The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1905-03-16
LOUISIANA STATE NEWS
The crop Outlook.


The Picayune, in discussing the
crop conditions last week, says:
The time has at last arrived when
the preparations for the crops have
become serious problem. A rather
severe winter undoubtedly delayed
farm operations. although it also put
blessing in the ground in the shape
OF a thorough saturation. The com.
paratively fine weather of the past ten
days or two weeks has enabled farm.
ers to make some progress in field
work, and as the ground has now
dried out sufficiently, the preparation
OF the fields for planting the cotton
crop has commenced.
As yet there is little definite infor.
nation as to the reduction that will
take place in acreage. That there will
be reduction is certain, and that a
very large portion of the planters
favor 25 per cent reduction is also
fact, but until the seed is in the
ground. 1t will be impossible to tell
whether the proposed rate of reduc,
tion has been adhered to. That there
will be a marked reduction in the use
Of fertilizers is already known, as the
sales of such aids to cultivation show
a material falling OF compared with
last year.
The preparations for the rice crop
are also progressing. although the re.
suits OF the past season have not been
such as to create much enthusiasm
among producers. There will prob
ably be some falling of in acreage,
bet just how much it is difficult to
forecast. Along the river section some
rice land will undoubtedly be diverted
to sugar. but the extent of such diver
sion will hardly affect acreage to any
material extent.
In the sugar district planters have
taken advantage Of the recent good
weather to actively push plantation
work. Flowing preparatory to spring
planting is in progress, and the seed
cane reserved for the spring plant has
been found to have passed through the
cold and wet without damage. This
is most gratifying information, as fears
had been entertained not only that
seed cane had suffered, but fall plant
and rattoons as well. 1t now appears
that neither the seed nor the crop
already planted has suffered, and that
with good and q favorable growing
season there exists no reason why an
other large crop should not be realized.
Sugar planters feel very much en-
c0uraged over the results of last sea.
son. and as large an acreage as pos
sible has been devoted to cane. While
the amount of seed cane available ne
cessarily places limits to the possibili-
ties Of acreage expansion. it is safe to
assume that planters will devote all
the area possible to cane cultivation.
Preparations are already in hand to
make much needed improvements to
sugar mills and to inaugurate such re-
pairs as did not seem profitable until
the past season.
While it is possible that prices next
year may not rule quite rs high as
during the past season. there is no in
dication that production will exceed
consumption to a suficient extent to
greatly lower the existing level OF
values In fact. reasonably firm prices
are practically assured for some time
to come.
The Louisiana Planter says edito-
rally in its issue for the week:
Our correspondents throughout the
sugar district report with practical
unanimity that the seed cane has been
uninjured by the wet and cold weather
which prevailed during the month OF
February. This news in distinctly
good. and there 10 now every reason
a. <A~< The Ornv. ~ 1o0S will
be started favorably and auspiciously.
We have enjoyed some ten days OF
dry weather, during which the work
on the plantations has been pushed
with the very greatest activity. and q
great deal has been accomplished. Our
iberia and Assumption correspondents
both refer to certain reports published
in some Of the New Orleans papers to
the effect that the seed cane has been
seriously injured In those parishes.
and they unhesitatingly pronounce
these reports to have been incorrect.
Peean Nursery Established.
The Southern Orchard Planting
Company, chartered under the laws
Of Maine, has bought a farm near
LAFAYETTE containing $50 acres. for
~ ~. .s.,;.s, - hoor fvo,l
nulse ~ oop - p''a- ,'as :. - a.. 80
at about vSvO'vOO' anu = = .'e -
tentlon OF the company 10 put every
year half million trees on the mar
let. Active operations have already
begun in preparation of the ground,
and last week work Of planting seed
was begun. When the nursery es-