coast, figs, grapefruits, peaches and pomegranates are produced here.

Animal Life. Among the wild animals native to the Gulf states black bears, wolves and deer are still found occasionally in Louisiana, and the lynx and panther may be seen on rare occasions in the swamp regions. Raccoons, squirrels and opossums are common, and the bird life is varied and abundant. Besides the familiar game birds, such as pelicans, cranes, turkeys, geese and partridges, there are many smaller feathered residents, some of which are clothed in charming and brilliant plumage. Alligators and numerous kinds of reptiles, including turtles, lizards, rattlesnakes and moccasins, are found in the swamp lands.

Live stock is made up chiefly of cattle, horses, mules, sheep and swine; the state has about 268,000 milch cows, 191,000 horses, 132,000 mules, 180,000 sheep, 1,412,000 swine. Louisiana produces each year about 32,702,130 gallons of milk, and the total annual value of its dairy products is nearly $3,000,000.

Fisheries. In the value of its fisheries Louisiana is second only to Florida among the Gulf states. The oyster fisheries are the most important, and are surpassed only by those in Chesapeake Bay. Other important catches are shrimp, catfish, trout and crabs. Alligators, caught for their hides, were formerly numerous, but are becoming scarce.

Minerals. The mineral resources of Louisiana have been worked only since the first decade of the twentieth century. Its chief products are sulphur, petroleum, salt, coal and natural gas. Louisiana produces nearly all the sulphur extracted in the United States, and one of the most important sulphur mines in the world is found at Sulphur City. The only other great source of supply in the world is the sulphur mines in Sicily (Italy). At Sulphur City large beds of sulphur that extend four to six hundred feet underground are found. A new and interesting method is used to extract the sulphur from these underground beds. Hot water is pumped down into these sulphur beds; this dissolves the sulphur. Then the water is brought up in pipes to the surface, where it is cooled in large tanks. The sulphur it contains in solution is thus deposited, leaving a product of remarkable purity. The value of the sulphur extracted yearly is nearly $6,000,000. The most valuable mineral product of the state is petroleum, and the oil fields here are a continuation of those in Texas. One of the richest oil regions in the United States is found around Jen

nings. Extensive oil fields are located in Caddo parish, in the north. In 1914 Louisiana produced over 14,000,000 barrels of petroleum. Natural gas has also been found in Caddo parish, and it is believed that this state is underlain by one of the greatest gas fields found in any part of the United States.

Rock salt is another mineral largely extracted here. Deposits of salt were first discovered at Petite Anse Island, in the coast swamp region, during the War of Secession, and these have been worked ever since. In some places this deposit is over 1,000 feet thick, and the salt is of remarkable purity.

Manufactures. The manufacturing industries of Louisiana have shown a steady and rapid growth. The value of the state's manufactured products in 1880 was only $24,205,000; since then it has increased tenfold, to over $250,000,000 yearly. Between 1899 and 1909 it doubled, and in the next five years increased a further fourteen per cent. This great development has been due to the discovery of the oil fields in Texas and in the state itself, which is supplying for its factories a cheap and handy fuel. The improvement of waterways and the building of railroads have also greatly helped this remarkable industrial activity. As is only natural, the products of its extensive cane sugar, rice and cotton fields and the timber of its primeval forests provide the raw material for the chief industries of the state.

The most important industry is the manufacture and refining of cane sugar and the manufacture of molasses. Louisiana ranks first among the states of the Union in this respect. The manufacture of cane sugar in the United States is confined almost exclusively to Louisiana, while it produces double the amount of molasses manufactured in all the other states. Next in importance comes the manufacture of lumber and timber products, over 700 establishments being engaged in this industry. The manufacture of cottonseed oil and cake comes next. This is followed by the cleaning and polishing of rice, Louisiana containing more than half of all the establishments in the United States engaged in this industry. The manufacture of bags, mostly from burlap, for handling cottonseed and rice, is also well developed.

Transportation. The navigable rivers make it possible for almost any part of the state to be reached by water, affording comparatively easy and cheap transportation. Railroad construction was begun late, and has been rather slow. The state had 5,225 miles of railroad,

main lines and branches, in 1915. Several trunk lines traverse Louisiana from north to south and from east to west. The principal lines are the Southern Pacific; Texas & Pacific; Louisiana Railway & Navigation Company; Kansas City Southern; Illinois Central and Yazoo & Mississippi Valley; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, and Queen & Crescent Route. The great railroad center is New Orleans, which is also the chief river port and seaport. In the total tonnage and value of merchandise New Orleans is now the second port in the United States, coming after New York. A canal has been built from the Mississippi River to Lake Bargne, which greatly shortens the passage from New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana has a railway commission of three members, who have control over and authority to fix rates on both rail and water routes. The state is divided into three railway commission districts, and each district elects one commissioner.

Government. Louisiana is governed under a constitution adopted in 1913. This is the ninth constitution the state has had since its admission to the Union in 1812. It has many political institutions and provisions that differ from those of other states. This is due partly to the attempt to harmonize its former laws and institutions with those of the American democracy, and partly to the problems connected with the possession of a large negro population.

The executive officials, the governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor and attorney-general, are elected for four years each. All except the governor and state treasurer may be reëlected. The governor must be at least thirty years of age at the time of his election.

The legislative power is vested in a general assembly, which consists of a senate and a house of representatives. The number of senators must not exceed forty-one or be less than thirty-six, and the house of representatives must not have more than 120 members. The members of each branch are elected for four years. Sessions of the general assembly are held every two years, starting the second Monday in May in even numbered years, and are limited to sixty days.

Louisiana sends eight members to the United States House of Representatives.

At the head of the judicial power is the supreme court, consisting of one chief justice and four associate justices, each elected for twelve years. Below this there are twenty-two district courts, each with one judge elected by the peo

ple for a term of four years. There are, besides, courts of appeal, justices of the peace, and such other courts as may be created by law. The constitution of 1913 created a juvenile court at New Orleans and made provisions for the establishment of other such courts throughout the state.

For purposes of local government the state is divided into "parishes," which have here exactly the same meaning and function as counties in other states. This division into parishes dates from 1807, and is based on an earlier Spanish division of the province, made for religious purposes. This explains why so many parishes are named after saints. The general assembly has the power to establish new parishes, but no parish can have a smaller area than 625 square miles, nor contain fewer than 7,000 inhabitants.

Towns with more than 2,500 and cities with more than 5,000 inhabitants may adopt the commission form of government.

Suffrage. The conditions under which the franchise is granted in Louisiana differ from those prevailing in other states, and are of special interest. Every male citizen of the United States, twenty-one years of age or over, who has been an actual resident of the state for two years, of the parish for one year, and of the precinct in which he offers to vote for six months immediately preceding the election, is entitled to vote, if he satisfies certain other conditions. He must first show his ability to read and write either English or his mother tongue by filling out a form applying to be registered as a voter. This is known as the literacy test. In case he is not able to read and write he must show that he owns property of at least $300 in value.

The constitution also provides that no person under sixty years of age shall be permitted to vote unless he has paid a yearly poll tax of one dollar for the two years preceding the election in which he offers to vote. These provisions have been introduced in order to reduce as much as possible the number of negro voters, and they have proved quite successful, as very few negroes meet the required qualifications.

Law. The law system of Louisiana occupies a unique position, for it is the only one among the states of the Union that is not based on the English common law. When the province came into the possession of the United States in 1803, the Spanish laws were in force. But the majority of the people were of French descent and had strong French traditions, so when the famous Code Napoleon was introduced in France

many of its provisions were incorporated into the laws of Louisiana (see CODE NAPOLEON). The United States government did not interfere, for it has always been its policy to leave to the people the task of making or changing their laws, as long as these do not conflict with the Federal Constitution or with the fundamental legal customs of the country. This explains why to-day the laws of Louisiana contain elements of both Roman and English law. Its civil law is almost entirely based on the French system, and is different from that in use in the other states, while its criminal, commercial and corporation laws are based on the English system.

Louisiana

Other Constitutional Provisions. possesses a conservation commission that is charged with protecting the natural resources of the state. It adopted in 1906 a primary election law for the direct nomination of all state, parochial and municipal officers. An employers' liability law providing for the compulsory compensation of workmen in case of accidents was voted in 1914. Several acts dealing with the liquor traffic have been passed. It is an offense to sell or give away cocaine. Gambling on horse racing is prohibited. A period of ten hours constitutes a legal day's work. It is unlawful to employ children under fourteen years of age, while night work for boys under sixteen and girls under eighteen is also forbidden.

History. Louisiana is one of the regions of the United States that was visited quite early by explorers. In 1519 Alvarez de Pineda, a Spanish explorer, entered the mouth of the Mississippi and spent some time on its banks, and in 1541 the region was visited by De Soto. In 1682, La Salle descended the Mississippi River to its mouth, took possession of the entire country, and named it Louisiana, in honor of his king, Louis XIV of France. The first permanent settlement was made in 1699 by d'Iberville at Biloxi. In 1718 the Company of the West, organized by John Law, obtained the exclusive privilege of trade in Louisiana. New Orleans, which had been founded in the same year by Bienville, the governor of the colony, was made the capital in 1722. In 1733 the province came under the direct administration of the Crown. By the treaty of Paris, concluded in 1763, France ceded to Spain all that portion that lay west of the Mississippi, together with the city of New Orleans and the island on which it stood. By the same treaty it ceded to Great Britain all the rest of its possessions in America. The people of the province were not satisfied with this

change, but eventually Spain established its rule. In 1800 Napoleon obtained back from Spain the ceded territory, and in 1803 he sold the province to the United States for $15,000,000 (see LOUISIANA PURCHASE). In 1804 the region west of the Mississippi was organized as the Territory of Orleans.

Progress as a State. In 1812, April 30, the Territory of Orleans, increased by the region east of the Mississippi and comprising the present area was admitted as the fifth new state of the Union after the original thirteen, under the name of Louisiana. In the War of 1812 New Orleans was attacked by the English and was bravely defended by about 5,000 men under General Andrew Jackson. In 1852 the capital was moved from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

Louisiana passed the ordinance of secession on December 23, 1860, and in 1861 it ratified the Confederate Constitution. New Orleans was occupied by Union forces in May, 1862, and a military government was established. The state suffered severely from the cessation of its commerce. During the period of reconstruction Louisiana was the scene of long-continued strife, and bloodshed was frequent. Military occupation came to an end in 1868, after Louisiana had adopted a constitution enfranchising the negroes, and after it had ratified the Fourteenth Amendment to the Federal Constitution. The great mass of the white population was slow to reconcile itself to the new conditions.

By what was known as the "grandfather clause" in the constitution of 1898, and by the conditions required to exercise the privilege of voting laid down in the constitution of 1913, which are described above (see SUFFRAGE), the political predominance of the whites has been assured.

In 1884 the New Orleans Exposition was held to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the first shipment of cotton from New Orleans. Since the beginning of the twentieth century the progress of the state in material wealth, educational conditions, and social legislation has been steady and rapid.

O.B.