Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Louisiana

Copyright, 1882, by Henry Gannett.

OUISIANA, one of the Southern States of the American Union, situated on the lower course and debouchement of the Mississippi river. It is bounded S. by the

Gulf of Mexico, W. by Texas, N. by Arkansas, and E. by Mississippi. Its western boundary is a line through the middle of Sabine lake and river, as far north as the 32d parallel, whence it follows the meridian of the point of intersection of the river with that parallel. The northern boundary is the parallel of 33°. The eastern boundary is the mid-channel of the Mississippi river, as far south as the 31st parallel, whence it follows that parallel eastward to the middle of Pearl river, and passes down that stream to the Gulf. The area of the State, according to a late determination made by the Census Bureau, is 48,720 square miles, of which 1060 consist of land-locked bays, 1700 of inland lakes, and 540 of river surface, leaving 45,420 square miles as the total land area of the State.

The average elevation of the State is only 75 feet, and no part of it reaches 500 feet above sea-level. The most elevated portion is near its northern border. The surface is naturally divided into two parts—the upland, and the alluvial and coast swamp regions. Each of the larger streams, as well as a large proportion of the smaller ones, is accompanied by a belt of bottom land, of greater or less width, lying low as regards the stream, and liable to overflow at times of high water. These bottom lands form collectively what is known as the alluvial region. It extends in a broad belt down the Mississippi, from the mouth of the Ohio to the Gulf of Mexico, and up the Ouachita and its branches and the Red River, to and beyond the limits of the State. Its breadth along the Mississippi within this State ranges from 10 to 50 or 60 miles, and that along the Red River and Ouachita has an average breadth of 10 miles. Through its great flood-plain the Mississippi river winds upon the summit of a ridge formed by its own deposits. In each direction the country falls away in a succession of minor undulations, the summits of the ridges being occupied by the streams and bayous. Nearly all of this vast flood-plain lies below the level of high water in the Mississippi, and, were it not for the protection afforded by the levees, with which most of the course of the stream is lined, every considerable rise of its waters would inundate vast areas of fertile and cultivated land.

Stretching along the coast, and extending inland to a varying distance, ranging from 20 to 50 or even 60 miles, is a low, swampy region, the surface of which is diversified only by the slight ridges along the streams and bayous which traverse it, by occasional patches of slightly elevated prairie, and by live oak ridges. It is in and along the borders of this coast swamp region that most of the sugar cane and rice produced in the State are grown.

The low regions of Louisiana, including the alluvial lands and the coast swamps, comprise about 20,100 square miles, or nearly one-half the area of the State. The remainder consists of uplands of prairie and forest. The borders of these uplands are generally defined by lines of bluffs of no great height.

The principal rivers are the Mississippi, which flows nearly 600 miles through and along the border of the State, the Red River, the Ouachita or Washita, Sabine, and Pearl, all which, excepting the last, are navigable at all stages of the water. Besides those streams which may properly be called rivers, the State is intersected by &ldquo;bayous,&rdquo; several of which are of great importance both for navigation and for drainage. They may be characterized as secondary outlets of the rivers. Among them may be mentioned

Achafalaya Bayou, Bayou la Fourche, and Bayou Bœuf. The signification of the name has, however, been extended, so that many rivers in this region, particularly if they have sluggish courses, are known as bayous. The alluvial portion of the State, particularly below the mouth of the Red River, is a perfect network of these bayous, which serve, in time of flood, to carry off the invading surplus waters.

The lakes of the State are mainly comprised in three classes. First come the lagoons of the coast, many of which are merely land-locked bays, whose waters are salt, and which rise and fall with the tides. Of this class are Pontchartrain, Borgne, Maurepas, and Sabine, and indeed all or nearly all those situated in the region of the coast swamps. These are simply parts of the sea which have escaped the filling-in process carried on by the great river and the lesser streams. A second class, large in numbers but small in area, is the result of &ldquo;cut-offs&rdquo; and other changes of channel in the Mississippi, and, to a small extent, in the Red River. The part of the river left by this change of channel becomes gradually isolated from the stream by the deposit of silt along the borders of the latter, thus changing what were formerly windings of the river into crescent-shaped lakes. A third class may be mentioned, namely, those upon Red River and its branches which are caused by the partial stoppage of the water by the &ldquo;raft&rdquo; above Shreveport. These are, of course, much larger at flood season than at other times, and, it may be added, have been much reduced in size by the cutting of a channel through the raft.

The climate of the State is semi-tropical; the mean annual temperature ranges from 60° to 75°, changing approximately with the latitude. The mean temperature of the hottest month is about 85°, while that of the coldest month ranges in different parts of the State from 45° to 60°. The temperature rarely, if ever, falls below 0° Fahr., while the heats of summer reach 105° in some parts. The rainfall is very heavy along the coast, exceeding 60 inches annually, but decreases inland, and is not more than 50 inches in the northern districts.

This large amount of moisture, together with the high temperature and the fertile soil, suffices to cover the greater part of the State, and particularly the alluvial regions and the coast swamps, with the most luxuriant sub-tropical vegetation, both arborescent and herbaceous. Much of the latter region is covered with lofty cypress trees, from which hang festoons of Spanish moss. The most common species of the alluvial regions and the drier portions of the coast swamps are live and other species of oaks, sweet gum, magnolia, the tulip tree, black walnut, pine, and cedar. Along the streams in the alluvial region are found willows, cotton-woods, basket oaks, and other species of similar habitat. For the beauty and fragrance of its flowers Louisiana is justly celebrated. Its bottom lands and its upland prairies are decked with them in tropical profusion. Prominent among them in abundance are roses, magnolias, jasmines, camellias, and oleanders. Most fruits common to a semi-tropical region are to be found here, either native or cultivated, such as oranges, olives, figs, peaches, and plums.

The forests cover a very considerable portion of the area of the State, and are destined in the future to form an important element of its wealth, although up to the present time the lumber interest has not been very extensively developed. The most valuable timber is that of the long-leaved pine (Pinus australis) and the short leaved pine (Pinus mitis). These are mainly confined to the upland regions, being nowhere found in the alluvial or coast sections. The north-western part of the State is occupied by the short-leaved pine, while the long-leaved pine is found

mainly in large masses north and south of the Red River, and also in the east of the State.

The native fauna of the State resembles in its general features that of the other Gulf States. Large quadrupeds are comparatively rarely met with, although occasionally there are seen black bears and wolves, and in the swamps an occasional panther. Smaller quadrupeds, such as raccoons, squirrels, wild cats, opossums, &amp;c., are still common. Every bayou contains alligators; and reptiles of various species, such as turtles, lizards, horned toads, rattlesnakes, and moccasin snakes, are abundant. The avifauna of the State is varied and abundant, comprising eagles, vultures, hawks, owls, pelicans, cranes, turkeys, geese, partridges, ducks, &amp;c., besides numberless smaller species, many of these, as in other parts of the world in the same latitude, being brilliant of plumage, but harsh of voice.

The surface geology in its general outlines is very simple. The whole alluvial region and the coast swamps, besides a considerable portion of the prairie and pine flats bordering upon the lowlands, are of the most recent or Quarternary formations, while the remainder of the State, comprised mainly in the region west of the Ouachita and Calcasieu rivers, is Tertiary, with the exception of a few very small islands of the Cretaceous formation in the north-western part of the State.

In the Tertiary region are found small quantities of iron ore, and an indifferent brown coal. But the only important mineral product of the State is rock salt; the deposit upon Petite Anse Island, in the coast swamp region, has been extensively worked, and produces a very high quality of salt. In 1880 its production was 312,000 bushels.