The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1915-05-15
SOUTHWESTERN
REFLECTIONS.

When the advent Of .he grow.
Ing season reinforced by abun.
dant rains, the farmers declara
tlon Of war against the all perva
slve grass must be backed up by
energetic and nneeasing work.
Along with everything else, good
and bai, i'll Southwest Louisiana
grass grows with exceeding rapid
Ilty, aud the iuckiess farmer who
once permits it to get the start OF
b IN is IN bad way.
And yet, If we but realized II
fully, one of our most prolific
sour oes Of natural wealth lies in
these very grasses which we farm
ers spend so much time and mon
ey in the effort to subdue. When
the late "Father Cary who did
so much to develop Louisiana, lit
from the train on the vast bald
prairie where the city of Jennings
now stands and looked around
him at the exbuberant grasses
with which the land was covered,
he excIalmed:-"When | look at
he luxniiaDt growth On these
prairies | no longer wonder why
NebuchanHezzar resigned the
power and splendor of the Baby.
lonan throne and went out to eat
grass.
And so, after all, the question
will obtrude itself in these day
of war and grass, whether it were
not better for us as farmers TO be-
come rich growing grass than to
impoverish ourselves in the vain
fight to destroy it.
A few years ago Bill Polk IN.
troduced a bill in the Louisiana
Legislature making it a penal of
fense for.raiIroads and others to
permit johnson Grass TO grow on
their properties.
A month ago DR.. S M Lyons,
of Sulphur, pointed ont to the
"Prosperity CampaIgnersn a for
ry-acre plot of ground planted to
johnson Grass. as a commercial
proposition. In response to an
expression of surprise the Doctor
replied: "Why noue That farmer
gets eight dollars per ton for the
bay aud be can produce seven or
eight tons per acre without any
expense save that of cutting and
baling it.n
And then there is lexpedeza,
growing wild all over Southwest
Louisiana. a great soil builder
Which can be sold broadcast
among the oats during the month
of March and bring in harvest
of gold without further attention
for two or three successive years
afterwards. In our worthless
marsh lands millions of tons of
DuiUe fine, a wild native grass
richer in food contents than alfal
ia, may be harvested every year
simply for the trouble of going
after it. Ifit is not growing al
ready in your marshes it can be
made to spread all over them in
single season simple by trans
planting it there without previous
preparation of the soil. Thus
may our lowest lands be convert
ed into beds of gold, as il were.
And then there are the c]overs,
crimson, red, burr, melillotus, the
vetches, rape and numerous other
forage crops, from any Of which
fortunes may be made with but
little attention.
The question that suggests it
self is, why should we spend so
much money fighting our friend,
the beDefcient grassi Why not
sign up a treaty Of peace with it
and let it make US rich?
Quite naturally this suggests
live stock, dairIes, creameries,
packeries, etc. For grass brings
to us infinitely more money when
we convert it into milk, cream,
butter, cheese, porterhonse steaks,
hams, bacon, sausage, vol, NUT
ton ETC., thanit does when we sell
- -. eon-- - hn cn1d