The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-10-07
How Louisiana May Become Rich.


The same industry appliedhere that
you must apply elsewhere if you
would succeed will bring yen larger
results. Louisiana needs the SER
vices of every good man or useful
citizen to help develop her great
natural resources. 1t always pains
us to see it announced that some
valuable citizen has gone to some
other State to seek his fortunes
There is room enough in Louisiana
for three or four million Of people.
She has an area Of twenty-six mil
lion of acres. Some estimate it at
thirty million. She has never yet
had three million acres in cultiva-
ton. Cheaper homes cannot be
found in any other State. Surely
it is better to remain among your
own people than to seek home
among strangers. Do not think of
deserving your State for life in an
unknown land among strange faces.
Let all remain; let frugality, indus
try and virtue be practiced, and
with Gods blessing all neglected
lands will be brought under cultiva.
ton in due season; our fields will be
green with richly waving harvests,
and our hills and valleys will echo
the merry songs of free, happy,
prosperous, contented people. But
to be great and Touring State
Louisiana needs some things
Briefly they may thus be named:
l. It needs immigrants with mon
ey, who can buy lands or engage in
enterprises that will help develop
| our great natural resources.
2. It needs capital and a plenty of
it. There is no State that offers bet
ter inducements and in greater va.
riety. Men can come to Louisiana
or send their money for investment
and realize handsomely. Agricul.
ture, horticulture, stock raising,
manufacturing, and SO on, all offer
peculiar and many advantages.
3. It needs greater diversity of
crops. Our people have been too
much inclined to confine themselves
almost exclusively to the cultivation
of cotton, sugar cane, rice and corn.
They have neglected to a large ex-
tent the cultivation of the vine, the
orchard, and the truck farm, and
the raising of stock of improved
breeds. A change is needed. We
have soil and climate every way
propitious. Special opportunities are
offered those who follow mixed farm
ing and stock raising in Louisiana.
Millions of cattle, horses, mules,
sheep and swine may be reared in
this State, in addition to the crops
which may be yearly taken from
fields and orchards and gardens and
vineyards. Our many millions Of
unreclaimed river bottoms and coast
marsh is the empire of swine, and
our oak forests produce immense
quantities of mast, on which great
numbers of swine may fatten.
4. It needs manufactures. 1t
would be difficult to exaggerate the
Importance Of this point. We are
confident that Louisiana offers adj
vantages equal to the best. The
water power of the State is ample
and the cotton supply atyour doors.
But we do not limit our remarks to
the manufacture of cotton. There
are good openings for many kinds of
manufactures, and when the right
men come they will flourish. The
loom is destined yet, we would fain
believe, to 60 hand in hand with the
plough in unfolding the great natur-
al resources Of Louisiana Think of
it! The hay crop alone of the State
Of New York exceeds 800, 600, 600.
Whenever Louisiana directs its
n L.