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

was ever to be planted in thl
country. And yet that hope. tina
purpose. and that obtains. partic
ularly in the delta. has possest on
people until the young men ar
seeing visions and the older one
are dreaming dreams.
At least. it will prove suicidal. i
our opinion, to fail to make oats
corn, and hay. hog and hominy
taters and 'lasses."
A very different story is toll,
IN northeast Mississippi. accord
ing to the Vicksburg Herald
where counties in the same paral
lei as Cleveland have been as bad
ly devastated by the weevil a.
southwest Mississippi was eigh,
Years ago. 1t quotes tn Colum
bus lndx from that section as say
ing:
1.-The only solution of the prob
lem is for the people to observe
the most rigid economy in their
affairs and to plant the largest
possible amount Of food crops.
Plant now! Get a few hogs, and
chickens. and turkeys, a cow or
two, and 90 to work. Others have
won out in the boll-weevil fight,
and so can we. Plan for the ne
cesslties of your own life and
home first. Get to worl-that s
the thing! You must not lie down
or give up in the face of misfor-
tune like the present. This section
recovered from the ravages of the
Civil War. and it is not going to
fail now"
A noteworthy statement of the
Meridian Star is that great danger
for the Southern farmer lies in the
present high price of cotton, in
which "but a comparatively few
producers are being benefited"
because it may easily tempt him
to abandon Investigation and re-
turn to that single-crop system
which did so much to hold the
South back in former years. This
journal goes on to say that farm
ers should remember that the high
price for cotton this year is due
to abnormal causes: first, the
comparatively short crop; and,
secondly, the demand for the
staple based upon the desire Of
England and France to keep cot
ton away from Germany. at least
during the progress of the war"
Therefore. The Star urges that the
Southern farmer should stick to
Investigation. securing first food
stuffs for family and stock, and
putting the balance Of this acre
age to cotton, if he must have a
gamble. for it is of the opinion |
hat raising cotton on a large
acreage under boll-weevil condi-
ions is quite as much of a gamble
ls buying or selling cotton in the
'uture market margins" On
he subject Of the cotton-market,
he New Orleans Times-Picayune
points out that the Cotton Futures
Act has revolutionized the condi-
ions which enabled bear cliques
% regulate the market at will, |
md it adds: !
with 'fixt differences and de-
BASED grades relegated to the
crap-heap. the New York bears
lave to make money. like any
,ody else. by correctly forecasting
he relation of demand to supply.
And the speculative public, know
ng that the Government guaran-
ees square DEAL does not hes
tate to take the commodity in
land whenever the price seems to
'e out of line with the fundament-
/ figures. Thus a huge move
nent, or any other bearish force,
10 longer tells if cotton is. or is
bought, cheap on it's ultimate
aerits. The crop Of 1916 is.
the most valuable ever
but it's value might
ave been cut in two if the trade
ad not undergone revolutionary
barge. The change was difficult
0 bring about. but the past, at
East, is secure"
In Texas, the Dallas Times
[erald recalls the collapse of the
otton-market in July and August.
l