The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-12-09

LOUISIANA MAKES HIT.

Special Day Attracts Record Attend
ance of Visitors at Chicago Land
ShoW-Hon. r. N. Sims Orator
OF the Day, Representing Gov.
Sanders.
! Louisiana day, which was celebra-
ted last Saturday at the Chicago
Land Show, was an unqualified sue
cess in every particular, and, as had
been expected, the attendance was
the largest in the history of the
show. The gentlemen in charge of
the Louisiana exhibit overlooked
nothing in the way of entertaining
their guests or attracting attention
to the wonderful resources and ad-
vantages of the pelican state, and
| the thousands of people who visited
the booth expressed their entire sat
lsfaction with the entertainment ac-
corded them and sincere apprecia-
ton for the liberal hospitality ex-
/ tended.
| Hon. R. N. Sims, of Donaldsonville,
personal representative of Gov. San
ders, was the orator of the day, and
delivered forceful and eloquent ad-
dress on "The Glories of Louisiana"
speaking both in the afternoon and at
night. Mr. Sims described Louisi-
| ana's exceptional advantages and
possibilities in a most Interesting and
effective manner, and his scholarly
address will long be remembered by
those who had the pleasure of hear
ing him.
The scene around the Louisiana
booth was typically southern. Moss
was entWined around the posts and
suspended in graceful festoons from
the ceiling, and the entire space was
attractively decorated with sugar
cane, cotton, citrus fruits of every
character, fresh vegetables and other
products of the pelican state A real
negro plantation quartette, seated on
bales of hay, sang plantation melo
dies throughout the day. The Louisi-
| ana colony in Chicago co-operated
heartily in making the celebration a
success, and a large number of ma
tive sons and daughters presented
themselves at the booth and joined
in booming Louisiana.
casion were. opened at $50 o'clock
p. M, when the Paulist chorus, com
posed of seventy-five of the finest
male voices in Chicago, sang Amer
ica.' This was followed by an in
Itroductory address by. w liam Rguce
Hartman lines, who IN turn present
ed Edward Wisner, known as the
father of reclamation in Louisiana.
Mr. Wisner, while brief in his re
marks, made most pleasing address
and one that carried much weight
with it.
Mr.. Sims was next introduced and
spoke in part as follows:
THE wealthiest planters in all
America live in Louisiana. Their
lands produce sugar cane. But in
late years it has been found that
these plantations, when cut up into
small farms md cultivated by thrifty
white farmer families, produce So in
cash results where they produced on
ly 81 under the plantation or over
lord system,
Think OF it, my friends, the lands
which under the old methods of
wasteful cultivation, made many men
independently wealthy, can and do
produce double the returns when cul-
tivated by the small land owner l
have singled out the sugar planter
because you have all heard of him.
But there are many other farmers in
our state whose lands pay them five
times as we'll as do those of the SUI
gar producer.
"You will be astonished to learn
that nearly four-fifths of the cultiva
BILE area of this enormously produc-
tive state has never known the point
of plow Yet the four-fifths of the
states acreage that has never been
cultivated includes millions of acres
that is even more rich in produc-
tivity than is any part or portion of |
the other one-fifth which has been |
declared over and over again by au-
thorities to be the richest farm lands |
in the new world.
Boil WeeviI Helped Farmer.
Several years ago the boil weevil |
invaded Louisiana, and worried our |
cotton planters a great deal. 1t cost
them some money, too. But it has
made them the most independent
farmers on earth, because they turn
ed to diversified farming and now
grow corn and food crops, raise
horses, hogs and cattle, and actu-
ally sell corn. to the very people from
whom they once bought corn for
their cattle, meat to the men from
whom they once bought it for their
tables, and food to many and grow
ing markets.
Several years ago louisiana i'm
ported about 2o,00o,000 bushels of
corn. Now Louisiana exports corn.
Just about a year ago a Louisiana
boy, in competition with $4,000 other
boys, won first prize for corn culture
at the National Corn Exhibit at Col
umbus, Ohio. His total outlay for the
production of that corn was 1872 cents
Il ~ r~-+- hug Val