St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1906-10-13
CULTIVATION OF
SUGAR CANE.
Meeting Held At Courthouse Monday TO
Launch The Move.
WILL MEET AGAIN OCTOBER IS.
Opinion Unanimous That The Farmer Must
Do Something at once TO Save
Himself.

e mere Was a small crowd at IL
: courthouse Monday noon, in answ,
to the call Of the Opelousas Progre
e slve League for meeting of farme,
and business men to launch a NOV,
: ment looking to the cultivation
: sugar cane and the erection Of a ri
flnery at some point in or near Ope
lousas. n the first place, the MOTTO
for the meeting was short, and the
the hour was confused by the post
ers and the press, some advertising
/ for ten o'clock, some for noon. an
still some for night. But not onl
did this detract from well-attende,
meeting: the farmers are busy gather
ing and marketing their crops; Will,
many, too many, don't yet realize tha-
a condition has arisen that the,
MUST face.
But while the meeting was slimly
attended, those present were imbued
with the proper spirit, and we have
no doubt that the end desired Will
result from it.
The ball is started.
The meeting was called to order BY
President Bercier, of the Opelousas
Progressive League, who stated that
the League had been importuned by
many farmers to call the meeting So
that the agricultural and commercial
interests Of this parish might take
steps to counteract the evil effects Of
the boil Weevil, now more assured
than a sugar refinery. He urged the /
farmers to organize, and stated that
t was not the purpose Of the League
o do anything else but aid the classes
mentioned in the matter; that it was
he cause of the farmers and the
BUSINESS men, and it was for them tol
axe charge of it, promising the CO
peration Of the League, as the only t
ctlve organization Of the kind in the
arlsh, IN getting capitalists here who
'ould finance the factory part Of it.
District Attorney R. Lee Garland
as the first speaker. He said that
was possible at this meeting only
form a nucleus, to start the agi-
ation, and look to some future meet
g for definite action. With the ad-
snt Of railroads, opening up new
it was now possible for the !
eople Of the parish to safeguard
emselVes against the destructive eff e
cts Of the boil weevil by building t
gar refinery at some central point, y
touch with the various sections Il
ntiguous to the railroads. tt was a
rtaln that st. Landry was infested s
th the boil Weevil-to what extent. b
did not know but enough to war 9
ut the statement that in the next K
rec years it will be impossible to 1b
se cotton except by means Of the G;
n state Of cultivation recommended te
the Government experts, which e
$ almost impossible in this parish y
the lack of labor for such culti- VI
ion. The country was forewarned Ia
what was in store for it unless it NJ
k effective steps to meet the in ct
table. 1t was a question Of either II
owing the government mode Of hs
tivation, or have barren fields. He tn
not think the frst-named PROPOSE to
| feasible in this section, hence in th
olved itself in question Of diver pr
'ation-of planting some other e
por barren fields. The climatic SCI
dition was not as favorable in tn
isiana as in Texas for the effect SIT
fighting Of the boil Weevil. The fol
g proximity Of woods, where the ret
VII hibernated, made the Texas COZ
Of burning stalks and grass, and no'
all ploWing, to no effect in Louis gal
in fact conditions here makes Gus
most impossible to get rid Of the sid
, once here. He said that there dis;