Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1880-09-25
COMMON SENSE"

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Under the above caption, the Mon.
roe Bulletin gives one of the most
sensible editorials it has been on,
pleasure to read for years. We have
often seen the same ideas and argu.
ment used in agricultural papers, but
we have yet to see the same present
ed in so pungent and striking Ian
guage. The subject matter is not
only common sense" but the Ian
guage is common sense-so simple in
construction that a child cannot fail
to comprehend it. Each and every
one of our farmer friends should read
it carefully and thoughtful!y. We
feel that the suggestions, so timely,
will be Of benefit to them:
'The falling off In the present cot
ton crop teaches a lesson that should
not be forgotten. The spring was
fine, the soil admirable, the pitch
good and the stand perfect. The
sun gave steady heat, rain came
timely and suitably and the growth
was rapid and luxuriant. 1t was not
local; bright skies tloated over every
field. Corn matured early and for
the acreage the crop is excellent in
quality and quantity. Cotton came
on beautifully until July. Then the
season changed rain, wind and storm
racked the weed daily. The middle
crop was ruined and lost. The boil
worm commenced its ravages on the
bottom crop and still holds on. Its
devastation has been immense. Au-
gust brought some fair weather, and
a top crop put forth and promised
well. Hope revived. The cotton
army worm was present and dreaded
but not expected to do injury before
the 18th or Goth Of September. The
first found him hard at work and de-
structive beyond all precedent. Bad
weather destroyed the middle and
worms have destroyed the top crop,
so that the bottom crop, damaged as
it has been by boil worms, is all that
is left, and if it can possibly turn out
the one-half of the first of July cx-
pectation there should be a great deal
of gratitude and not one word of COM
plant from the producers.
"All prognostics about a cotton
crop are idle-hazards follow it from
planting to selling. No other product
involves so much risk, requires so
much labor, suffers 50 much in mar
keting aud makes SO poor return.
The best planters will admit that it
hardly pays the cost of production.
The result is, debts are multiplying
and mortgages constantly increasing.
Is it not plain to the least obscrvant
that cotton instead of enriching is I'M
poverishing this people? Some of
our largest planters have bought all
their corn and made none this year.
The cotton they will gather will hard
ly pay for the corn they have used.
There is no effort to raise meet Of any
kind. For bare subsistence, in the
midst of wide forests and good ranges
we must look over storm-tossed and
worm-e eaten cotton fields to Western
corn cribs and meat-houses. And
that's the way the money goes. The
men who grow hog and hominy rule
the purse. They are rich and indie
pendent, the veritable lords of crea-
ton. The prosperity Of the cotton
belt depends upon more equal util-
ization of its resources. Cotton must
be a surplus and not an exclusive
crop. Barns must be filled out of our
own fields, meat-houses stocked from
our own forests, and our backs must
be clothed from our own factories.
We must become producers as well
as consumers; exporters as well as
and sellers as we'll as buy
ers. 1t is not only possible but abso-
lutely necessary to do so. Coffee and
tea are the only luxuries that need
come from abroad, and their cultiva-
ton seems to be only question Of J