Louisiana

Cotton, Indian corn, rice, sugar-cane and sweet-potatoes, in the order named, constituted the most important field crops. From the 1,221,00oac. planted in cotton in 1935, 556,000 bales of lint cotton and 247,000 tons of cotton-seed were produced. The total farm value of the cotton crop was $38,419,000, a value which gave Louisiana the rank of seventh among the States. The yield of Indian corn, which reached the maximum of 35,022,00obu. in 1921, was 27,676,000bu. in 1935, and had a value of $19,373,000. In the production of rice, Louisiana leads all other States, the yield over a period of years averaging nearly one-half the total raised in the United States. The crop in 1935 amounted to 16, 212,000bu., with a value of $11,186,000. Practically all the cane sugar produced in the United States comes from Louisiana. The 29o,000ac. of cane planted for sugar produced 333,00o tons of sugar and 25,614,000gal. of molasses. There was also a sugar-cane acreage of 27,000 used in the production of syrup. Louisiana ranked fifth among the States of the Union in 1935 in the produc tion of sweet-potatoes. The 123,000ac. devoted to this crop yielded 8,856,000bu. valued at $5,136,000. Rice and sugar-cane are the only field crops with restricted areas of production. The sugar-cane region is confined, almost exclusively, to the Mississippi delta and Bayou Teche regions, while the chief area of rice pro duction is the prairie region of the south-west. Irrigation is almost entirely confined to rice farms. The principal sources of water supply are the streams flowing to the Gulf and wells, from both of which water is pumped. The production of vegetables has not been developed to the extent that the State's climate would war rant ; however, the industry has acquired considerable importance in the vicinity of New Orleans. The raising of strawberries has proved profitable on the cut-over pine lands of Livingston and Tangipahoa parishes. In 1935, Louisiana stood first among the States of the United States in production of strawberries. Citrus fruits are grown in considerable quantities along the Mississippi river below New Orleans. Among the nuts the native pecan is exceptionally abundant and is commercially important.

Minerals.

In the value of its mineral products ($85,211,000) Louisiana ranked ninth among the States of the Union in At that time petroleum, sulphur, natural gas, natural gasolene, and stone, in the order named, were the principal products. Most of the petroleum produced in the State came from the parishes of Caddo, Red River, De Soto and Clairborne. The State's out put in 1935 was 49,869,000bbl., as compared with 2o,272,000bbl. in 1925; a production which gave Louisiana the rank of fifth among the States. In the production of natural gas, the State ranked fourth in 1934 with an output of 225,713,000,000 cu.ft. (137,413,000,00o consumed). An important product of the nat ural gas industry is natural gas gasolene which amounted to 40,558, 000gal. in 1934 and 48,718,000gal. in 1935. Louisiana then ranked fourth among the States in this product. Until 1924 Louisiana led all other States in the production of sulphur, but late in that year production in Calcasieu parish was suspended because of the exhaustion of the deposit. This came after 25 years of pro duction with a total yield of about 10,000,000 tons of sulphur. It was this deposit which made the United States the chief sulphur producing country in the world, and the product virtually dis placed Sicilian sulphur, which at one time held first place in the world's market. The State's sulphur output in 1935 was second only to Texas. In 1935 Louisiana ranked fifth among the States of the Union as a producer of salt. In that year the salt produc tion was 702,990 short tons, and had a value of $1,870,000. Limestone is the principal stone product. The total value of all mineral production rose $22,485,000 from 1929 to Manufactures.—The manufacturing industries of the State

are for the most part closely related to the products of the soil, about two-thirds of the value of all manufactures in 1933 being represented by lumber and timber products, sugar and molasses refining, food preparations, rice cleaning and polishing and cotton seed products. The value of all manufactured products in 1933 was $312,175,000 as compared with $674,259,000 in 1929. There was a decrease of 47,863 in the number of wage-earners, and of 636 in the number of establishments. In the production of lumber in 1925, Louisiana ranked third in quantity and second in value among the States of the Union. The timber cut of 1934 was of ficially stated as 775,000,000 of bd.ft.; the principal kinds being yellow pine and cypress. Petroleum refining, which came first in 1933 in value among the State's products, gave Louisiana the rank of fifth among the States. New Orleans, with industries giving employment to 22,529 wage-earners and having an output valued at $148,388,315, was the principal industrial centre in 1929. Sec ond in importance was Shreveport with 2,632 wage-earners and products valued at $22,020,242.

The table below shows the chief industries of Louisiana, ranked according to value of product in 1933, and the number of wage earners engaged in each industry.

Forest Products.

The forests of Louisiana are among the finest in the United States. The 301 mills in active operation in 1925 gave employment to 41,761 persons and had a product valued at $121,896,611. In the total value of lumber products Louisiana was surpassed by Washington only. Of the 091,00o bd.ft. cut in 1925, 2,564,272,000 were classified as soft wood and 728,819,000 bd.ft. as hardwood. Chief among the softwoods were 2,289,846,000 bd.ft. of yellow pine (chiefly long leaf pine), 274,040,000 bd.ft. of cypress and 386,00o bd.ft. of cedar. Of the hardwoods, red gum (271,415,00o bd.ft.), oak (221, 863,000 bd.ft.), tupelo (100,395,00o bd.ft.) and ash (33,589,000 bd.ft.) were of greatest importance. Louisiana in 1925 ranked first among the States in the production of cypress, red gum, tupelo and ash, and second only to Mississippi in the quantity of yellow pine produced.

Fisheries.

The coastal fisheries of Louisiana in 1934, accord ing to the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, employed 2,307 persons and used vessels and other fishing boats totalling 1,634. The total production of the fisheries amounted to 76,633,000 lb. valued at $2,284,600. Of this total the shore and boat fisheries yielded 48,340,325 lb. of fish and shellfish, valued at $1,180,653. The more important species were shrimp, 38,095,780 lb., valued at $800,452; oysters, 2,978,061 lb., valued at $228,327 squeteagues or "sea trout," 632,898 lb., valued at $38,210; red drum or red fish, 281,739 lb., valued at $14,493; red snapper, 66,884 lb., valued at $4,013; and sheepshead, 77,673 lb., valued at $4,019. Fish canning and the manufacture of by-products was carried on by 90 establishments, employing 3,287 persons. The total output of these industries was valued at $2,810,398; of this amount canned shrimp represented $1,512,778 and dried shrimp, Transportation and Commerce.—The steam railway mile age in the State continued to increase until 1915 when it was 5,729; since that date there has been a gradual decrease, the total in 1934 being 4,535 miles. In the year 1932 there were 201 M. of electric railway operated by nine companies. Louisiana is show ing much progress in the construction of improved highways. On Jan. I, 1935, there were 4,446 m. of road in the State high way system, and of this amount 4,311 m. were surfaced. Consider able damage is done the highways by the river floods, but they are always put back in condition as rapidly as the resources of the State will permit.