The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-08-31
STAPLE CROPS GROW
IN VALUE ALMOST
DAILY ON MARKETS
Cotton Market Has Upward
Tendency and Is Cents
Now in Sight
RICE IN BIG DEMAND
AND MILLS BUY FAST
Farmers Feel Hopeful as
Conditions Approach Nor
malcy Again

Farmers of the country begin to
feel more cheerful as they watch the
cotton and rice markets kiting up-
ward almost daily and the demand
for the two staples increasing with
the birth of each day. It is great
sign, they think. and while the cot
ton crop is undeniably short they en-
tertain strong hopes of recoupsng
some of their past years losses by
the present sale of the 1921 crop for
a price they hardly dreamed posi-
BILE a few months ago.
Fourteen cents was offered and
paid for middling cotton here last
Saturday, and the tendency Of the
market is to bound upwards, and II
this tendency continues by the TINA
this appears in print the fifteen-cent
mark will have been reached and
passed. There can not be any sen.
sational rise for the rules of the diff
ferent exchanges throughout the
country prohibit a fluctuation over
two hundred points-two eents-in a
single day. Quite a number Of local
farmers refused to sell at thirteen
cents last week and it is supposed
they will hold for fifteen and now Il
begins to appear as If they VIII get
that figure within very short Tins
Rice, too, looks good and the de-
mand for the small crop grown in
sures an excellent price for the en-
tire production. The trend Is TO-
wards four dollars and even better
per standard barrel, and last week
one farmer at Rayne sold several
hundred sacks at slightly better than
that figure There has been =
healthy mount in figures ever since
the crop began to move, and rice
buyers all over southwest Loaisiana
and in the river parishes are active
Iy engaged in bidding on every lot
along and farmers
offered. Mills are operating right
along and farmers wagons are haul
ing the crop to market or to storage
warehouses without hitch.
St. Landry parish is not classed
with Acadia, Vermilion, JEFF Davis
and other southwest Louisiana par.
ishes as rice producer for agricui
ture in this parish is more diyersifi
ed, rice being only one Of the staple
money crops grown here, whereas u
the parishes named rice is the ons
great crop, many farmers GROWING
absolutely nothing else. ST. Landry
position in the agricultural line
however, is sound insurance agains
financial failure, for when one croi
fails the farmer pulls even with hi
years production in other crops
But when it comes to raising ric
! st. Landry leads the list IN ylela pp
acre among all its sisters in this pal
: of the state. There are thousands 9
acres grown in the several parishe
named above that make but few bag
to the acre, whereas the fertile SOL
of this parish often produce eigntee
to more than twenty sacks OF tw
hundred pounds each on sing
|. acre, and the growing of that ylel
!, is no more expensive than the grc'
, ing of the smaller yield on the iei
fertile lands of the great rice prodn
. ing parishes. st. Landry rice groN
! ers. therefore. can reap great pr
fits from the indutry by planting o
. ly a portion of their fields IN ~
and planting on the remaining acF'
corn. cotton, sugarcane, potatoes a.
: other crops Of profit. They foic
; this system as rule and in folio
ing the plan they find agricuitur
selvation. 1t will be more in eviden
during 1922 than ever before.