Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1909-10-08
The Agricultural Meeting.

Prof. W. *. DOdSOn, director Oh Stdte
Experiment Stations, and Congressman
J. F.. Ransdell. The meeting was large
ly attended, every seat being corrupted.
All of the addresses were timely, and OF
particular interest. Mr.. Ward gave a
very instructive talk on hogs and cattle,
saving in substance that conditions IN
Louisiana are most ideal for raising hogs,
and that they are not subject to any dis
eases here which do not also pervade the |
great hog States, and proved conclusive |
ly, by series of elaborate tables, giving |
results of experiments in many States,
that when hogs are fed on various pro-
ducts, such as rape, oats, sorghum, pota- |
toes, peas and peanuts, with small por-
ton of corn, pork can be raised at from
. to cents per pounds, and at least to
cents per pound cheaper than in the
great hog States. In this connection he
explained that most of the crops used for
hogs renovate and enrich the soil, es-
pecially when grassed by them. He spoke
at some length about cattle, advising the
selection of best beef varieties and grad
ual growing herds. He cautioned against
anyone here making hog eand cattle rails
ing the sole industry, and urged that they
be conducted with other crops.
On the conclusion of Mr.. Wards adj
dress Mr.. Ransdell offered resolution
lmemorializing the Legislature at the next
session to appropriate $4,000 for a chol-
era serum station, and the same was
Unanimously adopted.
| Mr.. Evans held the audience for an
hour and half, in a discussion of the
science of agriculture, the qualities OF the
soil, the proper methods OF cultivation
and the necessity of rotary crops in order
to prevent the degeneration of the soil.
J He is an earnest advocate of general di-
versifcation and making the animal in
dustry, including hogs, cattle, horses and
mules, an important branch of every farm.
He laid special stress on the necessity of
: Immediately destroying the cotton stalks
{ in order to kill the supply of boil weevils
now fiourishiDg in the green cotton, and
insisted that if it be neglected the result
will be very poor cotton crop next year.
Mr.. Wright, an engineer OF thirty years
: experience in drainage problems, dis
cussed with much force the advantage of
thorough drainage, saying that it is i'm
possible to secure the best results out OF
} the soil unless it be drained; that water
browns and destroys the life of the soil
t by forcing out the air, just as it kills the
| human being by drowning. He urged the
formation of drainage districts in thif
, parish, and insisted that the benefits to
4 be derived therefrom would exceed many
i times the cost.
Mr.. Ransdell addressed the meeting on
9 the necessity of changing farming meth
DDS. He knows the general conditions o.
the South for the past twenty years, wher
y all its people were giving their entire at
e tention to cotton and knows that it wa
g far from prosperous before the advent o
q the weevil, all of which was due, in hi
4 opinion to the one-crop system OF all cot
ton. He saw that no agriculture coulC
!" be prosperous which depended on on
p. crop, and which excluded animal indus
try, hogs and live stock, from its farms
. and has been the almost unanimous prac
IL tice in the South. He dwelt on the i'm
n portance of raising on the farm ever.
. thing for home consumption, and insist
q ed that it would be infinitely better an'
cheaper to raise its own meal, meat, hors
es and mules.at home than to buy then
> out of the proceeds, even were there M
1t boil weevil. He is a strong believer il
s. hogs, and thinks it would pay admirabl,
y when labor is so scarce to go rather ex
, tensively in this business, though he ad
d, vises that it be done Tgradually. He ais
spoke of rice, when he thinks an excel
~ lent crop in this parish, especially Oh
lands affected by seepage, which land
are unsafe for any other crop.
:" Prof. Dodson closed the meeting by al
T. illustrated lecture on corn and rice, whcl
De was highly enjoyed by all his hearers
1. including may ladies and children of til
; High School. This lecture was very in
structive, suggesting to all the CROWN
of these valuable cereals, and will prov
% very helpful to them. Mr.. Dodson mad
u an especial appeal to the boys of tn
N High School to form corn club and t
cultivate each one acre of corn in CON
petition for the 500 prize offered by MI
Ransdell for the best acre of corn raise
j. by any school-boy in his district. II
G gave an interesting account of the re
{ ports of corn grown by the corn clubs i
n portions of Louisiana and i'm other States
e Since the resignation of Mr.. ]
F. Moshier as manager of tn
y Cumberland Telephone Co.'s Elk
II 4 "a