Topic: Slack Gibbons, in search of the Wild River Cane

[Slack]

OK, I'm trying to get caught up from 4 days of solid partying in Lafayette - I can tell you, it ain't easy.

KC, I've got some cane info for you - but it will take a few days (or longer) to get my story together, complete with photos.    In the meantime, I can tell you that the common name for Arundinaria Gigantea in Louisiana is "River Cane" (no such thing as "southern cane").  I can also tell you that the cane you are growing will never reach a proper diameter - River Cane emerges from the ground at it's maximum diameter... e.g. it starts growing at the diameter it will remain!

News at 10...     

[waxwing]

Well, if it is like bamboo, which also emerges from the root at its maximum diameter, then subsequent stalks are likely to be larger and larger. As the root matures and provides a stronger base, it sends up fatter (and taller) canes. It's all in the root. Provided conditions are good, of course. Black bamboo I grew in my SF back yard started out with shoots at a diameter of less than half an inch, that grew to maybe 6-8 feet. But after a few years I was getting shoots emerging at about an inch and a half growing to about 20 feet.

Patience, KC.

All for now.
John C.

[Slack]

That's the rub Wax, River Cane grows much slower, I believe it will take decades or longer to reach an inch - but I'll find out for sure. 

[Slack]

Alrighty,

We stayed on the Bayou Tesch in St. Martinville, LA and we looked up the bayou:



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[Slack]

And down the Bayou:

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[Slack]

But mostly we sat in our cabana on the bayou and drank Bloody Marys and G&T's   





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[Slack]

We then headed for St Martinville Lake, which is surrounded by swamp.  to be guided by Butch Guchereau, who is a naturalist and conservationist.  We avoided the tours where they go out and feed the alligators.  The tour was in a flat bottom boat, with a special prop that would not get tangled with vegetation.  He'd simply lift his prop out of the water to get over floating logs.

Slack Gibbons crew:



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[Slack]

In two hours we toured lots of places in the swamp, looking for River Cane - the sacrifice was an incredible.  All for this searching... for a historically accurate set of quills to play Henry Thomas tunes.

a few here:



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[Slack]

And everywhere we found River Cane -- what did we also find guarding the River Cane?

GATORS!



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[Slack]

We even had the Wildlife Management service come in and shoot a gator for us in order to try and reach the River Cane the gator was guarding.

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[Slack]

But alas the illusive River Cane was just beyond our grasp.  Exhausted from all the searching and alligator fighting, we returned to our humble camp for re-fortification and sustenance in order to carry on our search another day.

....to be continued.


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[uncle bud]

Unfair fight. You shoulda wrassled him...

[Slack]

Shooting the gator was a slight exaggeration. 

The truth being the gator was poached and the poachers took only the tail... for a supper.  Our guide Butch called them and guided them to the gator.  He says the meat is not even that good... but there you go.

[uncle bud]

He'd make a fancy guitar case...

 

[lindy]

Shooting the gator was a slight exaggeration. 

The truth being the gator was poached and the poachers took only the tail... for a supper.  Our guide Butch called them and guided them to the gator.  He says the meat is not even that good... but there you go.

Whoa, I had to rub my eyes when I read this, a Louisiana swamp guide saying gator meat isn't that good? Come back and take him to Boudreaux's in Chackbay for lunch, get him some gator sauce piquant, that'll set him straight. Great place, a refurbished gas station with two mechanics' bays, big 'ol stuffed bobcat sitting on top of a classic swamp pop jukebox.

Then tell him about the detective who went to the Lafourche Parish morgue to write reports on four dead bodies, all with very big smiles on their faces.

The coroner tells the detective: "First body is a 72 Year Old Frenchman. He died of heart failure while with his mistress. Hence the enormous smile."
 
"The Second body is an Irishman, 25 years of age. He won a thousand dollars on the lottery and spent it all on Irish whisky. Died of alcohol poisoning, hence the smile."
 
"What about the other two?"
 
"Ah," says the coroner, "They're really unusual. That's Boudreaux and Thibodeaux, two Cajuns from Chackbay, both in their 40s, struck by lightning."

"Then why are they smiling?"

"They thought they was having their picture taken."

Lindy

ps: Was that cabin part of a B&B, or a friend's place?