarcane is raised in this part of Louisiana, 
and formerly there were many small sugar refineries, 
some of which are still visible. Potatoes have lately become an impor- 
