The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-09-10
WHERE COTTON MONEY GOES.
Many Solid improvements and .
Rise in Wages Result Frora
High Prices.


with about $3.50 DOC, 900 more to its
credit than in any previous year in its
history, the south finds it necessary
| to pause and think awhile before going
on with its development. This esti-
mate is based on the increase Of reve-
| increased yields of grain. hay, cane,
| etc. as we'll as the interests Of stock
raising, which is growing as no other
| industry Of this section. The increase
| in the price of cotton alone gives sur
plus of SIS each to the sixteen millions
| of inhabitants of the eleven cotton
growing states This is no small item
| in the way Of extra change especially
when we consider that only small
| percentage Of three or four OF the
states inhabitants are engaged in cot
| ton raising 1t therefore follows that
! the real surplus is far in excess of the
| amount named when we consider only
actual growers.
The result Of this state Of affairs is
| plainly apparent on all sides, and the
| observant stranger may note the chan
ges for the better New dwellings, new
| barns, new stores and new public
buildings are a feature in the rural
districts, and are resulting in much
good wherever they have been estab-
lished. There is also an Increasing in
terest in the construction Of good
roads and the extension of the rural
| free delivery of mails and the improve
ment of the rural telephone service. 1t
is a significant indication that the
more man has the more he wants.
When awakened to the condition of his
existence, he moves around to seek out
new ways OF Improvement
| The trend of these Improvements,
while directed considerably to public
utilities, is more largely devoted to adj
vancing agricultural methods. The
clearing of the fields so as to permit of
! the working of improved implements is
one feature Of the advancement noted.
/ Then there is the mapping out OF the
farm, in which Investigation and ro-
| tation are given attention. On many
southern farms different characters OF
soils are found, aud farmers are con-
sidering the adaptability Of the soil to-
the crop Intended. This means at least
| a partial solution to the restoration
| problem, as many of the so-calle6
worn-out fields still contain much OF
| the fundamental elements of fertility
necessary to the successful culture OF
certain crops One Of the difficulties
OF the situation is Just how to deter
mine what crop to plant on each plot.
! There are Just TWO ways 10 take-one
/ is chemical analysis Of the soil, the
other. experimentation, is equally sat
/ isfactory This forms one of the most
fascinating details of diversified agr-
culture, and, while it may have had
its origin in medieval times, it has
been praet1sed only Of late years in the
south We now see mapped farms,
showing The Ierracing, indicating the
Hay of the land and distribution of va
rious crops.
Another effect of the increase in the
circulating medium is the increase IN
the price offered 10 labor, which is now
20 to IS per cent above the price given
last seascn. Despite the extra induce
ments extended to farm workers, there
/ is now an unparalleled scarcity of help.
The world is calculating on bumper
crop of cotton from the south this year.
and no doubt every effort will be put
forth by growers to increase the pro-
duction, but it is now a generally-ree-
ognized fact that it takes a joint CO.
operative movement between propltlous
seasons and Il months Of unceasing Ia
Dor to accomplish such a result.
/ Just how far this movement will be
continued it is impossible to say. but
/ a proverb has been gaining ground in
the cotton belt the last three or four
years. The less cotton you have, the
more money you have" It is, Of course,
foolish to say that there Is not a world
i of profit in cotton when anywhere from
i $40 to $10o worth is grown on an acre,
4 but it ean be truthfully said there are
\ other branches of agriculture that are
paying quite as handsome dividends as
Il cotton farming, with less outlay in the
4 way of labor and incidental expenses.
Included under this head are hay farm
ing and stock raising, which require
comparative little labor. The one
drawback to livestock farming is the
lack of fences, but this is being rapidly
i overcome.
The financial condition Of the south
IS such as to render it almast entirely
4 independent, and the increasing ten
dency 10 grow home products needed
i insures a continuance of such state
of affairs; so it is hard to see why the
country should not enjoy many more
I years Of unexamp1ed prosperity This
Ibeeomes doubly probable when we con-
slider the variety of products grown
and the enlarged knowledge that is
! formed by a closer acquaintance with
Investigation and rotation.-Georgia
i Letter to Country Gentleman.
Dress Of H3ndoo Women.
There has been no change In Indian
womens dress for 1000 years Al
wear the .sari, q. single piece Of stuff a
| yard and a quarter wide. 10, 90, SO
xanffs long. It is arranged on the body,
and forms skirt, garment, veil. Ffraa
i p1eatad with the hand in accordion