New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-05-10
THE LATE FAIR.

!
Committee. We previously had occa
sion to give vent to our gratified feelings
upon viewing the beautiful and vel
arranged grounds of the Fair, and haG
spoken IN terms of just commentator o.
the gentlemen, who, at an suspicious time
wisely conceived the purpose of founding
an institution that is well calculated
to stimulate and assist il develop.
:ng tho works of notonly the agricuItur.
ists, manufacturers. aytizans, mechanics
AID stock raisers, but of the artists skilled
IL The fine arts. In former days the short
road to wealth, improvement and distinc-
ton was thought to be through the cult
walton alone of the leading staples of the
Gulf States cotton, sugar and tobacco
and, in rigidly pursuing this thought, all
things else were neglected.; and the conse-
quence was, our people were dependent
on other sections of our country and Eu-
rope for many things that should have
been raised or made at home. We were
deprived Of that great variety of business
that Is essential TO make people truly
prosperous and great in ali the depart
ments OF trade. The inventive genius Of
our people has been also sadly neglected
throug4 the all-absorbing passion to make
cotton king, and in works of art the South
is also very deficient.
From the grand display witnessed at the
Fair Grounds OF things worth seeing,
many OF them the products of Southern
skill and labor, we are convinced that O
wonderful change has been wrought in
the minds of our people, and that they are
in the future not to be confined to the
raising of two or three articles. That, in
stead of making the South into few large
cotton and cane fields, it is their design
that it shall be cut up into fields of all
kinds that can be made productive-into
fourishiDg farms, as we find them in the
Northern, Eastern and Western sections of
our country. With free labor, it will,
eventually, become necessary to abandon |
the old plantation system entirely. In do.
ing this the lands will be cultivated in
smaller quantities, and, perhaps, with |
much more care. They will fall into the |
hands of the actual tillers, who, as the
owners, will feel some pride in making
home comfortable. They will not be con-
lined to one idea, and that to make cotton.
It is more than likely that farmers will
ind it profitable to cultivate everything
hat can be grown here; and it may be
wise to change their crops. They will also
20 more into stock and fruit raising. We
re convinced of this by what was seen at
he Fair, and we devoted much OF our
pace in describing things worth seeing
here, in order that the REPUBLICAN might
10 its whole duty in helping to carry out
he evident design of the gentlemen who
ompose the Fair Association of this State.
The Premium List made out by them was
ne that embraced all things that are useful {
nd that can be produced here with
Aohs' VIC ACcij Ho"cNcI, Uuda tu6 oOutu |
J pre-eminenily an agricultural country,
nd therefore revert with pride to the
remiums that were awarded in depart
lent A for the best farm products, cereals t
nd cereal food, fruit, vegetables, seeds, t
AIMED fruits, meats, fish. etc. pickles, v
sweetmeats, cakes, native v
ines, spirits and malt liquors. Among n
10 cereals is included rice, which in GER p
in sections of our State is becoming a Il
ost profitable aud easy crop to raise. n
The articles above enumerated. most of b
EN- coming under the head of farm pro- g.
lets, are things that have been almost Il
tirely neglected in the past-so much lie
that we have been almost entirely de- tt
ndent on other sections of our country n
: meat and bread, and many other ar tc
les that can be produced here with OF
tie or no cost. Among them may be g.
butter and cheese. The dis al
~ in Department A was not as good as "a
aid be desired of articles that have CT
IN produced in our own State, but the 10
It that our people are now stimulated IL.
1 encouraged to 60 into all the varieties CO
farm and stock raising, as well ID
works of the manufacturers, artisans "a
mechanics, leaves but little doubt but In
It our State will go on improving in this tle
pect until it will be able to compare
orally with the older free States of the Pr
ion; for it must be acknowledged that vi
very in the past has had all to do with 70
filming our people to the cultivation of ca
e and cotton. The very fact that I'M
er medal was given for the best speci- pa
n of butter made in Louisiana, and Fax
same for the best specimen of uis
csc, is indeed significant Under Tue
reform of the labor system and the cul- 'ns
lion of moderate sized farms, the rails Col
Of stock frp;t and tho r,olirc of VIII
ter, cheese, and the raising of vegetables ge'
home and other purposes will be more III
cticed than heretofore. Under the old INC
ntation system everything had to be ia;
lected for cotton and sugar. It is be- Tue
ed now these articles can be success hyl
y raised at the same time that fruit the
stock are produced. Stock will in Tau
lse and fruit orchards give their yield, upt
le the husbandman is engaged in the
ng the soil, or is rspt in tor
i ne