Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1859-09-03
THE SUGAR CROP.

Some DAYS since we penned an article upon
the sugar crop Of 1859, which was induced
by a statement of the 'Change writer Of the
Crescent that the crop of this year would
reach 400, 900 hhds.: with certain provisos.-
+ ceiling assured from the best information
we were able to obtain, that the Change
writer CT the Crescent was in error, we gave
ou1 reasons for differing with that gentleman.
lie promised, after reading cur comments: to
give US his reasons for supposing the crop
would reach his figures, but SO far, mas failed
to do SO. We We're pleased to find that the
Planters Banner, of St. Mary, in its issue of
Saturday last. also took issue with the
'Change writer, upon the same subject
While we are willing to accord ali praise
and merit to the gentleman whose figures
we attack, for his usual business tact and
skill, and for L general knowledge Of COM
mercial and agricultural matters, we must
nevertheless, give our contemporary Of the
Banne, precedence in this instance. One OF
the pronrietors of that popular and usually
well-posted journal, makes it his special bus
mess to examine personally the crops. and
then draws his own differences. This is de-
cidedly, the only way by which to arrive at a
conclusion as TO the magnitude Of a crop.
Although it is we|l-known 10 all persons
connected one way or another with the sugar
interest, that predictions in regard to crops
are unstable until fully, or nearly, ground up,
yet an approximation may be made by COM
petent Judges in the manner described above.
The cool weather we have had the past week
has served materially to check the growth
Of the cane, and if the season is not more
propitious from this to grinding time, a little
than half a crop, we fea1, will he the
result. Below we give the Banners article,
by which our readers will perceive that we
are not alone in our views on the present
crops:
Predictions are already going forth in re-
|ation 10 the sugar crop Of the present year.
In a late number of the Crescent, the 'Change
writer for that paper estimates the crop at
hogsheads, provided the season should
Prove favorable from this time forward.
Upon what the writer bases these produc-
lions we are unable to say. Certainly his
are not drawn from the present
Of the cane crop throughout the
sugar parishes. St. Mary will Certainly fall
long way short Of her last years crop
And so will the other parishes generally.
We have travelled over many of these parish
es in the last two months, and the general
complaint has been that the zane rs a month |
later than usual, and that anything like IA
full crop is Impossible, unless the cane should
to be uncommonly sweet, which
does not often occur.
If one will travel from St. Martinsville to |
a distance Of about one hundred and
miles, he will find the cane almost uni
(ormly poor on the entire route. If be will
then take a trip UP the Mississippi he will
near general complaints of late cane and poor |
Some, indeed, have good c,ops, and
a few of the parishes will make as much su-
gar as they did last year. Blu even in the
that were overlooked last year, the
between the last aud the coming
crop will be smaller than-most persons might
Last year they made more sugar
in those overfoWed parishes than it was
supposed they would make, the land that
not overlooked producing abundan1ly /
md this year the oreraowed lands of last !
year are doing but little. nor is the other lanJV
the Lafourche and the Mississippi:
Besides, the Ewing crevasse, the -LobdelI
:~revasse, of West Baton Rouge, etc, have
destroyed considerable cane this season, and
Of the crops along the coast have sui
extensively by seapage.
The cane throughout the sugar regions was
in bad order last spring, and the ,:on-
rains, which extended from November
to April OF May. and considerable bad seed,
prevented planters from planting as much
seed in the ground as they expected,to. The
crops cultivated badly on account of the con-
and heavy rains, the cane has gener
been a month later than usual in former
years, and how, with these facts before US,
my one can predict 100000 hhds, of sugar
or the growing crop, we are unable to say
Unless the cane proves uncommonIY sweet,
and this We cannot know anything about at
present, we believe there will not be 800, 900
aids. of sugar made in the State this year
have we heard any intelligent planter
more than that amount. Sill, the
pest Of these predictions, so early as this. are
mere random guess-work which should have
out little weight with the public.
70 Q"iteaa large party of ladies and gen.
lemen from DonaldsonviIle, came up on
Wednesday last on the pretty little steamer
Heels, to visit Baton Rouge. They