St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-02-27

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the people could not cultivate as
much land as before. Then, there
are some people who are naturally
aIarmists and they became busy IN
every county which we entered. We
will take Harrison County, on the ex-
IRENE eastern border Of Texas, where
the annual rainfall averages about
fifty inches. The boil Weevil struck
this section in 1905, but too late to
seriously damage that crop. In 1907
the panic was SO great that many Of
the leading farmers did not believe
that a crop could be made and they
set their help to cutting cross-ties.
Some labor went to the saWmills,
some small farmer moved out of the
county altogether. It viii be recol-
lected that 1907 was a bad crop
year on account Of the cold spring
and even in Louisiana many farmers
.%EI
had to plant four times before they
got anything like a reasonable stand
and then only secured an Indifferent
stand. We put into Harrison County
about two hundred trial farms of
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 a large
body Of the tenant farmers decided
to abandon the farm entirely and it
required our greatest effort to hold
the people to the making Of a crop.
The crop that year was slightly less
than 5000 bales. But on the De-
m%onstration Farms they made good
crops and these farms were so scat
tered that everybody was persuaded
that a good crop could be made, I'M
der the worst conditions. I doubt if
there will be any county in Arkansas,
Louisiana, or Mississippi with worse
conditions 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 into
the field for three weeks. The
ground was so soft that their horses
would sink SO deep into the soil that
it was impossible to do any work,
and all the fields became very grassy
If there had been no weevil, there
would have been a small crop in 1907.
The restoration of confidence caused
the extension Of the planting in 1908.
with the result that the crop will APP
proximate 10000 bales for that year.
In the meantime there has been CON
siderable Investigation, 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 10C
to 500 per cent in the county.
have mentioned only typical coun.
ties; the same battle went on every.
where. lam therefore familiar will
the alarming cry that no cotton car
be produced as we go eastward, be
cause the conditions are 50 bad. Thu
alarmists instance the greater annua
rainfall; this has very little to d
with the cotton crop. The question
is one Of rainfall during the growing
period. The amount Of rainfall i
the winter and late fall is not so i'm
portant, in fact, such rain is rathe
!, disastrous to the boil weeyil than Of
!, herwise. Nor is it evident that til
conditions are very much worse TO
the weeyil should there be a create
rainfall during the growing period
/. provided there are the same humble
of fair days. The Weather Burea
shows us that there are just az man
fair days in Mississippi, Louisiana an
Arkansas 40 IN Eastern Texas durin