The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1909-03-05

will take Harrison County, on the ex-
treme eastern border of Texas, where
the annual rainfall averages about
fifty inches The boil weevil struck
this section in 1906, but too late to
seriously damage that crop. In 1907
the panic was SO great that many OF
the farmers did not believe that crop
could be made and they set their
help to cutting cross ties. Some Ia
Dor went to the saw mills, some small
farmers moved out of the county all
together. 1t will be recollected that
1907 was a bad crop year on account
of the cold spring and even in Louis
lana many farmers had to plant four
times before they got anything like
a reasonable stand and then only Sc
cured an Indifferent stand. We put
into Harrison County about two hun
dred trial farms from one to five
acres each. The prominent citizens
rallied to our support and gave every
local aid possible. The season was so
bad at one time during the spring
large body of tenant farmers decided
TO abandon the farms entirely and it
required our greatest efforts to hold
the people to the making OF crop.
The crop that year was slightly less
than 5000 bales. But on the Demon
stration Farms they made good crops
and these farms were so scattered
that every body was persuaded that a
good crop could be made, under the
worst conditions. l doubt if there
will be any county in Arkansas, Louis
lana, or Mississippi with worse condl-
tions than existed in Harrison
County, Texas, in 1907, unless it be
visited with an overflow. That year
we had a large section of country
where the farmers could not get In
to the fields for three weeks. The
ground was so soft that their horses
would sink so deep in the soil that 1t
was impossible to do any work, and all
the fields became very grassy. II
there had been no weevil there
would have been a small crop in 1907.
The restoration of confidence caused
the extension of planting in 1908,
with the result that the crop will ap-
proximate 10000 bales for that year.
In the meantime there has been con-
siderabl diversification, all of which
with confidence in the cotton crop,
has been helpful to the county and
| has produced a great advance in the
price of real estate. A recent letter
from a prominent citizen of the coun'
ty states that lands have advanced
| within the past two years, from loo
to 500 per cent. in the county.
/ have mentioned only two typical
| counties; the same battle went on ev
erywhere. l am therefore familiar
with the alarming cry that no cotton
can be produced as we 60 eastward
! because the conditions are SO bad.
| The alarmists instance the great an
nual rainfall; this has very little to
do with the cotton crop. The question
is one of rainfall during the growing
period, provided there are the same
number of fair days. The Weather
Bureau shows that there are just
as many fair days in Mississippi
Louisiana and. Arkansas as in East
ern Texas during the growing period
of cotton. AS a rule careful examina
tion for the past four years shows
that there has been an excess OF fail
days in those states mentioned.
might mention another county where
things went very badly and that wa:
De Soto Parish, Louisiana, an idea
section for the boil weevil and one O
heavy rainfall. We commenced there
in 1907 because it was stated to u.
that it was the worst infested sec
ton of the State. In 1908 the cottol
crop returned to nearly its norma
product and confidence was complete
ly restored.
I am not claiming that the boil we
vii is not damaging pest, but l d.
not think that it is nearly as bad a
the panic. The loss of confidence AM
the withdrawal of loans, the remova
of many small farmers, and the ger
erl exodus of labor are sufficient t
account for greatly reduced crops an
damage to the cotton interest even
there had been no weevil present
just as great Quotations in the cotto
product occurred prior to the adven
of the weevil as have occurred sine
J the weevil covered the whole of Te1
as. It is frequently pointed ou
Look at the enormous decline of col
ton in Texas in 1907" But they fol
get to point us to the restoration G
J the crop in 1908. Take the following
In 1904 good crop was produced i
Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, an
J Texas. 1905 bad crop year but eel
J tainly it could not be charged toan
weevil in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missi.
sippi, and in Louisiana the weev
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