The sun., 1908-12-27
WEGVILS CAUSE AN EXODUS
NLGcOES FLEEING FROM PEST
INFESTED COTTON FIELDS.

------r-
Anxiety IN Louisiana aud AllsslssiDpi ever
Growing Scarcity Of Black Labor
white Men IN the Latter State Are
organizing to stop the Movement.
New ORLEANS. Dec. 2i.-A negro
exodus from Louisiana and Mississippi
is now undor way. demoraliHng and up
setting farming calculations and threaten
ing serious consequences. 1t is the flight
OF the negro before the advancing cotton
boll weevll; and 1t Is likelv. to affect the
negro population Of the Southwest as It
has never been affected before.
Unless the extraordinary and extra
legal methods now being taken by the
white planters, bankers and merchants
to check the exodus are successful. the
parts Of Louisiana and Mississippi in
vaded by the Mexican weeyil In the last
few months will lose large portion OF
their negro labor. The Mexican invader
promises to change negro conditions
in the section far more than did either
the civil war or emancipation, trans
ferring the bulk OF the blacks from one
rart Of the South 10 another. Hereto
fore the tide of negro population has
always moved in n southwesterly dlrec-
tom the boil weevl has reversed the
current. g.,
Thirty years ago Immediately after the
humiliation of-negro Republican govern
ment in the South an exodus of negroes
started from Louisiana and Mississippi
TO Kansas. 1t swept nearly hundred
thousand to Kansas and the West and
completely upset the labor situation in
The Southwest. 1t was an exodus rather
than an emigration.
The negroes sold or gave away their
household goods aud started for the
promised iand,' hardly knowing where
they were going or what they would do
when they got there. The movement
was attended with greatsnffering on their
part, as they had made no provision for
the colder climate of Kansas or their
support while there. Many died on their
way; thousands were glad to come back
10 the south.
But while the exodus lasted ii did
incalculable harm to the planters as well
As the negroes and very radical and
revolutionary measures were necessary
az measures are being adopted just now
to check the boil weevii exodus.
On the other hand, the reasons under
iying the present. exodus are well founded.
whe-eas the former affair was merely
c'aze. The boil weevil Is q serious prob
lem and peril to the negro cotton
grower; bad enough for the white farmer.
bnt calling for qualities of care and perse-
Nerance lacking in the negro.
Il played havoc at first with the cotton
growers Of Texas. but they have now
learned how to deal with it. In Texas
the crop is grown mainly by white labor.
/. was only when tho weevil crossed the
Ssbine River, the boundary between
Texas and Iouisiana, that it came into
contact yithNthe negro raising sotton on
,hsres o. on leased land, This danger
Qua insect invader landed in l..pisiana
two years ago despite the earness effort
of the State Insect Pest. Commission to
went it, II swept through central and
northern Louisiana, finally crossing -the
Father OF Waters into Mississippi.
In Texas the farmers have learned
just how TO deal with the weevil and are
able to raise a good crop. although the
insect is as numerous as ever and likely
to remain SO. To do this a Far more care
fu attention than has formerly prevailed
is necessary. The best Of the early cotton
must be planted and the crop hes &c be
expedited so as to be ready for picking
before the weevils have begun their
pernicious activity. After picking the
cotton plant must be completely burned
and the fields around the cotton kept
clean so as not to harbof weevilS for the
next season.
All this preparation costs money and
requires care that the negro farmer or
Iaborer with his slipshod methods is in
capable OF giving. He has never been
able 10 raise as much or as good cotton
as his white neighbor. and his loose
methods of cultivation are proverbialiy
hereditary or racial. When, therefore.
the boil weeyil problem was presented
he could find no solution, and 1t is prob
able that it has been presented in Loaisi-
ana in a more alarming shape than 1t
assumed in Texas.
The weeyil spreads fastest In damp
or rainy climates. and as the rainfall of
Louisiana is twice as great as that OF
Texas there is no reason to doubt that the
weevi Is twice as troublesome. The
net result of the first year of the Mexican
visitor may be figured out from the re-
ports Of the Agricultural Department.
which show with largely increased
cotton crop % percent. shrinkage in the
Louisiana product.
The situation has been aggravated by
heavy rains and by prolonged freshets.
which have left many thousands OF acres
under water for months, rendering the
growing OF a crop completely out of ques-
ton Add to this the present low price
Of cotton and the situation in the cotton
district Of Louisiana is plain.
The close OF the cotton year sees thou
sands Of negro farmers and tenants In
had financial condition. They have made
no money this year. have in many cases
not even met the advances made them,
vet they are ed to keep on planting
cotton, we'll knowing that they must
lace another year of similar conditions
and that they can expect no change for
years to come. Is II surprising then that
II chance is offered to smigrate to dis
trict where there are no boil weevils to
hight where they can grow cotton after
The good old slovenly way. they should
seize il?