The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1920-05-08
A GREATER AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE
By Nemours Caire, Aged IA, of St.
James High School, St. James
Parish, Eighth Grade

a
Parish, Eighth Grade
Louisiana is an agricultural state
because it depends mostly on agricul-
ture. Sugar cane can be grown here
and can not be grown in many other
states. Corn is one of our great crops .
Cotton is our greatest crop. In order
to increase our production we must
know how to work the land; in order
to know how TO work the land men
must be taught to know what they
can do to their crops to increase them.
The place where they are taught IS
called an agricultural college Louis
lana needs an agricultural college to
teach her men in agriculture. We
have a college but it is not sufficient.
We must have a greater one.
Our young men who want to be-
come chemists go to other states to
study and stay there and work. We
want to keep our young men here to
work for us and not others. II we
had a greater college our young men
would stay here to study. This col
lege would teach them how to I'M
prove their crops. If the crops are
/ improved it means more money to the
state. By improving our agriculture
1--we improve our commerce. The
state would then improve its condi-
tions. We would be able to have
better roads and schools. We would
not be ashamed of our state, then.
This college has work to do IN or
der to improve agriculture. Chem
lists are employed to study the land
and see what it needs and what kind
of soil is good for certain plants.
Teachers are employed to teach boys
and men how to farm. The college
helps them understand more about the
soil than they did. Experiments are
made to see what kinds of plants will
grow here. Agriculture helps COM
merce a great deal.
Without agriculture our forests
and mines would be of little use to
us. The people would not be able to
live. and consequently would not be
able to mine and cut down trees for
lumber. In establishing agriculture
we help commerce along. We have
crops to sell and the trade is great.
No state or country can do without
agriculture.
In. order to carry on its work a
college must have enough funds. In
many states the people are taxed one
mill on a dollar to pay the expenses
of the college. The chemists in col
Ilege have to be paid; teachers have
to be paid; implements for farming
have to be bought; chemicals for ex-
periments have to be bought; land
for farming has to be bought. All
these things cost money and you
don't get them for nothing now days.
If one-mill tax were placed on the
people the expenses of the college
would be paid.
With the improvement of agricul-
ture our state improves. Industry is
carried on to greater extent. Roads
are kept in better shape. Schools are
improved, and everything is made
better. Many people complain that
by living on a farm they have not the
conveniences Of the town. Our great
err college will teach the people to
make more off their crops than be-
fore. They will then be able to have
the conveniences of the town. The
farm life will then be pleasant thing
instead of dreary lonesome life.
The money given for our greater
agricultural college will be safe in
vestment. The men who give will not
benefit directly from it, but theil
children will. The younger genera
ton will profit by it when they are
grown up and want to become fam
Gus farmers. Louisiana stands near
ly last in agriculture. Our greater
, college will bring it to a standing
. equal to other states. Once upon {
] time we had no schools here. Today
i we have good schools all over the
state and better roads than before
; So has our agriculture improved. We
want to keep on improving our agri
J culture. Therefore, our greater ag
ricultural college means more to u'
than any other. thing because many
j of our people depend solely on ag
i riculture With our men better train
ed in this line our trade will grow
! The farm life will be leasant instead
of being lonesome and dreary. Louis
lana will then be equal to the othel
agricultural states. This state will
] then be greatly improved in schools
/ roads and commerce.