Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1909-08-20
CON0RESSMEN AS AGRICULTURAL
LECTURERS.
From the Times-Democrat.)

elOn. year ago, W compliment
Representative Hobson of Alabama
for the manner in which he made
canvass of his congressional dis
trict, eschewing politics and devOt-
ing himself exclusively to the dis
cussion of good roads, soil analysis,
drainage, diversified crops and food
products-matters of the greatest
interest to the farmers, who consti-
tute large majority of his constit-
uents. To make his canvass all |
the more effective and beneficial he
carried along a number of United
States experts, who showed the
farmers just what they ought to do
in order to secure the best results
from their farms.
We had occasion, the other day,
to pay Congressman Ransdell of
Louisiana the same compliment, for
he proposes to carry on the same
kind of campaign, and will begin
next month a tour of the district,
accompanied by number of Unit
ed States and State experts, who
will assist the North Louisiana farm
er with their advice through the boil
weevil crisis which has arisen. The
destruction caused by the weevil
makes the Ransdell canvass far more
important than the Hobson one. The
latter was intended simply to enable
the Alabama farmers to better their
conditions. Mr.. Ransdell's tour is
to help his farming constituents in
a great emergency, to enable them
to surmount a crisis and make a
radical change in their agricultural
methods.
1t is natural, therefore, that his
campaign should attract the greater
attention. The Houston Post is loud
in its praise of him and his scheme,
and suggests the best campaigns the
Southern candidates could make Just
now would be campaigns in which
the agricultural and industrial con-
ditiOns and Improvements of the
South would be discussed rather
than partisan politics, fertilization,
seed selection, diversifcation, crop
\ rotation, drainage, the kinds of stock
best adapted to the South being de-
scribed instead of political problems
now before the country, and most
OF which do not concern or affect
the Southern farmers.
Mr.. Ransdell," says the Post,
is one of the most practicable men
in Congress from the South and
useful Representative in every re-
spect. No man is better qualified
to make the farm canvass he has
projected"
The Times Democrat has already
given an idea of what M. Ransdell
proposes in his canvass, and the
subjects he will discuss. The Post
points out that by adopting the
course he advocates the farmers of
North Louisiana will be saved many
of the difficulties through which
those of Texas floundered for years
before adopting better methods.
Mr.. Ransdell proposes to show
the farmers that they can, if they
will, convert the presence of the
boil weevil from a curse into a bless
ing, and all this without abandon
ing the production of cotton, or |
necessarily reducing the yield" the
Post remarks. Farmers in many
portions of Texas know that the
boil weevil was the direct cause of
such reforms in agriculture as have
greatly promoted their prosperity,
and since it is pretty certain that it
will not be long before the little bug
shall have made its way into all
portions of the South, it is a good
idea for well informed men like Mr..
Ransdell to conduct campaign of
education and prepare the cotton
growers to meet the Invasion. 1t
is all well enough to discuss politi-
cal issues, to tear hair and raise the
devil generally in an effort to re-
form the people, but Ransdell has
struck upon plan that Involves
20 much of practical benefit we do .
not doubt he will draw greater po-
Iitical dividends from his farm lee
lure course than other statesmen
will from their thunderous elo-