The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-11-22

are so exclusively agricultural ana
scarcely scratched is no doubt the
most nromentous single statewide
campaign that has ever been conduct
ed in Louisiana. This is particularly
true Just at the close of the world
war, when the prevailing high prices
which are national and international,
have forced the people to recognize
that a golden opportunity is open to
the farmer, and that the production
of farm products must be greatly in
creased so that there will be enough
to feed all even at the prevailing
prices.
Louisiana as state is in a period
of transition. Only few years ago
timber was the resource of a great
portion of the state; cattle from vast
stretches of unfenced prairies from
another; while the agricultural area
was limited to few large plantations
and when compared with other
states-fewer small farms. Men of
enterprise have changed this condi-
ton. Stump land by township and
parish will soon be all that is left to
recall the unlimited timber supply.
Companies have bought up and indi-
viduals have homesteaded the broad
prairies. Oil wells and sulphur mines
come and go-but the state must pro-
vide for notwithstanding per-
manent.
It has been truthfully said that
"civilization begins and ends with the
plow''-but there are plows and
plows. The people of Louisiana have
learned by observation, study and the
/ influence of the various federal and
state agricultural agencies that the
best plows and methods of using
them, the best seed, livestock ,poul-
try, fertilizers, homes and convent
ences are the most profitable and sat
isfactory on Louisiana soils. They
have learned that it takes as long
and costs almost as much to produce
a third of a bale of cotton per acre
as it does a bale. They know the diff
ference is in the method of cultiva-
jtion but to make the change they
must have instruction. Their chill
dren must be educated along agricul-
tural lines in order to become leaders
in their respective communities. They
have provided for the education OF
their children at home, even to the
, extent of building agricultural high
schools and establishing demonstra-
ton farms-but the state has done
practically nothing for the more ad.
vanced education of their children.
There are a great many Louisiana
farmers who can not understand why
Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas car
give their sons and daughters an ag-
ricultural education in modern, wei
equipped colleges, and the great state
of Louisiana hasn't seen fit to provide
a good imitation. They can not un.
derstand why Louisiana should not
educate her own boys and girls to
become demonstration agents and
community leaders in the place of i'm
porting them from adjacent states,
and thereby paying tribute to the en-
terprise and progress of those states
and ignoring the possibilities of our
own.
The extent of Louisiana's progress
as an agricultural state; Of her posi-
bilities in that direction; of the dire
need of an institution to stimulate ag-
Iriculture and of the present lack Of
agricultural educational facilities are
well known to many people of the
state but they must be made known
to everyone in the state, and each
must become an enthusiast for a
greater agricultural college, which
viii be the foundation of the states
permanent and profitable develop
ment.
This is the task that has been as
signed to our fellow townsman, Lloyd
IL. Squires of Lake Charles, by the
executive committee of the Greater
Agricultural College Association. Mr..
Squires is admirably suited to this
great undertaking, having spent the
greater part of his life in Calcasieu
parish in educational and agricul-
tural work-the kind of training that
would naturally qualify him to con-
duct a campaign in the interest of an
agricultural and educational institu-
ton.
At the beginning Of Americas par
ticipation in the world war, he was in
the employ of the American-Press
and was assigned by the paper to par
ticipate in and report all war activity
meetings. His work in these cam
paigns was Of such a nature that he
was recommended in January, 1918
to the federal reserve bank, to act in
the capacity of field representative
for Southwest Louisiana, by the
Americana Press and the bankers OF
Lake Charles. He acted as field rep
resentative for state chairman, L. NJ
Pool, Of the Marine Bank and Trust
Company, during the third, fourth
| r.s.r ,.1A 80. - =, Aha ;r.