AGRICULTURE. Louisiana is exceptionally fa vored by the nature of its soil, rainfall, and temperature for the luxuriant growth of vegeta tion and the success of agriculture. The only uncultivable land is found in the region of the coast marshes, but even these afford fine pas turage. The alluvial soils of the river valleys are noted for their inexhaustible fertility. In 1900 the acreage included in farms was 11,059,127 acres, or 38 per cent. of the area of the State. This was a decided increase over all earlier decades. As compared with 1860, the increase in farm acreage since that year has been wholly in the percentage of farm land improved, which was increased from 29.1 per cent. in 1860 to 42.2 per cent. in 1900. As was true throughout the South. agricultural interests in Louisiana suf fered a severe blow from the Civil War, and the slow recovery was attended by a change in the agricultural system. Especially noteworthy are the breaking up of the large plantations and the increase in the renting of farms. The average size of farms has decreased steadily from 5:36 acres in 1860 to 95 acres in 1900.
However, certain of the State's products are much more economically produced on a large scale, and the plantation system of cultivation is probably more extensive in Louisiana than in any of the other Southern States. In 1900 there were 1050 farms which exceeded 1000 acres in area, and the average per acre value of the prod ucts ($4.96) was greater than it was for the farms having between 100 and 1000 acres.
The increase in renting is due largely to the increased number of negroes who undertake farm ing on their own account. The number of colored renters is over two and one-half times as great as that of the white renters. while the number of colored farmers is less than one-quarter the num ber of white owners. In 1900. 25 per cent. of the farms were operated by cash tenants and 33 per cent. by share tenants. The acreage operated by the colored farmers was 21.2 per cent. of the total, but less than 10 per cent. was actually owned by them.
Louisiana ranks below most of the Southern States in the production of the two leading crops of that region—cotton and corn. The acreage of these two crops is about the same, but the cot ton crop is estimated at more than twice the value of the corn. and is of first importance in the State. The production of cotton, in pounds, was almost the same in 1899 as in 1859. The acreage of corn increased 60.4 per cent. in the last decade of the nineteenth century, and in the last census year amounted to 93.5 per cent. of that of the total cereal crop. The sugar-cane and rice cured from wells. The crop is harvested the same as wheat in the Northwest.
In 1889, 63,098 acres were devoted to vege taldes, -13,1 per cent. of which was in sweet potatoes. Peas are grown to some extent, and in the last decade of the nineteenth century there was a very significant increase in the cultivation of peanuts, but the area devoted to them is still small. Comparatively little attention is given to fruit. Of the 1,168,792 trees in 1900, ti4.11 per
cent. were peach trees, the number of which had much more than doubled in the decade ending with that year. Ninety-nine per cent. of the area devoted to small fruits was in strawberries. The following figures show the acreage of the lead ing crops for the census years indicated: culture of the United States is largely localized in Louisiana. The sugar crop rivals cotton in value, although the acreage devoted to it is in comparably smaller. This industry had become extensive by the middle of the nineteenth century, but after that period did not increase greatly until the last decade of the century. A very con siderable portion of the crop in Louisiana must annually be kept for seed. This is not the case in Cuba or Hawaii. Louisiana is thus placed at a decided disadvantage in competition. The heavy expenditure incurred in the machinery re quired to conduct a sugar plantation successfully results in the establishment of large estates, the average size being much greater than that of farms which are primarily devoted to any other STOCK-Pt:USING. As is usual in a region where so little attention is given to cereals, stock raising is of small importance. The number of horses on farms was, however, considerably more than twice. and the number of mules and more than three times, as great in 1900 as in 1850, and the increase in each of these was espe cially marked in the last decade of that period The increase was much less for other varieties of domestic animals, although the number of dairy cows has increased rapidly since 1870, and milk and butter have become important sources of income.
The following table shows the number of domes tic animals on farms, as reported by the censuses of 1890 and 1900: crop. In 1899, 56.7 per cent. of the crop was grown under the immediate management of the manufacturer, 8.6 per cent. on plantations by tenants, and 34.7 per cent. by others—the two last classes selling the harvested product to the manufacturer. Much damage occasionally results to the sugar crop from frosts.
The rice-growing industry had its period of greatest increase in the last five years of the nine teenth century. The delta parishes were the most important rice-g•owing region, hut they have recently been largely given up for the prairie coast region west of the delta. The parishes of Acadia, Calcasieu, and Vermilion in 1889 con tributed 6S.3 per cent. of the crop, although in 1SS9 they had produced only 23.5 per cent. This change in the region of rice production resulted from the difficulty in using heavy modern machin ery in the delta district. owing to the soft allu vial soil, and to the discovery that the prairie soil was unequaled for rice-growing. Heavy irri gation is required, and this is easily obtained on the prairies of Louisiana. Canals are constructed along the higher ridges of land, and pumping plants at the head of the canals lift the water from the streams. The region is underlaid with water-hearing gravel. so that water is also se