The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-02-16
INVESTIGATION AS A
PERMANE 7.'- FACTOR
IN G1TULTURE

II is encouraging to note that the
Importance of diver5ification in agri
culture is again being emphasized as
/ a means Of bringing about conditions
! that will prevent in the future, a
/ recurrence of those which have oc'
! casioned the present unsatisfactory
state of things, agricultural, through
our too common method Of single
cropping.
Such recommendation is Of course,
not new. which all Of our farming peo-
pie must know. Diversification, with
suitable rotation Of crops, has been
advocated in Louisiana for the past
thirty years, to the writer's own
knowledge In fact, it has been the
agricultural slogan" for these many
years of all those who have been in
terested in the states agricultural de-
yelopment. However,, it would seem
that at present prevailing, to cause
0Ir good people to consider. Meet
ings a-o held to try to solve the prob
lem OF bad times" reduction Of
acreags of some staple srop, like cot
ten is advocated, with greater food
and feed crop production, and with
more livestock to occupy the area on
which reduction is to be made, ETC.
This is absolutely sound advice, and
ought to be acted upon, not as a
temporary expedient, however but as
a permanent practice The outcome Of
the past season should teach a les
sen never to be forgotten. At the
same time, and unfortunately, when
the prices Of our staple crops happen
to again turn "skyward," the tempta-
zion to abandon liberalization seems
SO strong in many instances, and our
people revert to the single crop, with
all cotton or all something else, again
the rule, and with another calami-
tous ending following sharp reduc-
ton in prices.
As a general statement, si1gl9-crop-
ping can, in no sense, be considered
sane farming. 1t is more or less, and
perhaps more or less speculation,
il not gambling, pure an dsimple.
Under existing conditions, it seems
almost impossible for the farmer 70
raise a crop without the aid of the
| banker or the merchant; and vet the
writer is familiar with conditions lust
the reverse, where the farmer instead
OF having to depend upon the banker
For the merchant for advance in money
or supplies the banker or the mer
chant seeks the farmer for his bank
or other account. Such condition;
do not prevail, however, under a one
crop system OF farming, but unde,
/ intelligent diversified agriculture
where the necessary food and feed
crops are raised and the latter mark
eted, as finished products. in the form
OF meat animals, dairy products etc
and where cash crops can generally
/ be held until it suits the convenience,
OF the farmer to dispose of them.
There seems little double that tn.
change from single-cropping to diver
| sification would cause labor disorgani
cation for a time at least, on som,
OF our large holdings. However. /
! the one crop system is wrong in prin
ciple, agriculturally, and the diversifi
cation method, under ordinary condi
IONS is the carrect one, would it no
De the better part Of wisdom to max,
the change gradually, rather than con
unue a system which periodically re
suits SO calamitousIy?
No sane person would advocate tn,
total abandonment Of cotton in tn,
South. which is the nome OF the stapE
but by making it take it's place i,
4 an intelligent and suitable rotation o
/ crops, more of 1t could be produced I,
the acre, through better condition n
the land previously occupying it, all o
which would add considerably to tn,
revenue from the farm.
President-elect Harding, in one 0
ms New Orleans addresses. stuck
note which, in the opinion OF tn,
writer, should have been featured b,
/
cur Southern Press, much more tina,
appears to have been the case. al
though, at the time it was considere,
one OF the thigh lights" Of the ad
uFess IN question. It was as follows
l would like to acclaim a southlan,
with added good fortune and CRATE
seitrellance through diversified agri
culture" So that. in emphasizing tn,
importance Of diversification. we hay.
the endorsement Of no less a person