Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1856-04-05
For the Sugar Planter.1
The Sugar Interest.

beg leave to write a few lines to you on the
subject. "a =
The Sugar Planters Of Louisiana are as
noble hearted and fnea people as any coun-
try in the world can boast of, bu: as they
are li(eIess who are taultless," l trust they
will excuse me if | call theiI attention to
matters they ought to remedy, matters which
nothing but a mistaken generosity, anc an
oversight of their own interest can cause
them to overlook.
The old saying, 'out Of evil comes good
bids me hope for better days: the necessity
for planters holding conventions, in order to
stop the evils they labor under, is the hrst
step towards Loulsiana's prosperity. Few
countries in any cline can boast OF SO many
| gifts of nature as this State n-th richest
soil in the world, a navigable stream to al
most every plantation, the shipping harbor
for the greatest n~avigab!e river on the face Of
the earth, and a safety harbor fer all the COM
merc,al shipping afoat. Yes the Mississippi
river, the Father of Waters, is one continued
| safety ldt uOi loiA az Nlb " -
the other, a harbor where no ship has ever
| been wrecked in a gale, and when vessels OF
the largest size can lie besides natures wharf
and receive and discharge cargoes. AS | am
straying away from my subject by devotlns
too muchlspace to the merited eulogy OF this
State, l viii conclude by adding that amongst
her boasted possessions, none are more worthy
of notice, than the owners OF the bright eyes
which gaze on the scene.
Now for business, with regard to these
Cony e%ntions. Isay, they are the first steps
towards raising Louisiana to the highest po-
sition among the States OF this far famed
Republic. Union is strength" and a con-
t%inuance Of a communion of ideas amongst
Planters, will not only give them full power
to remove existing evils, but it will give
them knowledge to increase the value of their
property ten fold. | need scarcely remark
that Old experienced planters offer too widely
with each other, on the first principles of cul-
t~ivation, not to show the necessity of having
a yearly Agricultural Association, where the
merits and dement's of everything connected
with their welfare could be assed-some
planters raise an average OF t en- thousand
POUNDS of sugar per hand, while others fail
short OF FIVE thousand.
In fact they prepare Meir land differently,
cultivate differently. and manufacture differ
emily, merely because they think it best.
without being able to apply one particle Of
science to their admitted practical AnowI-
edge, but in order to come near perfection IL
cultivation. science is as necessary to prac-
t,ce. as practice is to science. How lew
planters are aware of the fact, that sugar is
not the production of the soil, the soil merely
produces the inorganic structure, where tae
atmosphere deposits the organic ingredient,
sugar. iSee Mccullough 4 Evans, also Davy,
Kane, and others. hence the soil produces the
inorganic and thes atmosphere the organic
either will cause an unhealthy plant, it is es-
~sential not only to the present crop but 10
the future ones, that this fact should be under
stood and reduced to practice. An unhealthy
plant will make inferior sugar, and still the
worst kind of seed. write not to give in
structions, my object is to call forth enquiry
and show the absolute necessity of establish.
ing an Agricultural Association. The works
written on these sub ects, are too difficult tc
understand by most Of the practical planters
but by a union OF ideas. all planters meeting
at the society, and explaining their views on
the subject, a remedy will soon be discovered
for all their evils.
Planters, you have commenced your inves.
tigation about the Inconvenience you are ex-
POSED to, in New Orleans, for want of a
proper Sugar Market, yes, your losses in the
present market call for a change, but when
you do make a change. make one worthy Ct
the great sugar interest OF Louisiana. have d
market solely under you, own control, where
you can have sufficient accommodation tc
hold your sugar as long as you wish, each plan.
ter paying a moderate charge, just enough tc
pay the working expenses of the concern.
Is it not an unwarrantable fact, that plan.
ters who own three hundred thousand dol,
lars worth Of real estate, cannot get twenty
thousand dollars Of accommodation withou,
paying two and a half per cent to some one
who cant pay fifty cents on the dollar on hi:
own liabilities, and even after paying thai
commission for a worthless name, they must
put up with every kind of bad treatment ir
the way of selling their sugar too low, allow.
ing too much tare, and several other tricks O.
trade.
But planters will be subject to all this IN,