New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1916-12-30

The Nations Bsiness (Washing
tom, says that in order to guar,
against the overplanting Of cot
ton in the South, campaign wa
} planned in that month to last O
twelve weeks. and we read:
1.-The agricultural colleges, tn
agricultural field-forces. mer
chants, manufacturers, bankers
and above all, Southern newspap
ers, will bend every energy to
ward a continuance Of the SAT,
unsuccessful methods of the las
two years. The success or failure
Of this campaign now depend.
upon the unselfish cooperation Of
Southern farmers. We are at q
turning point in the economic his
tory Of the South. Are we to ga
forward or back? The answer
lies with the Southern farmers.
When cotton went to twenty
cents on the New York Cotton
Exchange. the Mobile Register re.
marked that "bumper crops al.
ways bring low prices, and low
prices for cotton or any other
crop mean depression for the
farmer" therefore it urges the
Southern farmer not to increase
the acreage in cotton, but to cut
it down. and this journal adds:
"Our cotton-lands do not ave-
rage half a bale an acre. They
could be made to average two
bades an acre if properly fertil-
lied and cultivated. This fact
should be taught dav in and day
out to the cotton-farmers. and
they should be shown how and
where it is to their advantage to
raise. more grain and hay, more
hogs, sheep. and cattle. When
this is done. when our cotton
growers are shown that they can
make more money with this sort
of farming than they can by rails
ing cotton alone. they will be the
richest farmers in the world"
When we advance into Miss
issippi, we hear from the Vicks-
burg Herald that since the boil
weevil came, tho an old topic, crop
diversification has been taught as
never before by the Department
of Agriculture's demonstrators
and experts. and by agricultural
colleges. newspaper editors. and
the lesson of experience. Advice
has been dispensed ad nauseam,
according to this journal, and yet |
has influenced many to whole
some departures from the one-cot-
ton crop. but "all such tendencies
have been more or less counter
acted by irrepressible backward
swings to cotton upon any appar-
emit relaxation Of boll-weevil WISH
tation and by every occurrences to
> high-price level" The reyult is
that the agricultural procession in
the cotton States has been kept in
D to-and-fro Investigation move
ment with, however, a consistent
advance toward larger grain and
forage crops and stock raising"
At present. this journal goes on
10 say, progress j nthis direction
IS threatened by exceptionally
nigh-priced cotton, while promot-
ID by a remarkable drift Of need
ID negro labor to the North. The
nature or extent of the operation
# the causes stated, especially the
ligh-priced cotton factor. says
The Herald, can be considered
'nly speculatively, but the ques-
ion of effects is being DISGUST by
many and is well treated in an
lrticle by Mr.. C. O.. Carpenter, of
little Rock. Ark. in The Progress
i've Farmer. where he observes:
"The present high prices for
'otton and cottonseed that pre-
'ail in Arkansas offer many of our
armers an opportunity to get
way from the credit system that,
taken advantage of, will mean
N independence for the future.
Bankers and merchants report an
unprecedented business, and by
lsing little economy and care in
he handling of their money a
'reat many Of our farmers can
inter- 1917 on q cash basis, Free
ng themselves from the burden
+ high credit prices. However,
talking with country merchants
ne hears the statement rather
requently these days that Our
can't stand Snrncv.o,.s%v