The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1908-12-26
IN the same land. Success in fighting

nil farmers. Mr.. E. N. Norris, of
Grand Bayou, and Mr.. j. M. Robin
son, of Bayou LaChute, both farming
in Red River Valley, made good
crops last year. Mr.. Norris crop
was destroyed this year by overflow,
but Mr.. Robinson has again made a
good crop the present year. Even at
Bunkie, La, where the weevils were
worse this year than any where in the
State, Mr.. f. r. Keary made over
500 pounds of seed cotton to the acre
in spite of the weevils and bad wealth
err 1t is true that some of his neigh
bors failed to make crop, but they
did not follow the improved methods
advocated by the Crop Pest Commits
sion and the Department of Agricul-
ture. Mr.. Porter Fisher, farming at
Keachie, La, after five years expert
ence with the weevil says: 81 am just
now finding out how to make cotton.
You have got to clean up your fields
in the fall, plant early varieties, fer
tilize heavily and cultivate for all you
are worth" Mr.. Fisher this year
made eight bales to the mule on hill
land.
What these men, and others, have
done can be done by any intelligent
farmer who attends to his business as
he should. The more provident color
ed people can do the same thing with
proper instruction and encouragement.
Some people hold to the opinion
} that the negro cannot be induced to
adopt better methods of cultivation or
to diversity successfully, but my own
! experience with the colored men on my
D own place at Keachie has been such
that have great hopes for the future
J, of our colored farmers if they be but
g rightly instructed and encouraged by
n their white brethren. In February,
y 1907, I received information from De-
l. Soto parish that there was an exodus
n of negro laborers from that part o.
n the parish known as "Africa." Tht
y laborers were going to Oklahoma, ant
70 | was requested to 60 up and Vlsl
re that section to see if / could do some
G. thing to stop it. I went and held
,e meeting of the heads OF negro famllle
t. al the negro church for a plain pract
cal business talk. On Saturday
~ met So negro men there and | talke
ne to them for an hour and half on d
versifcation, more Industrious habits
In buying less on credit, and explanln
to to them that the South was the countr
~ for them to live in, that they wei
gh among friends, etc. l promised the
on that demonstration farms would
a established III their midst and an 0
er- casional lecture given them to tea'
I'D them. wired DR.. Knapp, OF the
he S. demonstration farm work ana Id
in established in the parish OF Desc
ST. $40 demonstration farms OF from thr
es, ia five acres each, with lecturer
It's, visit these farms as often as 1t W
lily possible for him to do so. was pr
lNn
lile sonally interested in that section, ma
re- ing 800 acres of land there being Wol
lis, ed on the tenant system. | had 0
VS., demonstration farm established on
ate Mace under the control OF a neg
for who owed me 1928. went to Euro
ose in the interest of immigration ana
up not return to my plantation or par
the until the following November.
oft experience with my tenants was as
be lows: The negro who owed me .
maid me every cent of it, had IN
,rsi- bales of cotton left over ana
'ked plenty of corn and meat to 90
ton for that year. supplied him Tor
sed. wear 1908 and his Indebtedness at
Soto end of the season was only $32. Hem
ook- II bales of cotton and again had p
1906, ty of corn and meat to do him.
cyan other negro owed me over S3oo 1or
date wear 1907. He paid it all, paid
,cat- S9O cash for mule, had some me
lions left over and had plenty OF corn
The meat to do him. One negro VINO
ma heen working for me IL years ana
1906, had never been out of debt bel
cent came out of debt and had some MI
year. left over besides plentiful supp
/ the corn and good meat. The FAC
n be every one of my tenants paid up
aking the year 1907, and | attribute 'ne
dept cess of my tenants and neigho'
,iliza- negroes In the improvement OF
rmers 1908 crop, to first, the talk l
may them, and secondly, to the esta'
in the ment of the demonstration farm
Bland their midst. It stopped the exoo
Oh of negro laborers and number ar
m has nrocnarauc condition.