The Sun.
London, England, 1851-07-17 00:00:00

HISTORY OF THE SUGAR-CANE 1N
LOUISIANA.

Some interesting particulars respecting the origin, rice,
and progress of the cultivation of the sugar cane in the
State of Louisiana have lately come under our notice,
which are deserving of attention. A brief summary of
them will repay perusal. It is now just a century since
the first cane was planted in Louisiana, and the circum-
stances which led to that important step were these :—A
vessel laden with French recruits for the colony touched at
Hispaniola. The Jesuits sent their brethren a few
bundles of the cane, that they might try the ex-
periment. These were planted in what is now the
heart of the second municipalty, and were cul-
tivated by negroes, who came in the fleet which
brought the seed. The experiment succeeded, but
the cultivation of the cane was not prosecuted with
any vigour, and it was only in the year 1759 that
a person named Dubrenil put up the first mill. In
the year 1769 the culture was abandoned fur a period of
twenty-five years. In 1794 a person named Etienne
Bore, a native of the state of Illinois, whose indigo crop
had failed fur several successive years, in despair aban-
doned that, and attempted the cane with marked success.
In the second year of his trial he made a crop worth
10,000 dollars, and his success induced his neighbours to
imitate his example.
It is stated in Stoddard's " History of Louisiana,"
that in the year 1803, at the transfer of the territory,
the delta contained eighty-one sugar-cane plantations.
In this work it is observed, " Some of these
planters are affluent, and possess from 30 to 60 slaves.
The most wealthy of the class reside about the city,
and before the cession several had made crops valued
at from 10,000 dolts. to 16,000 dolls. Since that
period the number of slaves has increased. Sugar estates
are cultivated on a more ex.ensive scale, and the number
of them has greatly multiplied, so that the annual crops
of some are now worth from 25,000 dolls. to 30,000 dolls.
The cane is not raised shove the island of Orleans, nor is
it believed that the climate will admit of it. No sugar
estates are found more than 100 miles above the city."
Such was the condition of the cultivation in 1812.
The cane is now cultivated in the southern portions of
Natchitoches and Tenses parishes, which are 350 miles
above New Orleans. _ _ . _

In 1830, the Secretary of the United States Treasury
addressed circulars to gentlemen in different parts of the
country, seeking information on the various products of
industry, when a Mr. Josiah S. Johnston replied very
elaborately on the subject of sugar. He said that at
the time of the transfer of the territory the duty on
sugar was 2i cents per pound, which, in 1816, was in-
creased to 3 cents, and that it was more than twenty
years from the period of the cession before 40,000 hhds.
were produced. At the time first referred to, namely,
1830, it was estimated that 35,000 slaves were engaged
epon 725 plantations, employing about 100 steam-en-
gines, with a capital employed of about 50,000,000 dolls.
The machinery was estimated to cost on each plan-
tation 5,000 dolls., and the whole worked 22,000
horses, valued at 1,500,000 dolls., which were renewed
every seven years, at an annual cost of 200,000 dolls.
The prices in 1818 were from 14c. to 15c., which, in
1829, bad fallen to 7ie., and in 1830 to from 6ic. to
Tic. Such was the position of the cuitivation in 1830.
In 1840, the number of slaves employed had increased
to 143,890, arid the produce of the plantations was a
crop of 119,947 hhds., of I,ooolbs. each, and 600,000
gallons of molasses.
In 1849-50, the crop was 200,000 hhds., which rea-
lised 10.000,000 dolls. The census returns of the
United States, just made up, gives the number of
slaves in the State of Louisiana at the present time
at 230,807, and the capital now employed is estimated at
the sum of 75,000,000 dolls.
Such is an outline of the rise and progress up to
the present year of the cultivation of the sugar-cane in
Louisiana.